A friend of mine was wearing a peach and sumo wrestler shirt today and it reminded of how much I loved the book Momotaro. If you ever get a chance I do recommend reading it. Perhaps, it is the inspiration for James and the Giant peach.This beautiful version was illustrated by George Suyeoka. He also illustrated Urashima Taro and Issunboshi which are delightful tales as well.
Wikipedia says: According to the present form of the tale (dating to the Edo Period), Momotarō came to earth inside a giant peach, which was found floating down a river by an old, childless woman who was washing clothes there. The woman and her husband discovered the child when they tried to open the peach to eat it. The child explained that he had been sent by Heaven to be their son. The couple named him Momotarō, from momo (peach) and tarō (eldest son in the family).
1 comment:
this could possibly just be a hawaiian thing (i hear there are traces of japanese culture there!)but i obsessed over momotaro as a kid. for some reason, though, i was always more attracted to urashima taro, who rescues a sea turtle in need, only to be ushered down to an undersea dragon world, where time passes in slow motion. when he returns to the surface, he finds the world a hundred years older, and his whole family is dead. then he ages incredibly quickly by breaking a promise to an undersea princess (never should hav e left, duh) and HE dies too! everybody dies! but still, i was given this book as a gift and loved it to death. i don't like real peaches though. still.
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