[DeepL Translation - needs review] Raising Smart Kids" series has sold over 1 million copies!
A selection of Japanese & international gems of stories to develop children's ability and to touch them while they are still young.
Brain Science Grandma
Recommended by Dr. Kayoko Kubota!
A book that will be a treasure for young children. A treasure for young children.
A treasured book for young children.
Each story takes approximately 3 minutes to read.
The length is just right, not too long a...
This is a collection of 366 single-page stories, primarily consisting of fairy tales and fables from all over the world but also including a few biographies, poems, and extracts from classic Japanese literature.
All kanji have furigana, but the font is rather small so it's a bit difficult to make out. Because every story is different there's a huge spread of vocabulary, and while some stories are extremely simple and easy others are definitely not, so it's impossible to rate the difficulty of the book overall. The extracts from classic literature were certainly the most challenging. While some of the stories were enjoyable, the majority seemed mediocre, and I think that's because they have to cram everything onto just one page. So, while it's very well suited to reading aloud to a child, I couldn't really recommend it to a Japanese language learner — at least, not until they're intermediate or advanced, and by then they'd be able to read much more interesting material.
That said, the book itself is absolutely gorgeous, with colorful pages, a pretty sparkly cover, and tons of illustrations. It includes a ribbon bookmark, places to write down the date you read each story, and in the back are stickers you can use to mark your favorites. It would make a wonderful keepsake. If you are raising a child in Japan, this book may be a good choice for you.