Issun Boshi: The One-Inch Boy. This item is unavailable.Issun Boshi: The One-Inch Boy

This classic Japanese fairy tale tells the story of Issun Boshi, the tiny son of an old, long childless couple. Tiny and brave--these are the two most striking characteristics of Issun Boshi. His mother had longed to have a child for so many years that she finally added "even if it is a very small one" to her wish. When the elderly couple did in fact bear a son, he turned out to be only one inch high. He was thus called Issun Boshi, Japanese for one-inch boy. Although his parents raised him very lovingly, Issun Boshi realized one day that he would not grow any taller. He then left his home to set off on a journey to find his place in the world. Because he saw himself as a swordfighter, a samurai, he made sure to take along the right equipment: a needle was his sword, a soup bowl was his boat, and a chopstick was its rudder. As in any proper fairy tale, Issun Boshi is tested in several adventures. He handles himself so bravely that, in the end, he is rewarded with just the right princess.

K-Gr 2—This classic Japanese folktale about a couple who wish for a little boy and find themselves the parents of a child who measures a mere inch has been retold in collections and as a single narrative in picture-book format many times. Issun Bôshi fails to grow in stature, but he is brave and determined and sets out into the world with a needle serving as his samurai sword and a rice bowl for his boat. He finds a place at court, is swallowed by an ogre, pricks the monster's stomach, and escapes capture. The story is so beloved that it has influenced television shows and video games. This retelling is illustrated in accomplished four-color prints in hues that range from vivid to lurid. The graphic composition is powerful, but the bold, posterlike aesthetic might be more impressive to adults than to children. Every children's library should have a version of Issun Bôshi in its folklore collection, however, and there is only one other picture book edition widely available at this time. If a replacement copy is needed, this one is a reasonable choice.—Miriam Lang Budin, Chappaqua Library, NY