Best-Loved Children's Songs from Japan

I don't have this book, and nor have I seen inside it, so 5 stars is only to give the benefit of the doubt to the quality of the book. I am writing this merely for other frustrated browsers who like me, wished they knew which songs the book actually contained before they committed to purchasing the book. An internet search revealed them, so here they are: - dokokade haruga / Somewhere Spring - naisho banashi / My Secret - shapon dama / Soap Bubbles - kanariya / The Canary - yurikago no uta / A Cradle Lullaby - chiisai aki mitsuketa / Little Autumn - nanatsu no ko / Seven Babies - aka tombo / Red Dragonfly - akai kutsu / Red Shoes - aoi me no ningyou / The Blue-Eyed Doll - mori no kobito / Little People of the Forest - kogitsune / Fox Cubs - takibi / The Bonfire - shikararete / Scolded - yuki / Snow! I'm not sure that you'd call these "current" best-loved songs, as I certainly haven't heard more than a couple of them despite spending a long time in Japan with children. Having found out the songs, I think I might try and find recordings of them before reconsidering whether I purchase the book.

Reviewed by Stephanie, J.T. (age 9), and Parish (age 3) Rollins for Reader Views (3/07) Yoko Imoto wrote "Best-Loved Children's Songs from Japan" to both translate the songs into English and to explain the cultural differences noted in the songs. "Best-Loved Children's Songs from Japan" won a graphic design award at the 1987 Bologna International Children's Book Fair Imoto chose songs that have universal meaning. Children across the world know and like bubbles, so "Soap Bubbles" is a fun song for all. "Red Shoes" talks about a girl being gone so long that she probably has blue eyes; the significance behind this that Americans have blue eyes and Japanese children do not. The most enjoyable part was the explanation of the cultural differences that is located on the last page. Parish loved the illustrations, especially the one of snow. The song about Spring brought up a conversation about different seasons. "Best-loved Children's Songs from Japan" did not excite J.T. It is a little below his reading level. Parish did enjoy it. I was not able to read the book straight through to her; however, she did enjoy reading a song at a time. "Do you like this book?" "Yes." "Do you want to read it again? "Later." "What was your favorite part?" She pointed to the song about snow. She says, "It is snowing." "I liked the red shoes. Did you like the red shoes?" "I want red shoes, too." "Maybe for your birthday. Do you want to keep this book in the toy room or give it away?" "I'll put it on the shelf." "Good we can read it again one day." I recommend "Best-loved Children's Songs from Japan" for preschoolers. It is written in both English and Japanese, so children are able to see that there is a difference in letters. This is a keeper!

This book has many classic Japanese children's songs, and my mother knew every one of them, most by memory. All of the music is written out (in treble clef), so if you can read music, then it's great for you. Most of the lyrics are written out in romaji (Roman text) and also in hiragana, so it is good for non-Japanese text readers too. One issue is that only single verses are written in romaji, so the second/third verse of the song must be read in Japanese (hiragana). The text each song is in both English and Japanese, so it's nice to know what you are singing if you don't know all of the Japanese words.

I love this book. The lyrics to each song are written in both the Japanese and English alphabet, so non Japanese speakers can sing along. My son's Japanese grandparents borrowed this book and sang all of it's songs into a tape recorder. The recording is one of my most prized posessions. The illustrations are really sweet, warm watercolors. On the last page is an index explaining the cultural background and significance of each song. This is a great book!

This book was wonderful. It included the Japanese as well as English lyrics. Many children's books neglect to include notation of the music, but this one does not. I had my K - 4 children singing Japanese in no time at all!