Chibi: A True Story from Japan [Hardcover]

Julia Takaya (Author), Barbara Brenner (Author), June Otani (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 20, 1996 | Age Level: 5 and up

When Oka-san, a brown-and-gold duck, selects the Mitsui Office Park as the perfect spot for her nest, people flock from downtown Tokyo to watch the ducklings hatch. A modern-day Make Way for Ducklings, set in Japan. "Teachers searching for curricular connections to Japan will be pleased by this offering, and it will appeal to animal lovers as well." -- School Library Journal, starred review

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Brenner and Takaya make a bold move, opening this volume with a well-known scenario: a mother duck flies through the air, surveying the ground below for a spot to build a nest. Here and in several subsequent spots, including scenes in which the matriarch and her brood march in single file along a sidewalk and waddle across a busy street with the help of a policeman, the narrative and Otani's passable watercolor-and-ink illustrations closely echo Robert McCloskey's classic Make Way for Ducklings. Yet this more expansive tale, told in two chapters, has its setting in Tokyo. There the duck and her offspring, especially the diminutive Chibi, become media darlings. Their story, a true one, takes a dramatic turn when floods cause the death of one duckling and Chibi is lost, eventually reappearing "balanced like a surfer on a piece of Styrofoam." Smoothly integrating Japanese vocabulary into their account, the authors offer a welcome glimpse of bustling contemporary Tokyo. Ages 5-9.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-4?This true story is reminiscent of Robert McCloskey's Make Way for Ducklings (Viking, 1941), but it's set in modern Japan. When a duck nested beside the pool of a downtown office building to raise her young, the citizens of Tokyo became intrigued. The smallest duckling, Chibi, became the favorite of many, including the photographer Sato-san. He took it upon himself to look out for the ducks' safety. When a terrible storm upset the calm of their newly discovered sanctuary in the moat surrounding the Imperial Palace, Chibi and two other ducklings disappeared. The people searched and worried, but happily Chibi turned up unharmed. To protect the family, gardeners built a strong duck house that still floats in the moat of the Imperial Gardens. The ducklings, depicted in watercolor and ink, have plenty of personality as they splash, dive, and learn to play follow the leader. The scenery is faithful to the city and its people. There is a one-page glossary of Japanese words used in the text. Teachers searching for curricular connections to Japan will be pleased by this offering, and it will appeal to animal lovers as well, perhaps even inspiring a visit to a local pond habitat.?Susan Middleton, LaJolla Country Day School, CA
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: Clarion Books (February 20, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395696232
• ISBN-13: 978-0395696231
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 7.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,536,794 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Charming story, July 24, 2009

By 

Betty O'hara - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chibi: A True Story from Japan (Paperback)

My children and I have loved reading this book over and over again. I have also given this book as a gift to a lot of friends with children and all have enjoyed it. Those who have been lucky enough to visit Tokyo have really gotten a kick out of crossing Uchibori Dori and searching for the duck house in the Imperial Moat. I completely recommend it!

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Top picks, April 15, 2002

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Chibi: A True Story From Japan (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition) (School & Library Binding)

This is about a mother duck and her babies.The ending part or the search party part is sad.But it's a good book if you like suspense.

4.0 out of 5 stars A True Make Way for Ducklings Set in Tokyo, August 16, 2011

By 

Shanna A. Gonzalez "eyelevelbooks.com" (Gaithersburg, MD) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chibi: A True Story from Japan (Paperback)

This is the story of Oka-san, a mother duck who hatches ducklings in the Mitsui Office Park in Tokyo, Japan. This unusual event draws a great deal of local attention, especially when it becomes clear that Oka-san intends to lead her ducklings across an eight-lane avenue into the Emperor's garden moat. With some high drama, onlookers and police intervene to stop traffic and conduct the ducks safely across, continuing to watch over them as they settle into their new home. They become a kind of mascot of the community, and their fans even launch a search party when a typhoon sweeps some of the ducklings away. When the Emperor learns of what has happens, he orders a duck house to be built in anticipation of future storms.

The story is lucidly written, with pleasant illustrations that give the reader a glimpse into the city of Tokyo. The text is sprinkled with Japanese words and honorifics, with a glossary supplied at the back of the book, and additional background information is provided in the appendix. It's interesting enough to be read for entertainment, and is especially well suited as a supplement for a study of Japanese geography or culture.

In many ways the story parallels the American classic Quality Make Way For Ducklings By Penguin Putnam, but Chibi, based on true events, has a more journalistic feel. Older readers may find it interesting to compare the cultural elements and worldview implications inherent in the two stories: the cheerful benevolence of peanut-sharing humans in the American story are fairly different from the almost reverential attitude of the Japanese duck-watchers, who worry about the ducks and even build a shrine when one is killed by the storm. Whether or not that discussion emerges, this story will probably be best enjoyed by an elementary audience.