This colorfully illustrated multicultural children's book presents Japanese fairy tales and other folk stories—providing insight into a rich literary culture. Playful goblins with long noses, magic tea kettles and a delightfully brave hero who just happens to be one inch tall-these are some of the wonderful characters you'll meet in this collection of the 20 best-loved Japanese children's stories. Drawn from folklore and passed down for generations, these classic tales speak of the virtues of hard work, humility, kindness and good humor — "Once upon a time …" has never sounded so inviting. Commemorating the 50th anniversary of one of our all-time best-selling titles. With a new foreword, each story has been lovingly revised and reset, and all the sparkling illustrations appear in color for the very first time. With so many enchanting stories to choose from, young readers will have a delightful time deciding which is their very favorite. The Children's Favorite Stories series was created to share the folktales and legends most beloved by children in the East with young readers of all backgrounds in the West. Other multicultural children's books in this series include: Asian Children's Favorite Stories, Indian Children's Favorite Stories, Indonesian Children's Favorite Stories, Japanese Children's Favorite Stories, Singapore Children's Favorite Stories, Filipino Favorite Children's Stories, Favorite Children's Stories from China & Tibet, Chinese Children's Favorite Stories, Korean Children's Favorite Stories, Balinese Children's Favorite Stories, and Vietnamese Children's Favorite Stories.