cover image The Tongue-Cut Sparrow

The Tongue-Cut Sparrow

Momoko Ishii. Dutton Books, $13.95 (0pp) ISBN 978-0-525-67199-2

This Japanese folktale tells the story of a kind old man and his greedy wife. In a fit of anger the cruel woman cuts out the tongue of a sparrow the old man loves. He journeys to the sparrow's house to apologize, stopping along the way to help others, and is honored by the tongue-cut sparrow, who gives him a treasure chest. When the churlish woman makes the same journey out of greed, she gets her comeuppance from a horrible snake and a huge toad from whom she barely escapes with her life. Akabaa Hans Christian Andersen Medalistmakes use of traditional Japanese techniques in his spare drawings, and Newbery winner Paterson provides a translation sprinkled with Japanese phrases that will charm storytellers young and old. Ages 4-8. (September)