Postcard from Japan: Tongari Boshi Mothers’ Reading Group
I’ve just had the pleasure of joining a volunteer group of mothers at my daughter’s elementary school who read children’s books aloud in the library every Tuesday morning. The group call themselves Tongari Boshi, or The Pointed Hat Circle. Every Tuesday, chairs are set up in the library and a mother reads books aloud to children who come into the library during recess time. This week’s volunteer, Kaori Nagami, read two books: Dorobo Gakko or “School for 
Robbers” by Satoshi Kako (Kaiseisha, 1978) and Tomodachi Ni Naroyo or “Let’s Be Friends” by noted musician and singer Hirotaka Nakagawa, illustrated by Saeko Hirokawa published by Alice-Kan. I’m not sure if these books have been translated into English but some Japanese childrens’ book publishers such as Kaiseisha have English websites for English readers to peruse. Alice-kan does not yet appear to have an English website but they have a colorful web presence in Japanese so I have linked to them. Check out their author index page and click on the doors for a fun discovery of authors/illustrators and their works. I’m looking forward to Tongari Boshi’s next meeting to find out more about Japanese children’s books so do stay posted. There’s a wonderful world of books out there waiting to be discovered!
May 27th, 2011 at 1:02 am
[...] mothers in a reading group for my daughter’s elementary school (see my Postcard for Japan post on this group) was this book A Friend by Japanese poet, Tanikawa Shuntaro (Trans. by Arthur Binard, [...]
August 3rd, 2011 at 1:02 am
[...] or Fly High, Grasshopper (Kaiseisha, 1988) I read for the big July reading event hosted by the Tongari Boshi Mother’s Reading Group held at my daughter’s elementary school in Nishinomiya, Japan. Fly High, Grasshopper is a [...]