Picture books are will always be in the hearts of all generations.

I believe that not only are delightful to read, but also represent a timeless way to engage with children.

I have worked as a kindergarten teacher for a few years in Japan, and reading picture books was always an activity that my students looked forward to.

Even as an adult, I like buying them myself as it is always such a pleasure to read them.

 

When studying Japanese, picture books have helped me a lot as they have images that help with understanding the context much better and are always so fun to read!

I always pass by Tsutaya to see if they have any new additions, and this month I was happy to find out that the Tsutaya ehon 絵本 (picture book) award has been announced.

Here are the books that got into the top three:

1. Pan Dorobou by Shibata Keiko (パンどろぼう)

Pan (bread) Dorobou(thief), published by Kadokawa Co., Ltd got 1st place in the Tsutaya Picture Book contest, meaning that is one of the most popular picture books among the children.

The plot has a lot of humor, and the story revolves around our main character that goes around bakeries to find his favorite bread.

 

Our Pan Dorobou is a playful character that along the way, causes a lot of incidents and makes us laugh with his adventures.

Children seem to love the story and the mischievous character; therefore, it got first place in the awards.

The book costs around 1300 yen (excluding tax) and is such a fun story with cute pictures, so I also recommend reading it or buying one for your children.

I am sure that they will fall in love with the silly, but adorable character.

You can find more information here (Japanese only*).

2. Neguse no Shikumi by Yoshitake Shinsuke (ねぐせのしくみ)

Neguse 寝ぐせ is the word for bed hair in Japanese, and shikumi 仕組み means plot or mechanism.

This story is about a girl who gets carried away somewhere else and whose hair is getting messed up by little creatures every time she falls asleep.

Neguse no Shikumi has won the 2nd spot in the awards, and you can buy it for 980 yen (excluding taxes).

It is my favorite one, and the main character looks so adorable!

 

You can find out more and also see a short introduction video about the book here (Japanese only*).

3. Fuu tte shite by Matsuda Nanako (ふーってして)

Fuu is the sound made when blowing on something.

 

When the food is too hot, for example, you tell a child fuu tte shite blow on it (to cool it down).

It can also have the meaning of a gentle breeze.

The picture book "Fuu tte shite" won 3rd place, and rather than words, it is interesting to see how the images can change after saying fuu.

The pictures are splashes of colors, and the book puts a lot of focus on the visuals.

You can buy it for 1200 yen (excluding tax), and it shows you how the watercolors can spread through the page just by blowing on it.

It is also a fun activity for your children and helps them expand their imagination as well.

You can find out more about it here (Japanese only*; video included).

Matsuda Nanako Official Website

These are the top three books that won the Tsutaya Picture Book Award. Which one caught your attention?