Kindergartner Yoko not only learns to write her letters and numbers in English, she shows her teacher and fellow students how to write their names using Japanese calligraphy.

A young boy climbs up a tree and into a waiting cloud, which takes him on a whirling adventure in the sky.

Little Daruma wants everything his little friend Tengu has-- his fan, his hat, his clogs and even his long nose!

While she and her family are interned at Topaz Relocation Center during World War II, Mari gradually adjusts as she enrolls in an art class, makes a friend, plants sunflowers and waits for them to grow.

"Beautifully illustrated in a traditional style, Japanese Stories for Language Learners offers five compelling stories with Japanese and English language versions appearing on facing pages. Taking learners on an exciting cultural and linguistic journey, each story is followed by detailed translator's notes, vocabulary lists, and grammar points along with a set of discussion questions and exercises"--Amazon.com.

A Japanese brother and sister take a train from the farm where they live into the city to go to their first circus, where they delight in the jugglers, the trapeze artists, and the big white elephant.

Translated by Dianne Ooka.