検索キーワード： アジア

A long, long time ago in a kampong, there was a pond with plenty of fish. But the pond soon begins to dry up, and a watchful and greedy crane has an idea: He fools the fish into thinking that he will bring them to a large, sparkling lake. In the meantime, a crab who has been watching the crane has plans of his own…

In a South Indian village, a girl named Savitri has a greedy brother who summons a mighty demon to work for him. The demon, Rakshasa, tells him he must be kept busy or he will eat the brother. Eventually, the brother runs out of tasks for Rakshasa, and Savitri must think of an impossible task to keep Rakshasa busy–she challenges the demon to straighten her curly hair.

In Chinese culture, a calendar year is marked by an animal from the Chinese zodiac in a repeating cycle of 12 years. How were the 12 animals in the zodiac decided? A great race was declared among all the animals. The race was exciting, with each animal demonstrating unique characteristics and determination to be represented in the zodiac.

Issun-boshi is a tiny boy, no taller than one sun (3 cm), but he is brave and spirited. With a needle as a sword, he rides down the river in a wooden bowl to find work in the capital. A lord hires him to guard his daughter, the princess. During an outing, the princess is attacked by ogres and Issun-boshi saves her. The ogres leave a mallet, or hammer, behind. The mallet is magical and it will change Issun-boshi's life forever.

In this latest instalment of the popular picture book series, Asia's Lost Legends, the story travels to the steppes of Mongolia, where lives a young fiddle player named Suho and his beloved horse, Khuur. The two friends are inseparable until a cruel king tries to tear them apart. But the bond between Suho and Khuur is so strong that it cannot be broken. Instead, it inspires the creation of Mongolia's national instrument.

The story of Tokoyo is one of Japan's lesser known legends, yet Tokoyo is widely recognised for her bravery and strength. Tokoyo grew up in a small fishing village as the daughter of a samurai. When her father is banished to the Oki Islands by his warlord, Tokoyo is left behind all alone. Through the strength of her love for her father, Tokoyo gives up everything she owns and travels far and wide to reach him. Yet one obstacle remains before father and daughter can be reunited: the fearsome Yofune Nushi - a sea serpent that terrorises the waters surrounding the Oki Islands.

Kompheak was born with no legs. His father, who was ashamed of the child's deformity, ordered that the baby be sent down the river. But as fate would have it, the baby is found and raised by a wise man who teaches the child the ways of healing. In time, Kompheak becomes a famous medicine boy. He travels far and wide in a wheelchair built especially for him. But one day Kompheak meets a dying old man with a familiar face, and his life changes forever.

In ancient Vietnam, there once lived a King called Hung Vuong. He was a benevolent king who ruled wisely and with much kindness. As Hung Vuong grew old, he had to pick one of his children to succeed him. To help him decide, the sons were given an important task to prepare a meal fit for a king. The two older sons journeyed to the farthest lands to find the rarest ingredients.

Renowned for his wisdom and sense of fairness, Justice Bao was a high-ranking magistrate during the Song dynasty in ancient China. In The Case of the Missing Coins, Justice Bao as to decide what to do when a merchant accuses a woodcutter of stealing his money. Should he take the word of the well-dressed merchant or believe the shabby woodcutter who can barely speak for himself?

Dewi had a very mean stepmother and a very lazy stepsister. She was blamed for her father's death and was treated badly. But everything changed on the day the earth shook. It was the day houses toppled and trees crashed to the ground. It was the day Dewi found her stepmother and stepsister trapped under the rubble. How could Dewi save them?

This is a book full of very interesting folktales from a rather lesser known tribe in rural India, the Warlis. Written in a delightfully new style, this book also has a lot of information on who Warlis are, how they live and what all they believe in.

Home is where the sinister lives. Rory Parker knows not to step a foot in, on, or around the house next door. He’s seen things creeping in the shadows, has had encounters with spirits, and lost a best friend to the house’s malevolence. But when his new neighbors, Jack and his lovable family, move into the house next door, Rory makes it his duty to protect them at all costs.

Lion dance troupes from across Asia have gathered in Singapore to challenge the Lion Legends to the race of a lifetime. The stakes? The troupe's future! As jealousy and betrayal swirl, Apple, the Legends' youngest idol, finds that he must be the one to keep the brotherhood together. At the same time, he meets Charm, a fiery, monkey-like tomboy he can't help but be drawn to…

When Li Po travels from China to Malaysia to marry the Sultan of Malacca, the people are reluctant to welcome her as their Princess. But Li Po embraces all aspects of her new home and very cleverly blends elements of her past and present cultures. With her command of the Malay language and her ability to create new clothes and foods, she forms a hybrid culture—that of the Peranakans. Will the people of Malacca accept her now?

As they eat mooncakes, drink tea and watch the night sky together, Mama and Baba tell ancient tales of a magical tree that can never be cut down, the Jade Rabbit who came to live on the moon and one brave woman's journey to eternal life. With a gentle focus on the importance of family, Mooncakes is both a perfect book for parent and child to listen to together and an ideal choice for schools and libraries.

Nicht nur die Brüder Grimm oder Hans Christian Andersen haben Märchen gesammelt oder geschrieben, auch in anderen Ländern ist das Märchen selbstverständlich kulturelles Volksgut. In China wurden und werden gerne Märchen erzählt - wie diese feine Sammlung von zwanzig wunderbaren Geschichten beweist! Einige Themen kommen uns bekannt vor, anderes ist ganz neu - und natürlich mit dem Kolorit des Asiatischen versehen.

Nicht nur die Brüder Grimm oder Hans Christian Andersen haben Märchen gesammelt oder geschrieben, auch in anderen Ländern ist das Märchen selbstverständlich kulturelles Volksgut. In Japan wurden und werden gerne Märchen erzählt - wie diese feine Sammlung von zwanzig wunderbaren Geschichten beweist! Einige Themen kommen uns bekannt vor, anderes ist ganz neu - und natürlich mit dem Kolorit des Asiatischen versehen!

Have you ever noticed how fireflies look like stars that have fallen from the sky? According to this Indonesian tale, that’s how they came to be! A greedy man overeats the stars with the help of a coconut tree and learns a lesson when he fails to properly thank the friendly tree.

A greedy monkey tricks a crab into trading her yummy omusubi rice snack for a single persimmon seed. But who will end up with the bigger reward in the end? This children’s story by Ryan Aoto is based on the traditional Japanese folktale “The Monkey-Crab Battle.”

Kashima, a god in Edo, Japan, resides in his shrine to protect the people from Namazu, a catfish, from causing earthquakes that devastate the lives of the villagers. When Kashima helps one of the villagers, Namazu must decide whether to obey Kashima and stay put or swim and potentially endanger the lives of the villagers.