The Way Home in the Night よるのかえりみち

 静かな夜の街。昼間たくさん遊んですっかり眠くなったウサギの男の子が、お母さんに抱っこされて家に帰っていきます。明かりの灯った家々の窓からは、夜を思い思いに過ごす人々の様子が垣間見えます。電話で話をしている人、遅い時間に料理を作る人、一人きりで過ごす人もいれば、賑やかなパーティーに参加している人々。まもなく男の子は家に着き、ベッドの中で、さっき見た人たちのことに思いを巡らせます。みんな今頃どうしているかな、そろそろ寝る支度をしている頃かな……やがて男の子の想像と現実とが夢うつつの中に混ざり合い、満ち足りた気分のうちに一日が終わっていくのでした―—。一つ一つの絵に想像をかき立てる要素が盛り込まれ、シンプルな物語に奥行きを与える、夜の読み聞かせに最適な絵本。

A quiet night city. A rabbit boy who is exhausted after playing all day is hugged by his mother and goes home. From the windows of the lit houses, you can get a glimpse of the people who spend the night in their own way. Some people are talking on phones, some are cooking, some are alone and some are attending a lively party. Soon the boy arrives home and once in bed he ponders the people he saw earlier. I wonder what everyone is doing now, maybe it's about time that they're getting ready to go to bed ... Eventually, the boy's imagination and reality mix in a dream, and the day ends in a satisfying mood. An imaginative element is included in each picture, giving depth to a simple story, and a picture book that is ideal for reading aloud at night.

Awards:

• Bologna International Children's Book Exhibition / Fiction Division Excellence Award (2016)
• National School Library Council / Selected Books (2015)
• Selected by White Ravens (International Youth Library, Munich, Children's Library Catalog) (2016)

Author: Akiko Miyakoshi

Publisher: Kaiseisha

32 pages

Hardcover

Dimensions: 27 x 19cm