ntroduction to Japanese picture book author Shinobu Saito

A picture book author who sings and dances. Her representative work is "Acchan Agatsuku."

She also holds picture book live performances and handmade picture book workshops throughout Japan.

Born and raised in Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture. A well-known picture book author in the fields of education, childcare, and sleep education.

Shinobu Saito

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1. Acchan Agatsuku『あっちゃんあがつく』

Title: Acchan Agatsuku:

The Japanese Food Alphabet Book Synopsis:

Learn hiragana (the alphabet) while singing Japanese nursery rhymes! This will make even difficult Japanese a breeze.

Embark on a mouthwatering journey through the Japanese hiragana (alphabet)! Just like "A is Apple" in English, this fun book introduces all 50 characters of the Japanese hiragana through iconic everyday Japanese food. From sweet anmitsu (traditional dessert) and ramen to crispy tempura and flavorful udon, each page features unique dishes brought to life by lively little characters playing amongst the ingredients. The rhythmic and poetic text makes reading aloud a fun experience, transforming language learning into a delicious adventure.

Reasons to Love It (Highlights for Overseas Readers):

A Visual Feast of Japanese Culture:

Far more than just a hiragana (alphabet) book, this is a beautifully detailed visual encyclopedia of authentic Japanese cuisine, featuring street food, home cooking, and traditional sweets.

Perfect for Japanese Learners of All Ages:

Whether you're a bilingual family raising children in Japanese or an adult beginner learning hiragana, the combination of letters and striking food illustrations makes memorization intuitive and fun.

Hidden Details: Shinobu Saito's hand-drawn, intricate, and warm illustrations keep readers on every page, discovering the playful actions of tiny characters interacting with giant foods.

2. The Lunchbox Song『おべんとうばこのうた』

Title: The Lunchbox Song Synopsis:

Based on one of Japan's most famous traditional children's songs. A cute, personified empty lunchbox appears, waiting to be filled. As the lyrics progress, classic bento box ingredients like rice balls, chopped ginger, sesame salt, carrots, cherries, and shiitake mushrooms playfully appear one by one. By the end of the song, a beautifully packed, appetizing Japanese bento box is complete.

Reasons to Love This Picture Book (Highlights for Overseas Readers):

Interactive Musical Experience:

Based on well-known Japanese finger play songs, parents and children can sing along and imitate the hand movements, making story time highly interactive.

Traditional Flavors:

Introduces traditional and healthy Japanese bento ingredients to people around the world in an incredibly engaging and easy-to-understand way.

Toddler-Friendly Appeal: The simple, repetitive structure and the sweet, friendly faces of the food characters will immediately capture the hearts of babies and toddlers.

"While Nekosuke-kun Was Sleeping..."『ねこすけくんが寝てるあいだに…』

Title: While Nekosuke-kun Was Sleeping...

Synopsis:

Due to excessive smartphone use, Japanese people have the shortest sleep duration in the world! Children's sleep duration is also short! Bedtime keeps getting later and later!

Health keeps getting worse. Lifestyle habits are getting worse. The number of truant students keeps increasing. Mental illness keeps increasing. Childhood autism and intellectual disabilities are increasing. But sleep science is difficult for children to understand. So, Shinobu Saito created a picture book.

Nekosuke the cat just won't go to sleep! Suddenly, a sheep named Nerukun appears and shouts, "Enough already!" and uses magic to take Nekosuke into his own head. There, Nekosuke realizes that his brain is in an emergency situation because he won't sleep properly! Through fun mazes and interactive quizzes, Nekosuke and the reader learn what happens to the brain and body when you don't get enough sleep.

Recommended points (highlights for overseas readers):

Address universal parenting challenges: Tackle the everyday challenge of getting children to sleep by explaining the reasons behind it. Teach children in an easy-to-understand way how sleep deprivation leads to decreased brain function, irritability, and poor health. Interactive Learning: This book is packed with fun mazes and quizzes, keeping active children engaged while they learn about their physical health and mood regulation.

Humorous and Imaginative:

The surreal and creative setting of traveling through the mind of a sleep-deprived child adds a unique and delightful twist to the classic bedtime story genre.

Following "Nekosuke-kun, What Time Did You Go to Bed?", this is the second "Sleep Education" picture book! This time, we had the pleasure of having Professor Seiji Nishino, who conducts sleep research at Stanford University, supervise the project.

Nekosuke-kun usually goes to bed and wakes up early, but recently he's been sneaking under the covers to play games. That's when Nell-kun the sheep appears, shouting, "Hey, that's enough!" "It's terrible!" he says, and takes Nekosuke-kun into his own mind. Nekosuke-kun's mind, after not getting enough sleep, is truly in a state of chaos…

Disrupted sleep can lead to decreased brain function and motivation, irritability, fatigue, and general malaise. This book allows you to learn about the importance of sleep with your child while enjoying