Abstract

During recess, we were playing dodgeball. "Hiroshi, your foot's slightly over the line!" "Huh? No, it's not!" This was the deciding factor, so neither side would back down. "Liar! Liar!" "It's not over! It's not over!" Each team started arguing in unison, and it continued even after we went back into the classroom. And then, I blurted it out without thinking. "Takuya, I wish you'd just die!" The classroom fell silent for a moment. But then Takuya quickly retorted, "Hiroshi, you're the one who should die!" and before we knew it, the classroom was filled with boys arguing about who should die. (The teacher's fury is about to begin), I thought, and looked at the teacher's face—and what he told me was a story from his past that no one had ever known before. This is a picture book by Shigenori Kusunoki, a picture book author whose works are included in textbooks for all grades, that makes you think about the weight of words and the importance of life.

Author’s Information

Shigenori Kusunoki was born in Tokushima Prefecture. He is a children's literature author. He won the JBBY Award in the Barrier-Free category for "Okodademasen You ni" (Shogakukan) and the Kindergarten Picture Book Grand Prize for "Tomodachi ya monna, Bokura" (Ehon no Mori). His works, including "Honestly 50 Yen Bun" (Akatsuki Educational Books), "Ee Tokoro" (Gakken), and "No!" (Kosei Publishing), have been adopted and published in textbooks for all grades of elementary and junior high school. Other works include "Life" (Zuiunsha), "Boku wa Naimashita" (Toyokan Publishing), "Boku no Jiichan", "Okaasan. Hi.", and "Onee-chan tte Iinaa." (all from Kosei Publishing), and more than 200 other works, which are widely read overseas. / Eriko Ishikawa was born in Kama City, Fukuoka Prefecture. After working as a designer, she became an illustrator and picture book author. Her major works include "When We Played on the Coal Heap" (Fukuinkan Shoten, Kodansha Publishing Culture Award Picture Book Prize), "Stained Persimmon, Dried Persimmon, Sweet Persimmon" (Fukuinkan Shoten, Social Security Council Welfare Cultural Property Recommendation Special Award, Children's Welfare Culture Award Recommendation Award), "Kick the Can" (Selected for "White Ravens 2019", Alice-kan), "Duck" (Kumon Publishing), "House of Driftwood" (Shogakukan), "Birds That Come to the Garden", "I Want to Eat 100 Pancakes" (both Poplar Publishing), "The Bookstore Cat", "Kite", "The Fox Tree" (all Kodansha), and "The First Tears I Saw My Father" (Kosei Publishing).