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  • Ages 6 and up
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Kuma no ko Ūfu

[Oof the Bear Cub]

Written by Kanzawa Toshiko
Illustrated by Inoue Yōsuke

Poplar, 2020. 137 pp. ISBN 978-4-591-16818-9.

Originally published in 1969.

 

Also published in: Chinese (traditional and simplified characters), Dutch, French, German, Korean, and Portuguese

Oof is a little bear cub prone to growling “Oofoo.” Oof likes playing, eating, and thinking, and in this collection of tales for younger readers, he mulls a number of questions that arise during his interactions with his parents and the other animals. There are nine tales in all, including “Sakana ni wa naze shita ga nai?” [Why Don’t Fish Have Tongues?] and “Iza to iu tokitte, donna toki?” [When “The Time Comes,” What Kind of Time Is It?].

    In the story “Ūfu wa oshikko de dekiteru ka??” [Is Oof Made of Pee?!], Oof becomes curious about what things are made of. A fox called Tsuneta teasingly suggests that, because Oof pees, he must be made of pee. Oof wrestles with the profound question of what he truly is, finally arriving at the self-affirming conclusion that “I am made of me.” In “Chōcho dake ni naze naku no?” [Why Only Cry for Butterflies?], Tsuneta asks Oof why he eats meat and fish without crying, but does cry when he accidentally causes the death of a butterfly. The thorny issue of life feeding on life remains open to the end. Oof’s knack for identifying and pondering these questions in his daily life reflects the philosophical side children often display.

    No major events occur in the story, but the cheerful conversations between animal characters, rhythmical onomatopoeia, and fresh depictions of nature, all in a clear, lucid style, have won over child readers for decades. This book was followed by its sequels and the ten-volume Kuma no ko Ūfu no ehon [Oof the Bear Cub Picture Book] series, but this first book is of the deepest philosophical interest. (OM)
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Kanzawa Toshiko

Born in Fukuoka Prefecture in 1924 and spent her childhood in Sakhalin. Has won numerous prizes, including the Japan Association of Children’s Literature Scholars Prize, the Japan Children’s Song Award, the Robō no Ishi [Roadside Stone] Literature Award, the Iwaya Sazanami Literature Award, the Noma Prize for Juvenile Literature, and the Shōgakukan Award for Children's Literature. Her children’s story books include Chibikko Kamu no bōken [The Adventure of Little Kamu], Furaipan jiisan [Grandpa Frying Pan], and Itazura rakko no rokko [Rokko the Mischievous Sea Otter]. Has also published Shika yo ore no kyōdai yo [Oh Deer, My Brother] illustrated by G.D. Pavlishin and and other picture books.

Inoue Yōsuke

Born in Tokyo in 1931. Was active in a variety of fields such as manga, picture books, tableaus, and stage design. Has won numerous awards, including the Shōgakukan Award for Painting, the Kōdansha Publication Culture Awards Picture Book Award, and the Bungeishunjū Manga Award. His picture books include Magareba magari michi [When You Turn the Road], Aji no hiraki [Cut Open and Dried Horse Mackerel], Densha ehon [Picture Book of Trains], and Chōtsugai no ehon [Picture Book of Hinges]. His books of art works include Mokuhan Tokyo hyaku gafu [A Hundred Views of Tokyo in Woodblock Prints]. Passed away in 2016.

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