Little Daruma and Little Tengu: A Japanese Children's Tale

だるまちゃん

by Satoshi Kako, Richard B. McNamara (Translator), Peter Howlett (Translator)

Little Daruma wants to be just like Little Tengu, from his fan right down to his shoes, but Little Daruma becomes envious of Little Tengu's nose, something that is not so easy to make.

Genres: Japanese Literature, Picture Books

28 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 1967

About the author

Satoshi Kako (かこ さとし or 加古 里子) is a Japanese author.

Reviews

[Stian · Rating 4 out of 5]

かわいい　おはなしでした。だるまどんが　だいすきです。はじめて　にほんごで　よんだ　ほんでした！うれしいです！

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought that this was going to be a simple parable about jealousy, but instead it's a nuanced and very Japanese story about the warmth of being offered support, taking pleasure in doing work yourself, and ultimately finding fulfillment in conformity.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cute story about a daruma that wants to look like a tengu. It is originally a Japanese book. However, I downgraded it from four stars to three because part of the plot hinges on a Japanese pun. (Hana can mean either "nose" or "flower" in Japanese.) There is a footnote explaining the pun, but I think someone who is not familiar with Japanese won't really get the joke.