Intermediate. A man is set to solve three riddles in order to keep his village safe from being destroyed. Only when he asks his mother for help are the riddles solved, saving the village. This book helps show why it is so important to respect your elders in Japanese culture.

I really enjoyed reading book! The reasons why I thought this book was a great story were both the writing style and the overall message the author was trying to portray. First, the writing in this book very creative and fun. Because the book is a folktale, it is a story that a lot of children would not understand upon the initial reading but, after reading the story, the will be able to understand different cultural traditions. An example of this can be found where the author writes about the young lord and his request to send all elders past seventy into the forest to die. This is not common in most cultures, it will be used as an instructional method of teaching students about other cultures and the reason why they do certain things. The overall message in this story was to respect your elders because they have been around a lot longer than you have. Their many years can be a gateway to the wisdom they have to share. ( )

In my opinion this is a good book. The reason I thought it was a good book is because the plot was very organized. There were smooth transitions from one event to the next. The plot did not seem too choppy, but instead easily flowed from one thing to the next. The plot was also enhanced by the engaging and descriptive writing. Each scene in the story was prefaced with a description that helped to enhance the story. For example, the scene of the forest is set with the description, “up and up he climbed- until the trees hid the sun, and the path was gone, until he could no longer hear the birds, but only the sound of the wind shivering through the trees.” Having such a descriptive passage allows the reader to use their imagination to visualize more of the story. The author goes beyond just saying that they are in a forest but adds what they could hear too, which deepens the setting. Another passage that added excitement to the story was when Lord Higa was threatening to conquer their village. Lord Higa had sent warriors to deliver the message that in three days they would be coming to conquer the village, but after the message is delivered the warriors are described as, “tossing the scroll at the young lord, [then galloping] off as quickly as they had come.” Exciting writing also added suspense to the plot and left the reader wondering what would happen next. Having events like these gave the readers something to look forward to. Because I knew something was going to happen soon, and I wondered what would happen when the warriors arrived at the village. Another reason I liked the story was because of the illustrations. The illustrations were created to look almost like cartoons. They have thick clear lines, and vibrant colors. The book is set up with written text on one page and illustrations on the other. Having such big illustrations allows the reader to find the details in the pictures, and this really enhances the story. The last reason I like the story is because it is able to broaden the readers’ perspective. In the beginning of the story the cruel lord is ordering that all of his citizens over 70 should be left on a mountain to die. He thought that they were no longer useful, so they should no longer live. But the farmer could not kill his mother, so instead he hides her under the house. But when the lord needs help solving the impossible tasks the old women is the only one wise enough to help. The perspective that is broaden is the idea that elders are still of value to the younger citizens. The younger generations need to learn the importance of the elderly, and that add real value to our society. I believe this is why the overall message of the story is to respect our elders. ( )

Folktale from Japan on the importance of the elders in our world. Many ELLs can relate, as cultures other than US actually value age.

GOod ( )