The Adventure of Momotaro, the Peach Boy

The classic Japanese tale of Momotaro, a boy who is born out of a peach, becoming the beloved (and long wished-for) son of an elderly couple, and of his journey to the island of the demons, is here retold as part of the Kodansha Bilingual Children's Classics series, which also includes: The Moon Princess, Urashima and the Kingdom Beneath the Sea, Kintaro, the Nature Boy, and The Inch-High Samurai. Blessed with an extraordinary strength, even as a baby, Momotaro decides that he must fight the demons that have long plagued the land, picking up canine, simian and alectorine companions on his way, and triumphing - with their help - over his enemies...

An engaging story, one that I have seen retold many times - George Suyeoka's Momotaro, show more Stephanie Wada's Momotaro and The Island Of Ogres, Florence Sakade's Peach Boy and Other Japanese Children's Favorite Stories, to name just a few - this traditional tale is presented, in this edition, in rhyming verse, together with the beautiful artwork of Ioe Saito. A smaller book - part of a five-book boxed set I was lucky enough to find on a book cart, one day - it is still large enough to appreciate the colorful illustrations. Recommended to young folk and fairy-tale enthusiasts, particularly those with an interest in Japan. show less

Interesting. I wonder if this is a traditional Japanese tale? The Japanese accompaniment is pretty advanced, and even if you were using it to learn english, it's not simple. I suppose this could be used to good effect for bilingual children as a bed time story.

It is a very sweet story and a bit empowering in some sort of detached way, as fairy tales are wont to be.