Japanese Children’s Books From Ehon Navi (Sorted By Word Count)
All of these books are available for free online, once you’ve signed up for EhonNavi. Click here for my EhonNavi registration walkthrough. To read the book, find the orange button marked 全ページためしよみする, but be aware you can only read the book once and EhonNavi is rather buggy, or maybe just picky; they recommend IE or Firefox on Windows. They’re sorted by word count, because not all picture books are the same difficulty, and in my experience it’s the quickest way to find out how hard the book really is. In the interest of not taking forever to catalog them, I just have the name translation and word count.
I’ve added a ♬ next to books I think have some cultural content. This is pretty subjective, of course.
I’ve added a ❤ next to books I particularly liked.
きこえる?きこえるよ
Can you hear? I can hear! No words. Use to see if Ehon navi works for you!
レインボウブックス ながれ
Flow, no words
レインボウブックス きもち
Feelings, no words
COLORS (カラーズ)
Colors, 11 words
するするすとーん
Slide, Slide, Plunk, 15 words
もこもこもこ
Bulge Bulge, 16 words
レインボウブックス ことば
Words, 16 words
ぐるぐるどぼーん
Spin, Spin, Plop, 16 words
GREETINGS(グリーティングス)あいさつのえほん
Picture Book of Greetings, 17 words
いっしょにあそぼう おめめ おはな おくち
Let’s Play! Eyes, Nose, Mouth, 17 words
おはよう
Good Morning, 18 words
いただきまーす!
Let’s Eat! 18 words
のれるかな? うかぶかな? ききゅう
Balloon, 20 words
ぽんぽんポコポコ
Thump thump, 20 words
ころころぽーん
Roll, Roll, Bounce, 20 words
いっしょにあそぼう あいうえお
Let’s Play! A-I-U-E-O, 20 words
おでこ ぴたっ
Forehead Bump, 22 words
おてて たっち
Touch Hands, 23 words
いない いない おかお
Where’s That Face? Peekaboo!, 25 words
もっと いろいろ ばあ
More Color Peekaboo, 25 words
おはな つんつん
Nose Kisses, 25 words
めくってごらん
Let’s Turn The Page, 25 words ♬
つみき
Building Blocks, 27 words
いろいろばあ
Color Peekaboo, 30 words
に~っこり
Big Smile, 30 words
しーっ
Shhh, 30 words
だっだぁー
Daddaa, 30 words
レインボウブックス リズム
Rhythm, 30 words
プララのとんねるぶっぶー
Purala’s Tunnel *honk honk*, 30 words
さがしてごらん
Let’s Search, 32 words
おやすみ ペンギン
Good Night, Penguin, 35 words
かんぱーい
Cheers, 35 words
ノンタンはみがきはーみー
Nontan Brushes His Teeth, 35 words ♬
どんぐりころちゃん
The Little Roly-Poly Acorn, 35 words
ぶっぶー どらいぶ
*honk honk* Driving, 40 words
みて みて おてて
Look, Look, My Hand, 40 words
赤ちゃんのための色のえほん
Color Picture Book for Babies, 40 words
赤ちゃんのためのことばの絵本
Word Picture Book for Babies, 40 words
おでんわ もしもし しましまちゃん
It’s for you! Hello, Stripe-Chan, 40 words ♬
アリのおでかけ
The Ants Go Out, 40 words
ねんねのうた
The Night-Night Song, 40 words
あるひ、こねこね
One Day, *knead knead*, 45 words
なに なに なあに?
What’s This, What’s This, What’s Thiiiis?, 45 words
おさんぽ さんぽ
A Walk, A Walk, 45 words
はなび ドーン
Fireworks! Boom!, 45 words
ありがとう
Thank You, 45 words
のぞいてごらん
Let’s Peek, 45 words
れんけつガッチャン
Connect! *click*, 45 words
ぼくのいす?
Is This My Chair?, 50 words
赤ちゃんのためのかたちの絵本
Picture Book of Shapes for Babies, 50 words
くるくる なあに?
What’s Rolled Up?, 50 words
ころころとんとん
Roll, Roll, Bounce, Bounce, 50 words
まねっこ にゃー にゃー
Copy Cat Meow Meow, 50 words
くらべてごらん
Let’s Compare, 50 words ♬
さわさわもみじ
Rustling Maple Leaves, 50 words
おもちゃのかくれんぼ
The Toys Play Hide and Seek, 55 words
ありさんぽつぽつ
The Ants Go Marching, 55 words
ゆき ふふふ
The Snow Falls, 55 words
ほわほわさくら
Fluttering Cherry Blossoms, 55 words
あめ ぽぽぽ
Raindrops Splash, 55 words
まゆげちゃん
Dad’s Eyebrows, 60 words
しろくまくんの このあな なぁに?
Polar Bear-kun, What’s This Hole?, 60 words
あかちゃんたいそう
Baby Exercises, 60 words
たどってごらん
Let’s Follow, 60 words
ぎょうれつ
The Line, 60 words
ねえ、あそぼ! 2さいのパンダちゃん
Come On, Let’s Play! 2-year old Little Panda, 60 words
いろいろバス
Various Bus Colors, 65 words
きょうのそらはどんなそら
What’s today’s sky like? 70 words
おばけのアイスクリームやさん
The Ice-Cream Selling Ghost, 70 words
まってるまってる
Waiting, Waiting, 70 words
ほっぺに、ちゅー。
A Kiss On The Cheek, 70 words
くんくん、いいにおい
*sniff sniff* That Smells Good,72 words
うみ、ざざざ
The Sound of the Ocean, 75 words
かくれんぼ しましょ
Let’s Play Hide and Seek, 75 words
ほらそっくり
Look, We’re The Same, 75 words
とーんだ とんだ
Blown Away, 75 words
青いヤドカリ
The Blue Hermit Crab, 80 words
とんとんとん
Knock Knock Knock, 80 words
りんご りんご りんご りんご りんご りんご
Apple Apple Apple Apple Apple Apple, 80 words
いろいろいちご
Many Kinds of Strawberries, 80 words
ココロのヒカリ
Soul Light, 80 words
赤ちゃんずかん(0・1・2さい)
Baby’s Illustrated Dictionary (For 0, 1 and 2 year olds), 80 words
スージー・ズー わらってるのはだあれ?
Suzy’s Zoo: Who’s Laughing?, 80 words
ないた
I Cried, 90 words ♬
おたんじょうびのケーキちゃん
The Little Birthday Cake, 90 words
おとうさん もういっかい ゆうえんち
One More, Papa! Papa’s Amusement Park, 90 words
おとうさん もういっかい うみあそび
One More, Papa! Papa’s Beach Fun, 90 words
おとうさん もういっかい たかいたかい
One More, Papa! Up High With Papa, 90 words
はたらく じどうしゃ
Vehicles At Work, 100 words
ものすごくおおきなプリンのうえで
On Top Of A Huge Pudding, 100 words
(Some text was cut off when this got scanned, unfortunately.)
ねんねしよ。
Let’s Go Night-Night, 100 words
かわいいね。
Cute, Huh? 100 Words
スージー・ズー はみがきだいすき
Suzy’s Zoo: I Love To Brush My Teeth, 100 words
スージー・ズー いやいやウィッツィー
Suzy’s Zoo: Witzy Says No, No, 100 words
スージー・ズー おふろだいすき
Suzy’s Zoo: We Love Our Bath!, 100 words
スージー・ズー おやすみウィッツィー
Suzy’s Zoo: Goodnight, Witzy, 100 words
スージー・ズー あめがふってきたよ!
Suzy’s Zoo: It’s Raining!, 100 words
スージー・ズー エリーファントのティーパーティー
Suzy’s Zoo: The Elephant’s Tea Party, 100 words
スージー・ズー ウィッツィーのおはなばたけ
Suzy’s Zoo: Witzy’s Flower Garden, 100 words
スージー・ズー あきを あつめたよ!
Suzy’s Zoo: We Gathered Fall!, 100 words
スージー・ズー もうすぐハロウィーン
Suzy’s Zoo: Halloween Is Soon!, 100 words
スージー・ズー いつまでもともだち
Suzy’s Zoo: Forever Friends, 100 words
スージー・ズー ふゆってたのしいね!
Winter Is Fun, Isn’t It?, 100 words
いろいろサンドイッチ
Various Sandwiches, 100 words
つきよのかいじゅう
Monster in the Moonlight, 120 words
すいかのめいさんち
The Watermelon Town, 120 words ♬
ぼくんちカレーライス
We’re Having Curry Rice, 125 words ♬
ノンタン いもうと いいな
Nontan’s Sister’s Great, 125 words
ノンタンがんばるもん
Nontan’s Gonna Try Hard, 125 words
こけこっこー
Cock-A-Doodle-Do, 125 words
おいしいおほしさま
Delicious Stars, 125 words ♬
ぴよちゃんのおともだち
Pyo-chan’s Friend, 125 words
いち、にの、さーん。
One, Two, Three, Go!, 125 words
ノンタンスプーンたんたんたん
Nontan’s Spoon, 150 words
ないしょでんしゃ
Mystery Train, 150 words
あいうえおべんとう
A-I-U-E-O Lunchbox, 150 words ♬
おかあさんだもの
Because I’m Your Mother, 150 words
ともだち くろくま
Black Bear’s Friend, 150 words
むしコレ
Bug Collection, 150 words
すごいくるま
The Amazing Car, 150 words
にんげんごみばこ
The Garbage Can For Humans, 175 words
けいちゃんのくすりゆび
Kei-chan’s Medicine Finger, 175 words
くいしんぼなめれおん
Lickelon the Glutton, 175 words
ありさんとぞうさんのおさんぽ
Mr. Ant and Mr. Elephant Take A Walk, 175 words
大阪うまいもんのうた
The Song of Yummy Osaka Food, 175 words ♬
(This video will put this book in context.)
クリスマス くろくま
Black Bear’s Christmas, 175 words
ぴたっとヤモちゃん
Clingy Yamo-chan, 175 words
なめれおん
Lickelon, 200 words
サンタのおまじない
Santa’s Magic Words, 200 words
あいうえおのえほん
A-I-U-E-O Picture Book, 200 words
◯×うさぎ
Good-Bad Bunny, 200 words
とこやにいったライオン
The Lion That Went To The Barber, 200 words
おしろとおくろ
The Black Castle and the White Castle, 200 words ♬
あかにんじゃ
The Red Ninja, 200 words ♬
おばけのくに
The Ghost Country, 200 words
たからじまの ぼうけん
Treasure Island Adventure, 200 words
おたんじょうび くろくま
Happy Birthday, Black Bear, 200 words ♬
りんごちゃん
Little Miss Apple, 200 words
スージー・ズー あひるのウィッツィー
Suzy’s Zoo: Witzy the Duck, 200 words
おせちのおしょうがつ
Osechi for New Year’s, 225 words ♬
森のイスくん
Mr. Chair In The Forest, 250 words
おやすみ、はたらくくるまたち
Goodnight, Construction Equipment, 250 words
ハローキティはじめてのこどもずかん
Hello Kitty’s Baby’s First Illustrated Dictionary, 250 words
妖怪食堂
The Youkai Cafeteria, 250 words ♬
かっぱのあいさつ
Kappa Greetings, 275 words ♬
コドモザウルス
Kidasaurus, 275 words
くものこくーのかぞくでおでかけ
Cloud Boy Kuu Shops With His Parents, 275 words
もうママったら!
Jeez, Mama!, 275 words
あたし、ようせいにあいたい!
I want to meet a fairy!, 275 words
ダットさん
Mr. Datsun, 275 words
たなばたバス
Tanabata Bus, 275 words ♬
たかこ
Takako, 300 words ♬
もっちゃうもっちゃうもうもっちゃう
Can’t Hold It Anymore!, 300 words
3ぷんもまてないよ!
I Can’t Wait Three Whole Minutes!, 300 words
ゆめたまご
Dream Egg, 300 words
だんろのまえで
In Front of the Fireplace, 300 words
おつきみどろぼう
A Thief on Moon-Viewing Night, 300 words ♬
ボクのかしこいパンツくん
The Wise Mr. Underwear, 300 words
かめだらけおうこく
A Land Filled With Turtles, 350 words
くまくんのたまご
The Bear’s Egg, 350 words
おにのいす
The Oni’s Chair, 350 words
へっこきよめさま
The Farting Bride, 350 words ♬
おしょうがつさん どんどこどん
The Spirit of the New Year, 350 words ♬
きおくのおうさま
The Memory King, 400 words
にゃんこおうじ
Prince Meow, 400 words
くらげのりょかん
The Jellyfish Ryokan, 425 words ♬
ねえ、おつきさまどうしてぼくについてくるの?
Say, Why Is The Moon Following Me?, 450 words
おばけにょうぼう
Ghost Wife, 450 words ♬
ともだちやもんな、ぼくら
Because We’re Friends, 550 words ♬
さよならぼくたちのようちえん
Goodbye, Preschool, 700 words ♬
なぞなぞのみせ
Riddle Stores, 750 words
星のベイビーサーカス フルーツ島のわんぱくパイレーツ
The Baby Circus of the Stars: The Mischievous Pirates of Fruit Island, 800 words
3びきのかわいいオオカミ
The Three Little Wolves, 1,200 words
みんなあかちゃんだった
Everyone Was Once A Baby, 2,500 words
2 Responses to Japanese Children’s Books From Ehon Navi (Sorted By Word Count)
- Extensive reading is known as 多読, or tadoku in Japanese. To try it, start with very easy books (ones with no more than two or three unknown words per page), and follow these principles:
1. Don’t look up words in the dictionary while reading.
2. Skip over parts you don’t understand.
3. If you aren’t enjoying one book, toss it aside and get another.
Find something to read!
Hundreds of free books and stories online
Local bookstores and libraries
Buying new and used books online
For more information, read "What Is Extensive Reading?" and "Classification System."
To learn more about Kunihide Sakai, who developed the three principles of tadoku and has worked to popularize it in Japan for years, read this interview with him.
Finally, for more than you ever wanted to know about why I believe extensive reading is worth your time, read my tadoku manifesto. Currently reading:
Superfluous Stats
Books read: 303
Word count (since starting the blog): 380,500Categories
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Extensive Reading
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- tadoku.org (in Japanese)
- Talk to the Clouds
- The Extensive Reading Foundation
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Japanese Language Learning Resources
Really surprised no one has thanked you yet, but let me be the first! I’ve found this blog, the explanations and advice in it and the extensive reviews to be really useful.
I’m still a beginner, so these picture books look like they might be good for me.
Thank you very much for you continued efforts!
Wow, Liana, you are an angel!