Unlock the Power of Contextual Learning with Authentic Japanese Folktales Mastering vocabulary through reading is one of the most effective ways to learn a language. With our book, you not only encounter words that pique your interest, but you also understand their usage in real-life contexts. To boost your learning, we've included sound files and a comprehensive Anki flashcard deck with all the vocabulary from our stories. About the Stories: ねずみの嫁入り (The Mouse's Marriage): Dive into this charming Japanese folktale where a mouse couple searches for the most formidable suitor for their daughter. They meet various candidates, each believed to be the most powerful, unraveling a delightful narrative on the quest for the perfect match. 一休さん (The Wise Monk Ikkyu): Explore the adventures of Ikkyu-san, a sage monk known for his sharp wit. When the shogun tests him with a seemingly impossible riddle involving a painted tiger, Ikkyu's ingenious response is both enlightening and entertaining. Designed for Upper Beginners: These stories cater to learners who are just starting to get comfortable with Japanese. The text includes kanji where commonly used, supplemented by furigana for easy reading. Sound files (accessible via a link in the back of the book) ensure you learn the correct pronunciation—available in both normal and slow speeds to aid comprehension. Bonus Content for Enhanced Learning: Sound Files: Enjoy two versions of each story, one narrated at a regular pace and the other slower for easier understanding. QR Codes: Quickly access audio streams by scanning QR codes located throughout the book with your smartphone, enhancing your reading experience with instant audio support. Anki Flashcard Deck: Reinforce your vocabulary with our included Anki deck, a powerful tool for memorizing and reviewing words effectively. Anki is a free app available on multiple platforms, perfect for structured language learning. Embark on a journey of language discovery and cultural exploration with our carefully crafted stories. Perfect for those looking to deepen their understanding of Japanese while enjoying the rich tapestry of its folklore.

Read--in Japanese--about a tiny, yet brave samurai who ends up saving a princess and seeing his wish come true. The second story is the famous moon-princess Kaguya, who was found in a bamboo stalk. Kaguya-hime is one of the oldest Japanese tales and perhaps the world’s first science fiction story. Yes, you can read real Japanese—even if you are just starting out in Japanese. Perfect for beginning and upper beginning students of Japanese who have mastered hiragana and know basic Japanese grammar and sentence structure. This affordable Japanese reader contains two complete stories of very famous Japanese traditional tales. PLUS! Get FREE Sound Files of the stories read by a native Japanese speaker. Listen while reading. Each story has a slow and normal speed recording. The link is found on the last page. • All Japanese have furigana • Two full traditional Japanese stories: Inch-high Samurai and Princess Kaguya • Every sentence is broken down word-for-word and with explanation of the grammar. • The full story in Japanese only (without the running gloss) is also provided so you can practice reading without interruption. • Finally, we have included a simple and mostly literal English translation for you to check your understanding (Don’t cheat! Work through the Japanese first!). • Download the FREE sound files to listen while you study. • Download FREE Anki flashcard decks to learn all the vocabulary found in the stories While beginners to Japanese can get a lot from this, hiragana knowledge and understanding of basic Japanese grammar and sentence structure is required. Finally, we invite the reader to contact us with questions or requests for future Japanese readers. You will find our personal email addresses in the book. To your Japanese!

In this book, the first of a series, Robin D. Gill, author of the highly acclaimed Rise, Ye Sea Slugs! and Cherry Blossom Epiphany, the largest single-theme anthologies of poetry ever published, explores the traditional Japanese New Year through 2,000 translated haiku (mostly 17-20c). "The New Year," R.H. Blyth once wrote, "is a season by itself." That was nowhere so plain as in the world of haiku, where saijiki, large collections called of ku illustrating hundreds, if not thousands of briefly explained seasonal themes, generally comprised five volumes, one for each season. Yet, the great doyen of haiku gave this fifth season, considered the first season when it came at the head of the Spring rather than in mid-winter, only a tenth of the pages he gave to each of the other four seasons (20 vs. 200). Was Blyth, Zen enthusiast, not enamored with ritual? Or, was he loath to translate the New Year with its many cultural idiosyncrasies (most common to the Sinosphere but not to the West), because he did not want to have to explain the haiku? It is hard to say, but, with these poems for the re-creation of the world, Robin D. Gill, aka "keigu" (respect foolishness, or respect-fool), rushes in where even Blyth feared to tread to give this supernatural or cosmological season - one that combines aspects of the Solstice, Christmas, New Year's, Easter, July 4th and the Once Upon a Time of Fairy Tales - the attention it deserves. With G.K. Chesterton's words, evoking the mind of the haiku poets of old, the author-publisher leaves further description of the content to his reader-reviewers. "The man standing in his own kitchen-garden with the fairyland opening at the gate, is the man with large ideas. His mind creates distance; the motor-car stupidly destroys it." (G.K. Chesterton: Heretics 1905)

How do you select the best recent works of fiction, oral tradition, and poetry about African-American, Asian-American, Hispanic-American, and Native-American Indian experiences and traditions from the profusion of titles being published today? This annotated bibliography of titles for children and young adults published from 1985 through the end of 1993--with 60% published since 1990--provides a one-stop selection tool. Appraisals of 559 titles, as well as information about an additional 188 recent books and 90 earlier ones of importance, are provided. Each entry features a plot summary incorporating themes, critical comments with a judgment of the book's value as an example of its genre, suggestions of other books by that writer, and related books of importance. The authors, who are recognized authorities in children's literature, and an advistory board of librarians and teachers, each of whom specializes in the literature of a particular ethnic group, have provided insightful critical appraisals and expertise and guidance in the selection of titles. Helpful subject, grade-level, author, title, and illustrator indexes are organized for ease of use. Titles in the grade-level and subject indexes are also identified by ethnic group.

READ real Japanese Today! By choosing short stories, the intimidation factor is greatly reduced. Not only that, but we divide the story up into tiny, easy-to-swallow segments with complete explanations to give you confidence as you read real Japanese page by page. Perfect for upper beginner level students of Japanese. BONUS! Get FREE MP3s of the story read by a native Japanese voice actress, one read at normal speed and one read slowly. Listen while reading. The link to the MP3s is found on the last page. EXTRA BONUS! Included with the MP3s, are PDFs of all the vocabulary and grammar points. Feel free to print these out to use while reading. Now with Furigana! All our readers now have furigana in both the paperback and Kindle versions. Furigana is the small hiragana over the kanji--most devices support this feature. Have you studied for a year or two but just don't feel like you are progressing? This book is for you too. We suggest reading the Japanese only section first (includes furigana) and then go through the line-by-line running gloss section to cement understanding and learn vocabulary. * All Japanese have furigana (printed version and Kindle version on supported devices (all new devices)) and romaji for those starting out. * Three complete Japanese short stories. Each story is presented in three unique ways. * The Fountain of Youth: A traditional Japanese folk tale * The Hundred Tales Game: With the scariest of all endings* The Wise Child: A child shows his smarts by answering the question, which is farther, Edo or the Sun.* GLOSS: Read the story with a running gloss-understand completely. Every sentence is broken down word-for-word and with English explanation of the grammar. * GRAMMAR: Grammar notes are presented with the running gloss.* JAPANESE ONLY: The full story in Japanese only (without the running gloss) is also provided so you can practice reading without interruption. * ENGLISH SUMMARY: Finally, we have included a simple and mostly literal English translation for you to check your understanding (Don't cheat! Work through the Japanese first!). * Short stories makes reading full Japanese texts possible. * Download the FREE MP3s to listen while you study. Finally, we invite the reader to contact us with questions or requests for future Japanese readers. You will find our personal email addresses in the book. To your Japanese! What are you waiting for? Ninja up your Japanese. Click "Buy Now" now!

A memoir in essays that expands on the viral sensation “The Crane Wife” with a frank and funny look at love, intimacy, and self in the twenty-first century. From friends and lovers to blood family and chosen family, this “elegant masterpiece” (Roxane Gay, New York Times bestselling author of Hunger) asks what more expansive definitions of love might offer ​us all. A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: TIME, THE GUARDIAN, GARDEN & GUN "Hauser builds their life's inventory out of deconstructed personal narratives, resulting in a reading experience that's rich like a complicated dessert—not for wolfing down but for savoring in small bites." —The New York Times “Clever, heartfelt, and wrenching.” —Time “Brilliant.” —Oprah Daily Ten days after calling off their wedding, CJ Hauser went on an expedition to Texas to study the whooping crane. After a week wading through the gulf, they realized they'd almost signed up to live someone else's life. What if you released yourself from traditional narratives of happiness? What if you looked for ways to leave room for the unexpected? In Hauser’s case, this meant dissecting pop culture touchstone, from The Philadelphia Story to The X Files, to learn how not to lose yourself in a relationship. They attended a robot convention, contemplated grief at John Belushi’s gravesite, and officiated a wedding. Most importantly, they mapped the difference between the stories we’re asked to hold versus those we choose to carry. Told with the late-night barstool directness of your wisest, most bighearted friend, The Crane Wife is a book for everyone whose path doesn't look the way they thought it would; for everyone learning to find joy in the not-knowing and to build a new sort of life story, a new sort of family, a new sort of home to live in.