18 Bilingual Japanese Children’s Books

Japanese/English Bi-Lingual Folktale Picture Books

I happen to have these Japanese Folk Tale books that I found in a Japanese bookstore in Orange County when visiting my mom. They are lovely little books on famous Japanese folk tales and are bi-lingual.

The Tale of the Lucky Cat by Sunny Seki

The waving cat at Japanese restaurants and stores might be familiar but perhaps this Japanese folktale of how the Maneki Neko (The Cat That Invites Good Luck) is new to you. It’s new to me and I’m half-Japanese!

Long ago in Japan, a kind but poor toymaker named Tokuzo traveled from village to village to sell his toys. He happened to see a cat running from a dog who ended up in a terrible accident.

Tokuzo took the cat home and nursed it carefully but the cat died. He carefully buried the cat, said his goodbye, and went on his way. A storm started, and Tokuzo took shelter under a tree. Suddenly he saw a waving cat that looked exactly like the cat he rescued. Puzzled, he went to the cat. An instant later, lightning struck the very tree he stood under. Was this the very same cat who had died?

He told many people about this mysterious cat and ended up asking a wise old man, a master craftsman for advice. Tokuzo decides to create a statue of the cat to share his good luck. The statue, made of clay, ends up being a waving cat, very much like the ones you see today!

This story reminds us that all acts of kindness matter.

Bilingual Japanese folktale in Japanese and English! [picture book, ages 4 and up.]

These books are great and have Japanese vocabulary words throughout both books as well as cover the holidays and traditions of the Japanese people. I learned a lot from them!

Japanese Themed Easy Chapter Book

The Story of Yuriwaka: A Japanese Odyssey is a short chapter book that would be good for older kids.

Haiku Poetry Picture Books

Cool Melons – Turn to Frogs!: The Life and Poems of Issa by Matthew Golub, illustrated by Kazuko G. Stone

This picture book is a translation of Haiku poems by Issa, a Japanese poet born in 1763 on a farm in central Japan. He began writing haiku as a young child. [picture book, ages 6 and up]

My First Book of Haiku Poems: A Picture, A Poem and a Dream translated by Esperanza Ramirez-Christensen, illustrated by Tracy Gallup

Classic poems by Japanese haiku masters are presented in both English and Japanese. The commentary below including discussion questions for each poem helps to connect the poem with the illustration to deepen the meaning of the spare and beautiful words. This is a great resource to introduce haiku to kids in the classroom or at home! [picture book, ages 5 and up]

How My Parents Learned to Eat by Ina R. Friedman, illustrated by Allen Say

Thank you to Rachel for this great recommendation! I have heard so much about this book but I don’t think I’ve read it yet! [picture book, ages 6 and up]

To examine any of the items listed, please click on image of item.

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