Story Information for 心の絵本

At the moment, Kokoro no Ehon is my favorite site for basic Japanese reading material. It’s a collection of original kids’ stories, most between 150 and 350 words, which makes them the equivalent of fairly basic picture books. Considering that you might pay between $5 – $20 for a real picture book with just as many words and pictures, this is a great find! There are other story collections online, but this one distinguishes itself by the pictures (which are helpful for learners, not just for decoration) and by the fact that these are all new stories, so you’re spared from yet another version of 桃太郎. If you’re new to extensive reading, even if you’re not new to studying Japanese, try some of these stories!

You can see the list of stories by clicking タイトル一覧 or directly through this link. The stories are color-coded by theme, and the themes are not all that important so I’ll leave figuring out what they are as an activity for the reader. There’s an English version of each story, but pretend it’s not there. (All of the titles are the official English ones, though.)

The stories are sorted by the number of estimated words, so to find them search for
the title. There are 24 stories listed here, for a total of 270 pages and 5,464 words.

ポストマン
The Postman
11 pages, 25 words (est.) Level 1

おやすみ　やまねくん
Good Night, Little Yamane
12 pages, 40 words (est.) Level 1

まてまて マロン
Wait For Me, Maron
12 pages, 60 words (est.) Level 1

うっき　うっき　Ｏ　モンキー
The Eeky Eeky Monkeys
11 pages, 100 words (est.) Level 1

なぞなぞあそび
Riddles
12 pages, 100 words (est.) Level 1

だったらいいな
I Wish
12 pages, 144 words (est.), Level 2

６ちょうめのわんたくん
Wanta lives on the 6th street
11 pages, 165 words (est.) Level 2

らっこのろっこちゃん
Rokko the Sea Otter
11 pages, 165 words (est.) Level 2

まめとすみとわら
Pea, Charcoal and Straw
11 pages, 170 words (est.), Level 2

あらいぐまのクーちゃん
Ku-chan the Racoon
12 pages, 180 words (est.) Level 2

あやのいぬ
Aya’s Dog
11 pages, 215 words (est.) Level 2

ほしずなのうた
The Song of Starry Sand
11 pages, 220 words (est.) Level 2

わんたくんとカラス
Wanta and the Crow
11 pages, 225 words (est.) Level 2

あかどん あおどん きいどん
Akadon, Aodon and Kidon
11 pages, 235 words (est.) Level 2

すーちゃんのなつやすみ
Sue’s Summer Vacation
11 pages, 275 words (est.) Level 2

そばだんご
Buckwheat Dumplings
11 pages, 275 words (est.) Level 2

ねぼすけ クンちゃん
Sleepy Kun
11 pages, 275 words (est.) Level 2

やさしい トントン
The Gentle Tonton
11 pages, 275 words (est.) Level 2

るーぱくんのおべんとう
Roupa’s Lunch
12 pages, 300 words (est.) Level 2

つばめのおんがえし
The Swallow and the Old Man
11 pages, 325 words (est.) Level 2

おつきさまがみてた
The Moon Was Watching
11 pages, 325 words (est.) Level 2

ふたりのなまけもの
The Two Lazy Men
11 pages, 385 words (est.) Level 2

ぼく とびたくないんだ
I Don’t Want To Fly
11 pages, 385 words (est.) Level 2

みかづきいけのカッパ
Kappa in Mikazuki-ike
11 pages, 500 words (est.) Level 2