EJ and I love story time! Whether it be Wednesday morning storytime at our local library or curled up on the bed with a book, the ability to be transported to a new place through the stories is always exciting.

When I picked up "The Boy In The Garden" from the library a couple weeks ago it gave me the idea to have a storytime centered around Japan. Friends from Japan came over for one and Hop Along Mums and Bubs for another.We read "The Boy In The Garden" and a few other books together. It was a wonderful springboard to share/reminisce about our experiences in Japan.

Here is a list of some other books:
"First Book of Sushi" Amy Wilson Sanger
"Guri and Gura's Songs of the Seasons" Rieko Nakagawa and Yuriko Yamawaki
"Squeamish About Sushi" Betty Reynolds
"Tokyo Friends" Betty Reynolds

If you would like to include music in your storytime, Haru Ga Kita, from Raffi's "Everything Grows" CD, is a fabulous song that introduces kids to the Japanese language. Here is a song sheet I typed up to go along with the song. It is quite catchy!