The Funny Little Woman

The retelling of this Japanese folk tale is so fun and cheeky. I'm glad I read this before the Japanese Mythology book or I probably would have picked something else. I can picture reading this book and stopping in certain spots (like when she couldn't stop laughing when Jizo was trying to hide her) and asking the class to predict what will happen next. I also like that the wicked Oni were not that wicked. They just wanted her to cook them dumplings. It was such a cute story. I had a blast reading it.
The pictures were fun too. The funny lady was always in red, so bright and cheerful, while everybody else was a dour color (brown for the statues, grey-blue for the Oni, and lime green for the Oni's houses). The color choices helped make show more the little woman's case that she couldn't stay down there. It just wasn't for her. show less

A retelling of a Japanese folktale about a woman who chases after a dumpling into a strange underworld where she has to cook for Oni or monsters. The illustrations combined with the way the story is told would make this a wonderful book to introduce a child to Japanese culture. One of the most interesting things about this book is how the illustrations follow how time passes as she's underground so that it can be noted how her house in black and white falls apart. This is a book that I would recommend for an early reader since not all of the words are immediately obvious in meaning, but they provide a good chance to broaden a child's views of the world within a good story.

This Japanese folktale is about doing what you love, and making the most of bad situations; doing so will pay off in the end. I like this book for three reasons. To start, many aspects of the Japanese culture come through in the text. This goes to include the funny little woman cooking rice dumplings, to her encounters with Jizo Sama and the wicked oni, two Japanese Buddhist spirits. I like that the plot is simple. The mounting action climaxes when the little woman escapes the wicked oni and then, using the magic paddle she took from them, becomes the richest woman in Japan. Finally, I enjoyed how the illustrator, Blair Lent, incorporates the little woman’s house onto every page of the book. When she is above ground making dumplings, show more it is colorful and inviting; when she is below ground, being captured and escaping from the oni, her home is drawn in black and white, signifying it is still there for her, but that she can only dream about it. show less

Tee Hee Hee, says the old woman as she makes her rice dumplings. Young children will enjoy the whimsy of this tale of the old woman who falls into the underworld and becomes cook to the Oni, giant ogre-like creatures that live with the gods underground.

In this legend, the funny little woman is making rice dumplings, when the floor falls through and her dumpling runs away, so she chases it, fearless, down several tunnels until she is forced to make dumplings for these monsters with a magic spoon. Eventually, her silliness helps her escape with the spoon to make dumplings evermore. Fascinating legend. Staged in Japan, beautiful illustrations like Tikki Tikki Tembo, but would still recommend researching how to say names. There's a good section on doubling to reinforce a math concept. Talk about bravery, fearlessness, laughter.

I love the illustrations in this book, the colors are beautiful.

I feel a bit hesitant to wholeheartedly recommend it because I do try and find folktales in books by authors of the same nationality. I think what is really annoying is the “tee hee hee” but I can see where the repetition would be good as a read aloud.

This is a funny, clever story. The illustration is authentic to Japanese culture. This book would be a great way to investigate Japanese culture with students especially since it is engaging and fun.