Ancient China, Japan, and Asia Book List

Riding of a Caravan by Laurie Krebs and Helen Cann, Readers will enjoy this rhyming picturebook that follows a Chinese family and their journey along the Silk Road, the trade route that runs thousands of miles through Asia. Along the way you will experience the sights, smells and sounds of China. Also includes extensive educational endnotes, and vivid photos of the author's travels along the Silk Road. Paperback, 32 pages. Recommended for ages 4 to 10 years old.

When the powerful Lord Takeda's soldiers sweep across the country side, killing and plundering, they spare the boy Taro's life and take him along with them. Taro becomes a servant in the household of the noble Lord Akiyama, where he meets Togan, a cook, who teaches Taro and makes his new life bearable. But when Togan is murdered, Taro's life takes a new direction. He will become a samurai, and redeem the family legacy that has been stolen from him. Recommended for ages 10 to 14, grades 5 to 9.

In the time when the Shogun ruled Japan, two hundred samurai suffered a grave insult--their master met an unjust death. Forty-seven of them are courageous enough to avenge him. Jiro is a lowly servant to one of the brave samurai. Chosen as his master's unlikely spy during the planning of the great revenge, Jiro must learn when to talk and when to listen, or at any moment he could lose his head to a samurai's razor-sharp sword. And even as Jiro plays his small part in the unfolding plot, he searches for the truth about his own identity. Recommended for ages 10 to 14.

This book is one of the best-loved and enduring children's books, both for its spirited and irrepressible hero and for its beautiful evocation of a distant land and way of life. Every child can sympathize with a dawdling duck who wants to avoid a spanking, and share his excitement and wonder as he sails down the river. Ages 3 - 8

With delightfully detailed watercolors, full of whimsical scenes, this wordless picture book explores China, the vast and varied land where calligraphers bestow good fortune, birds fish for men, and dragons dance. Award-winning artist Mitsumasa Anno travels through China and illustrates his discoveries along the way, standing on the Great Wall, visiting bustling villages where the streets are waterways, and flocks of ducks are herded on rivers , and beholding the terracotta army that guards the ancient tomb of China's first emperor. In detailed notes at the back of the book, Anno explain his journey and the scenes he chose to include, drawing out various features that teach the reader about Chinese history and culture. 60 pages, softcover. Ages 6 and up.

In ancient Japan, a struggling artist is angered when his housekeeper brings home a tiny white cat he can barely afford to feed. But when the village’s head priest commissions a painting of the Buddha for a healthy sum, the artist softens toward the animal he believes has brought him luck.

According to legend, the proud and haughty cat was denied the Buddha’s blessing for refusing to accept his teachings and pay him homage. So when the artist, moved by compassion for his pet, includes the cat in his painting, the priest rejects the work and decrees that it must be destroyed. It seems the artist’s life is ruined as well—until he is rewarded for his act of love by a Buddhist miracle.

This timeless fable has been a classic since its first publication in 1930, and this beautifully reillustrated edition brings the magic and wonder of the tale to a new generation of readers.

Wrtitten by Newbery Medalist Katherine Paterson with painting by Caldecott winning illustrators Leo and Diane Dillon

A beautiful mandarin duck is captured and caged by a greedy lord who wants to show off the bird's magnificent plumage. But the wild creature pines for his mate. When Yasuko, the kitchen maid, releases the bird against her lord's command, she and the one-eyed servant, Shozo, are sentenced to death. The grateful bird intends to return their kindness, but can he outsmart the cruel lord?

Winner of the Boston Globe/Horn Book Award for Illustration, and a New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book of the Year.

This colorfully illustrated multicultural children's book presents Japanese fairy tales and other folk stories—providing insight into a rich literary culture.

For 60 years, generations of English-speaking children around the world have been enchanted by Japanese Children's Favorite Stories—and for good reason. With such titles as "The Toothpick Warriors" and "The Rabbit Who Crossed the Sea", these 20 stories offer age-old lessons in kindness and goodness that are still riveting to children and parents alike. This 60th Anniversary Tuttle edition is proof that good stories never wear out.

In this treasure trove of much-beloved Japanese children's stories, you'll meet charming characters drawn from folklore and passed down for generations. These tales about playful goblins with long noses, walking statues, and a delightful hero who just happens to be one inch tall speak of the virtues of honesty, humility and hard work. What better way for a parent to teach than through stories that thrill their children!

Author Florence Sakade, a pioneer of English-language publishing in Japan, has compiled so many enchanting stories, readers will have a difficult time deciding which is their favorite. The sparking illustrations by Yoshisuke Kurosaki are a visual treat that readers of all ages will enjoy! His original and stylized watercolors bring to life the fascinating tales of fairy cranes, eel catchers, and singing turtles, among many others. These Japanese stories shine on every page, and are sure to captivate your family as they have many others.

The Children's Favorite Stories series was created to share the folktales and legends most beloved by children in the East with young readers of all backgrounds in the West. Other multicultural children's books in this series include: Asian Children's Favorite Stories, Indian Children's Favorite Stories, Indonesian Children's Favorite Stories, Singapore Children's Favorite Stories, Filipino Favorite Children's Stories, Favorite Children's Stories from China & Tibet, Chinese Children's Favorite Stories, Korean Children's Favorite Stories, Balinese Children's Favorite Stories, and Vietnamese Children's Favorite Stories.

Over 200,000 copies sold! Now with a newly refreshed design, this classic mathematical folktale tells the story of a clever farmer who outwits the Emperor of China and becomes the wealthiest man in the world—all starting with one grain of rice.

When a humble farmer named Pong Lo asks for the hand of the Emperor’s beautiful daughter, the Emperor is enraged. Whoever heard of a peasant marrying a princess?

But Pong Lo is wiser than the Emperor knows. And when he concocts a potion that saves the Princess’s life, the Emperor gladly offers him any reward he chooses—except the Princess.

Pong Lo makes a surprising request. He asks for a single grain of rice, doubled every day for one hundred days. The baffled Emperor obliges—only to discover that if you’re as clever as Pong Lo, you can turn a single grain of rice into all the wealth and happiness in the world!

A Bank Street Best Book of the Year for 9 to 12

Praise for A Grain of Rice:

"Gracefully illustrated. . . . This original story set in fifteenth-century China will captivate readers and perhaps teach them a little about mathematics." —Booklist
 
"Clever and quietly told in simple, yet evocative language." —Kirkus Reviews

"Any young reader (with calculator handy) will enjoy the tale." —Scientific American

"[A] book that is wise and humorous, and one to be perused and savored." —School Library Journal

This Caldecott Medal-winning, classic retelling of Little Red Riding Hood is one of the most celebrated picture books of our time.

With characteristic flair and energy, award-winning artist Ed Young illustrates the ancient Chinese version of the favorite fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood. Young's vibrant, yet delicate, pastels and watercolors add drama to the deftly translated story.
 
★ ''A gripping variation of Red Riding Hood. This is an outstanding achievement that will be pored over again and again." —School Library Journal, starred review

Weaving together traditional folkloric stories with Minli's quest to bring her family fortune, this captivating tale will engage readers of all ages and backgrounds. When Minli decides to use one of her two gold coins to buy a goldfish, her mother is not happy--they barely have enough rice to feed themselves, and even the few grains required by the fish are a sacrifice. Minli decides to let the fish go, but before the fish leaves, he tells her how to find the Old Man of the Moon who figures into so many of the stories she hears from her father. She leaves to begin her quest, meeting many new friends and hearing many new stories along the way, as she tries to learn how to change her family's fortune. Full-color illustrations included. 278 pages, hardcover with dust jacket.

Naima is a talented painter of traditional alpana patterns, which Bangladeshi women and girls paint on their houses for special celebrations. But Naima is not satisfied just painting alpana. She wants to help earn money for her family, like her best friend, Saleem, does for his family. When Naima's rash effort to help puts her family deeper in debt, she draws on her resourceful nature and her talents to bravely save the day. Includes a glossary of Bangla words and an author's note about a changing Bangladesh and microfinance.

The Elephant's Friend and Other Tales from Ancient India by award-winning author and illustrator Marcia Williams, is a storybook collection told in graphic novel style, featuring eight of the best-loved Indian folktales from the Hitopadesha, the Jatakas, and the Panchatantra. Kids will enjoy the comic book style illustrations that are filled with humor and warmth. 40 pages, softcover. Ages 6 to 9.

In Little Pear by Eleanor Frances Lattimore, readers will learn of the many adventures of Little Pear, a young boy living in a tiny house with his family in China. Although the story takes place over 100 years ago, he is just like any boy today. Little Pear is a curious boy who is looking for fun, but sometimes he can get a little bit in over his head! Get ready to join him on his many quests, such as stowing away to the fair in a wheelbarrow of vegetables, getting rescued from the flowing river, and nearly flying away on a kite! Paperback, 128 pages. Ages 6-10.

James Rumford, himself a world traveler, has retold Ibn Battuta's story in words and pictures, adding the element of ancient Arab maps - maps as colorful and evocative as a Persian miniature, as intricate and mysterious as a tiled Moroccan wall. Into this arabesque of pictures and maps is woven the story not just of a traveler in a world long gone but a man on his journey through life.

Join Mowgli in the Jungle.
After young Mowgli escapes the vicious jaws of the growling tiger Shere Khan, he is adopted by Father Wolf and grows up with the pack. Lovable old Baloo the Bear and Bagheera the Panther teach Mowgli the Law of the Jungle, and so his extraordinary adventures begin.
Plus a behind-the-scenes journey, including an author profile, a guide to who's who, activities and more.Recommended for ages 8-12.

Among the most popular children's books ever written, The Jungle Book comprises a series of stories about Mowgli, a boy raised in the jungle by a family of wolves after a tiger has attacked and driven off his parents. Threatened throughout much of his young life by the dreaded tiger Shere Khan, Mowgli is protected by his adoptive family and leans the lore of the jungle from Baloo, a sleepy brown bear, and Bagheera, the black panther.

Subtle lessons in justice, loyalty, and tribal law pervade these imaginative tales, recounted by a master storyteller with a special talent for entertaining audience of all ages. Included are such tales as "Rikki-tikki-tavi," a story about a brave mongoose and his battle with the deadly cobra Nag; Mowgli's abduction by the monkey people; and "Toomai of the Elephants," In which a young boy witnesses a secret ritual and is honored by his tribesmen. Recommended for ages 9 to 12.

Following Sterling's spectacularly successful launch of its children's classic novels (240,000 books in print to date),comes a dazzling new series: Classic Starts. The stories have been rewritten for younger audiences. Classic Starts treats the world's beloved tales (and children) with the respect they deserve.
One of the most beloved classics in children’s literature, Kipling’s masterpiece follows Mowgli, the boy raised by wolves, and his animal friends as they fight for survival in the Indian jungle. Young readers will love the wise bear Baloo and Bagheera the black panther; shiver at the vicious tiger Shere Khan; laugh at the silly monkeys; and feel compassion for the grown-up Mowgli—who must finally acknowledge his own humanity.

Abridged version.