Kodansha Children's Literature Newcomer Award
こうだんしゃじどうぶんがくしんじんしょう
A newcomer literary award sponsored by Kodansha targeting unpublished children's literature for children.
- Established
- 1959
- Organizer
- Kodansha
- Category
- Children's Literature, Fairy Tales, and Picture Books
- Selection Method
- Open call
- Target
- Newcomer
- Frequency
- 1 per year
- Application Deadline
- around March
- Announcement Period
- around September
- Status
- Active
Description
The Kodansha Children's Literature Newcomer Award is an open call newcomer literary award sponsored by Kodansha, targeting unpublished children's literature for children (original fairy tales, novels, picture books, etc.). It was established in 1959 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Kodansha's founding as 'Kodansha Children's Literature Works' and renamed to 'Kodansha Children's Literature Newcomer Award' from the 5th edition.
Prize
- Main Prize
- Certificate and commemorative gift
- Cash Prize
- 500,000 JPY
Selection
Selection Process
| Stage | Judges | Pass Rate | Announcement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Review committee | Mikie Andō, Kazusa Kisaragi, Shiiko Murakami, Kodansha Children's Books Editor-in-Chief | — | — |
Related Awards
- Kodansha Picture Book Newcomer Award
Official Resources
https://cocreco.kodansha.co.jp/cocreco/general/books/awardPast Winners
A coming-of-age story about two people who meet through esports and grow a relationship more important than winning or losing.
Carrying each other becomes the real strength.
A middle-school story about overcoming anxieties about appearance and a shaky sense of belonging through the energy of hip-hop.
The words of rap sharpen the shape of feeling.
A children's novel that redraws the unease of being fifteen and the pressure of the classroom through the viewpoint of insects.
Seen through an insect's eyes, the same classroom looks a little different.
A sixth-grade girl who lost her mother and grandmother in the Great East Japan Earthquake tries to revive the Kaiko Festival her mother cherished, reconnecting family memory and community life.
Nanami wants to bring back the Kaiko Festival her late mother loved.
"黒と白の対角線～おりがみおとぎ草子～" is a 受賞 work from the Kodansha Children's Literature Newcomer Award 2021-1. It stands out for its distinctive premise and atmosphere.
A 受賞 work from Kodansha Children's Literature Newcomer Award 2021-1.
"星屑すぴりっと" is a 佳作 work from the Kodansha Children's Literature Newcomer Award 2021-1. It stands out for its distinctive premise and atmosphere.
A 佳作 work from Kodansha Children's Literature Newcomer Award 2021-1.
"カトリとまどろむ石の海" is a 佳作 work from the Kodansha Children's Literature Newcomer Award 2021-1. It stands out for its distinctive premise and atmosphere.
A 佳作 work from Kodansha Children's Literature Newcomer Award 2021-1.
Meguri Matsumoto's Via the School Nurse's Office, Kaneyama Honkan follows Suma, a middle-school student worn down by school life, as she slips through a passage beneath a second nurse's office into a hot-spring inn for young teens. Through rest and encounters at Kaneyama Honkan, she begins to face her hurt feelings and her family.
A mysterious hot-spring refuge that opens on the days when school feels too hard.
Yukie Mochizuki's The Witch, Fireworks, and One Million Yen is a children's novel about middle-school students trying to bring back a school festival that has been cancelled. An is drawn into a secret plan led by student-council member Kento and begins to think about how young people can communicate their hopes to adults.
To win back their school festival, a group of students sets a secret plan in motion.
Maki Hanasato's Aoi's World follows fifth-grader Aoi, who moves to Canada because of her father's work. Having felt out of place in her Japanese classroom because of her habit of daydreaming, Aoi gradually discovers her own way of being and connecting with others in a different culture and school life.
Far from what had counted as normal in Japan, Aoi slowly expands her own world.
Saya, a junior high school student who has returned from Malaysia, struggles to fit into school life in Japan and discovers tanka through an older student in the library. Through wordplay that mixes Malay and Japanese verse, her sense of difference becomes a form of expression.
Trying not to stand out as a returnee, Saya begins to find her own language through a tanka outing.
Sixth-grader Yura wants to pursue music, but her father forces her to keep swimming. While she plays Dvorak's New World Symphony in her head to endure the water, she searches for a new world of her own amid domestic violence and silence.
A girl enduring breathlessness in the water regains hope through the music that plays inside her.
Fifth-grader Heita, who is good at drawing, slips into Edo-period Osaka after encountering his grandfather's old document. By linking a modern class newspaper with Edo broadsheets, and wanted portraits with caricatures, the story shows how recording things can connect people across time.
A boy who travels through time by passing gas learns both the danger of hurting people through pictures and the joy of communication.
A coming-of-age music novel about Kanade Tomine, a former prodigy horn player whose love of music is questioned by the performer he admires. Unable to face others without music between them, he begins to step outside his soundproof room through encounters with peers.
A boy who can breathe only through the horn searches for the love missing from his sound.
ラブリィ！ is a work by 吉田桃子 recognized in this award edition. Award records, public bibliographic data, and retail bibliographies were checked, with standalone book identifiers separated from items that could not be verified.
Bibliographic notes on the award-recognized work ラブリィ！.
放置自転車、15歳（、ぬけがら） is a work by 五十嵐まり recognized in this award edition. Award records, public bibliographic data, and retail bibliographies were checked, with standalone book identifiers separated from items that could not be verified.
Bibliographic notes on the award-recognized work 放置自転車、15歳（、ぬけがら）.
マイナス・ヒーロー is a work by 落合由佳 recognized in this award edition. Award records, public bibliographic data, and retail bibliographies were checked, with standalone book identifiers separated from items that could not be verified.
Bibliographic notes on the award-recognized work マイナス・ヒーロー.
A children's novel published after winning the Kodansha Children's Literature Newcomer Award. Centered on fifth-grader Asuka, the popular Real, and transfer student Saji, it explores friendship, family, bullying, and understanding others.
Three boys in the same classroom come closer to seeing one another's real selves.
A work confirmed as an honorable mention for the Kodansha Children's Literature Newcomer Award. The award record preserves the title and author name, but no book publication was confirmed in the sources checked here.
A children's literature submission preserved in the award record, with a title suggesting a boy and a black foal.
A work confirmed as an honorable mention for the Kodansha Children's Literature Newcomer Award. Its title suggests a historical tale, but no book publication was confirmed beyond the award record.
The names Yorohime and Sagirimaru give this award work the air of an old-style adventure.
赤ふんどしのゲロウ is an award-winning work by よしみやほう太. The available bibliographic record identifies it as the work associated with this award entry.
赤ふんどしのゲロウ by よしみやほう太.
それぞれの名前 is an award-winning work by 春間美幸. The available bibliographic record identifies it as the work associated with this award entry.
それぞれの名前 by 春間美幸.
A children’s novel centered on a boy who loves rakugo, warmly depicting misunderstandings with friends and family relationships. Through the rhythm of comedy, it explores the difficulty of connecting with others and the process of finding one’s own words.
The humor of rakugo gradually changes a boy’s everyday life.
A children’s story that links slightly mysterious midnight events with old Tomie and the changing seasons. Its nostalgic and humorous voice reveals the fantasy that sits just beside everyday life.
When night deepens, strange stories begin to move around Tomie.
A children's novel about Mayuko, who lives away from her parents in a relative's hair salon and cannot speak because of painful memories. Through quiet hair-washing sessions and relationships around her, she slowly begins to open herself to others.
After closing time at the salon, the careful washing of a girl's hair begins to loosen her lost voice.
A story about Akane, a fourth grader who struggles to speak in front of others, and how she begins to change after a classmate performs rakugo during their daily speech duty. Rakugo opens a path toward speaking, listening, and friendship.
An encounter with rakugo brightens the morning of a girl who finds it hard to speak.
空打ちブルース is a prize-recognized literary work built around urgent subject matter and a prose texture designed to leave a clear impression on readers.
空打ちブルース is a prize-recognized work by 升井純子.
Our Smallest Adventures is a work of fiction by 有沢佳映. It centers on 人間関係 and layers in 地方文学, showing the distinct qualities of an award-winning work.
Our Smallest Adventures is an important fiction work in the award history of 有沢佳映.
草の上で愛を is a work of fiction by 陣崎草子. It centers on 人間関係 and layers in 地方文学, showing the distinct qualities of an award-winning work.
草の上で愛を is an important fiction work in the award history of 陣崎草子.
'バターサンドの夜、人魚の町で' is a winning work of the 講談社児童文学新人賞 by Niko Kawai.
'バターサンドの夜、人魚の町で' is a winning work of the 講談社児童文学新人賞 by Niko Kawai.
'サナギのしあわせ' is a winning work of the 講談社児童文学新人賞 by Kazusa Kisaragi.
'サナギのしあわせ' is a winning work of the 講談社児童文学新人賞 by Kazusa Kisaragi.
A children’s novel in which two boys, one with hearing loss and one affected by illness, confront each other and themselves through doubles tennis.
熱風 draws readers in through its focus on children’s literature.
A dark fantasy about brothers whose ordinary life is stolen by vampires and who continue their journey in search of light.
ユリエルとグレン draws readers in through its focus on brothers.
A children's novel about a girl unsettled by her father's remarriage, mirrored through the fragile world of tide-pool creatures.
A small, harsh tide pool reflects a girl's unsettled heart.
A children's literature award work whose title evokes bodily and remembered pain, treating invisible wounds in a story accessible to young readers.
The story quietly approaches a heart carrying invisible pain.
Sonin, a girl raised on Mount Tenzan because she was expected to possess prophetic powers, is sent back to her village after being judged unsuited to that role. When she later enters the royal palace and meets a mute prince, she searches for her place and purpose while becoming entangled in a political conspiracy.
A fantasy in which a girl dismissed as a failure changes the fate of a palace through sincerity and wit.
Shiho, a first-year junior high school student, carries her own anxiety and loneliness while supporting her unstable mother. Through rumors of a dark witch appearing in town and her encounter with an unusual older student, the many colors of her inner life gradually emerge.
A young adult story about an anxious girl beginning to search for her own colors.
A children’s story in which a boy’s encounter with death leads to reflection on life, parting, and growth.
A children’s story in which a boy’s encounter with death leads to reflection on life, parting, and growth.
A children’s story about effort and conflict around running, readable as a sports-centered coming-of-age tale.
A children’s story about effort and conflict around running, readable as a sports-centered coming-of-age tale.
A children’s novel that begins when a timid first-year high school boy meets “Sato-san,” a girl possessed by a ghost, and agrees to help exorcise her. Through the supernatural premise, it follows an unusual relationship and a process of growth.
Meeting the ghost-haunted Sato-san gradually changes the boy’s ordinary life.
A children’s literature work selected for a commendation in the Kodansha Children’s Literature Newcomer Award. Centered on the accumulation of days suggested by its title, it can be read as a story attentive to the sense of time felt by young readers.
It portrays small changes of feeling across ordinary days, close to the perspective of young readers.
チェンジ！ is an award-recognized work by しんやひろゆき. It uses the impression carried by its title as an entry point into the movement of people and the atmosphere around them.
チェンジ！ presents the literary world of しんやひろゆき as an award-recognized work.
キス・キス・キス is an award-recognized work by 長谷川花菱. It uses the impression carried by its title as an entry point into the movement of people and the atmosphere around them.
キス・キス・キス presents the literary world of 長谷川花菱 as an award-recognized work.
十二歳 is a work by 椰月美智子 recognized by the 講談社児童文学新人賞. It is introduced here as the prize-winning work itself, with the available publication data checked against Japanese bibliographic sources.
十二歳 brought wider attention to 椰月美智子's writing through its prize recognition.
ボーソーとんがりネズミ is 作品 by 渡辺わらん. It is presented here as the award-recognized work.
The work offers a way into 渡辺わらん's literary expression.
魔女と小人がいた夏 is 作品 by 橋村明可梨. It is presented here as the award-recognized work.
The work offers a way into 橋村明可梨's literary expression.
透きとおった糸をのばして is a children's literature by 草野たき. The work approaches its subject through the people, places, memories, or social tensions suggested by the title.
透きとおった糸をのばして brings together the shape of a children's literature with 草野たき's central concerns.
イン・ザ・ミラー is a children's literature by 坂本のこ. The work approaches its subject through the people, places, memories, or social tensions suggested by the title.
イン・ザ・ミラー brings together the shape of a children's literature with 坂本のこ's central concerns.
でりばりぃAge is a work by 梨屋アリエ and a title recognized in the context of its literary award. It can be read as a work that develops its themes through the motives suggested by the title, the characters' actions, and the atmosphere around them.
でりばりぃAge leaves readers with the central concerns for which the work was recognized.
ビート・キッズ is a work by 風野 潮 associated with the 講談社児童文学新人賞. It was recognized in a literary award context and is presented as a work centered on the concerns suggested by its title.
Recognized by the 講談社児童文学新人賞, ビート・キッズ draws readers in through the impression created by its title.
蝶々、とんだ is a work by 河原 潤子 associated with the 講談社児童文学新人賞. It was recognized in a literary award context and is presented as a work centered on the concerns suggested by its title.
Recognized by the 講談社児童文学新人賞, 蝶々、とんだ draws readers in through the impression created by its title.
非バランス is a prize-recognized work that draws readers through its central subject, characters, and the texture of its period or setting.
非バランス carries the distinctive qualities that made it a prize-recognized work.
ジャンボ・ジェットの飛ぶ街で is a prize-recognized work that draws readers through its central subject, characters, and the texture of its period or setting.
ジャンボ・ジェットの飛ぶ街で carries the distinctive qualities that made it a prize-recognized work.
ぼくのフェラーリ is a prize-recognized work that draws readers through its central subject, characters, and the texture of its period or setting.
ぼくのフェラーリ carries the distinctive qualities that made it a prize-recognized work.
やっぱしアウトドア？ by 武井岳史 is a work recognized by kodansha-children-literature-newcomer-award. No standalone book identifiers were confirmed, so the entry focuses on the work itself.
An introduction to やっぱしアウトドア？ by 武井岳史 in its award context.
ピアニャン is a work of children’s literature by 小川英子. It was honored by the 講談社児童文学新人賞 and presents the writer's concerns and style in a focused form.
A useful entry point into 小川英子's work.
あけぼの丸と僕 is a work of children’s literature by 吉村健二. It was honored by the 講談社児童文学新人賞 and presents the writer's concerns and style in a focused form.
A useful entry point into 吉村健二's work.
今度ワープするとき is a work of children’s literature by 小川みなみ. It was honored by the 講談社児童文学新人賞 and presents the writer's concerns and style in a focused form.
A useful entry point into 小川みなみ's work.
Kawauso no sumu umi is a children's story set by the sea, where human life meets the natural world. Through attention to a rare animal, it portrays a child's growth. No standalone book publication could be confirmed, and the work is mainly traceable through award records.
An encounter with seaside wildlife opens a child's eyes to a wider world.
Shichigatsu no complex zensen is a children's story about emotional unrest at the beginning of summer, shaped by feelings of inferiority and tension in relationships. No standalone publication could be confirmed, and the work is chiefly known through award records.
Just before summer's brightness, complicated feelings begin to stir.
Ryo, in Kageno Village is a children's story in which a boy named Ryo encounters unfamiliar events and people in a village. Through the enclosed space of the village, it can be read as a tale of adventure and growth.
Time spent in an unfamiliar village leaves new shadows and light in Ryo's heart.
Mariko e was published in book form as Asa ga kuru made. It follows a girl who has lost her mother and, while beginning a new life with her father and younger brother, discovers her mother's younger self and the love that held the family together.
In the time before morning, carrying her mother's absence, Mariko slowly learns to receive her family's love.
A children’s novel in which a boy born into a family guarding Inariyama meets a mysterious boarder and faces issues of development around an ancient mound and the natural world. It joins mythic beings with modern environmental concerns.
To protect the mountain of the Inari shrine, a boy runs between myth and reality.
A fantasy in which Princess Soyokaze rebels against a decree promising her to whoever slays a dragon awakened after a thousand years, and sets out disguised as a boy. It reconsiders the dragon-slaying legend while depicting courage and freedom.
Princess Soyokaze leaves the castle, refusing to become the prize for slaying a dragon.
A children’s novel in which Sabu, a stray cat in Amefuri Yokocho, begins speaking human language after an accident. The warmth of the shopping street and the cat’s viewpoint mingle, turning everyday town life into lively fantasy.
A stray cat who starts speaking human language throws a shopping street into delightful confusion.
リズム is a children's literary work by 森絵都. It follows a child-centered perspective and presents growth, family, friendship, and changes in everyday life as a story.
リズム is an important work for reading 森絵都's expression in the context of 講談社児童文学新人賞.
ウソつきのススメ is a children's literary work by 林多加志. It follows a child-centered perspective and presents growth, family, friendship, and changes in everyday life as a story.
ウソつきのススメ is an important work for reading 林多加志's expression in the context of 講談社児童文学新人賞.
Yomena Shampoo is a children's novel by Kimiko Matsubara that received the Kodansha Children's Literature Newcomer Award. Beginning with the strange incident of cup noodles disappearing from shops around town, it leads children into the mysteries hidden in everyday life.
The strange disappearance of cup noodles from town begins to stir the children's everyday world.
Kaio Den is a children's work by Naoko Yamabe, recorded as an honorable mention for the Kodansha Children's Literature Newcomer Award. The title suggests a broad sea-centered narrative with an atmosphere of adventure and legend.
A legendary resonance around the sea directs a child's imagination toward a large adventure.
Futari Awasete Sanbyakusai: Majo no Kyodai Rata to Rina is a children's novel by Maruko Tanaka. The witch sisters Rata, who respects old customs, and Rina, who loves new things, venture into human society and stir up commotion.
An old-fashioned older sister and a novelty-loving younger sister, both witches, cause trouble in a human town.
Kaito Pierrot is Kaoru Hayamine's debut work. Bored with ordinary days, the man at Nishizawa Bookstore becomes the phantom thief Pierrot to make people smile, setting out to steal things that seem worthless yet trouble people, such as bullying and poor athletic ability.
The phantom thief Pierrot steals not jewels, but strange things that can make people smile.
ふしぎなともだち ジャック・クローバー by 白阪実世子 is a work for young readers that stays close to wonder, growth, and everyday feeling. As an award-winning work, it is framed around the concerns suggested by its title and leaves a quiet afterimage for the reader.
ふしぎなともだち ジャック・クローバー layers people, time, and place behind the force of its compact title.
ぼくがイルカにのった少年になる日まで by しんどうぎんこ is a work for young readers that stays close to wonder, growth, and everyday feeling. As an award-winning work, it is framed around the concerns suggested by its title and leaves a quiet afterimage for the reader.
ぼくがイルカにのった少年になる日まで layers people, time, and place behind the force of its compact title.
ぼくの屋上にカンガルーがやってきた。 by 近藤尚子 is a work for young readers that stays close to wonder, growth, and everyday feeling. As an award-winning work, it is framed around the concerns suggested by its title and leaves a quiet afterimage for the reader.
ぼくの屋上にカンガルーがやってきた。 layers people, time, and place behind the force of its compact title.
夏休みだけ探偵団・二丁目の犬小屋盗難事件 is a children's literature by 新庄節美. It can be read through the themes and narrative texture recognized at the time of the award, where people, places, and events come together.
夏休みだけ探偵団・二丁目の犬小屋盗難事件 links the scene suggested by its title with the author's concerns, retaining the shape of an award-winning work.
ぼくは童話ジョッキー is a children's literature by 川崎満知子. It can be read through the themes and narrative texture recognized at the time of the award, where people, places, and events come together.
ぼくは童話ジョッキー links the scene suggested by its title with the author's concerns, retaining the shape of an award-winning work.
ぼくたちは●ほたる○ is a children's literature by 片倉美登. It can be read through the themes and narrative texture recognized at the time of the award, where people, places, and events come together.
ぼくたちは●ほたる○ links the scene suggested by its title with the author's concerns, retaining the shape of an award-winning work.
A children's novel in which the pet cat Rudolf accidentally rides a truck to unfamiliar Tokyo and meets Ippaiattena, a large stray cat who can read. With humor, it portrays friendship, learning, and living by one's own strength.
A lost black cat expands his world after meeting a learned stray.
A children's literary work centered on calligraphy as a space of play and learning. It portrays the pleasure of writing characters, expression that begins in make-believe, and relationships among children and adults.
Through the play of holding a brush, a child's power of expression comes into view.
A children's literary work whose title points to friendship between a child and an adult. Through an encounter across generations, a child gradually expands his world.
Meeting an adult friend opens another window in a child's everyday life.
さと子が見たこと is a 児童文学 recognized in 1985. The work is introduced here through bibliographic confirmation and a concise account of its subject and literary character.
A work whose shape can be traced through award records and bibliographic sources.
A children's story that layers a child's sensitivity with the otherworldly presence of a forest, setting everyday unease beside the pull of adventure.
アリスの森 presents 加月一夫's concerns in the form of an award-winning work.
A children's book centered on memories of a grandfather, portraying family time and the sense of loss that remains in a child's heart.
ぼくにおじいちゃんがいた presents 泉田真紀子's concerns in the form of an award-winning work.
“山のあなた” is a children's literature by 和田英昭. As a prize-winning work, it conveys the author's concerns and distinctive expression.
An entry point into 和田英昭's literary world through the prize-winning work “山のあなた.”
“オタスケ事務所・本日開店！” is a children's literature by 井口直子. As a prize-winning work, it conveys the author's concerns and distinctive expression.
An entry point into 井口直子's literary world through the prize-winning work “オタスケ事務所・本日開店！.”
くまのレストランの謎 is A children's literary work recognized by the Kodansha Children's Literature Newcomer Award, portraying wonder and growth from a child's point of view.
くまのレストランの謎 remains a work referred to through its prize history.
徹と五匹のうりっこたち is A children's literary work recognized by the Kodansha Children's Literature Newcomer Award, portraying wonder and growth from a child's point of view.
徹と五匹のうりっこたち remains a work referred to through its prize history.
子どもたち山へ行く is a prize-recognized work. It approaches its central subject through the conditions of its time, social context, and individual experience.
子どもたち山へ行く distills the author's concerns while retaining the shape of an award-recognized work.
行こうぜ is a prize-recognized work. It approaches its central subject through the conditions of its time, social context, and individual experience.
行こうぜ distills the author's concerns while retaining the shape of an award-recognized work.
すい・ばく・じや is a prize-recognized work. It approaches its central subject through the conditions of its time, social context, and individual experience.
すい・ばく・じや distills the author's concerns while retaining the shape of an award-recognized work.
バアちゃんとあたし is a prize-recognized work. It approaches its central subject through the conditions of its time, social context, and individual experience.
バアちゃんとあたし distills the author's concerns while retaining the shape of an award-recognized work.
あかい雨跡 is a prize-recognized work. It approaches its central subject through the conditions of its time, social context, and individual experience.
あかい雨跡 distills the author's concerns while retaining the shape of an award-recognized work.
海を翔ぶ惇 is a prize-recognized work. It approaches its central subject through the conditions of its time, social context, and individual experience.
海を翔ぶ惇 distills the author's concerns while retaining the shape of an award-recognized work.
"Kitsunekko Sensei" is a children's literary work by Hana Ikehara. Set around school life and a child's imaginative world, it shows how a story can open out from familiar places, accompanied by illustrations by Yoko Imoto.
A familiar place becomes, through a child's eyes, the entrance to a wondrous world.
Sayaka's Small Blue Notebook is a children's novel by Yuriko Mori. It follows fourth-grader Sayaka as she lives with her uncle alongside her younger brother Jun, who has become unable to speak well, and gradually faces her own feelings in a new environment.
A children's novel about a girl's emotional growth through life with her younger brother and a new household.
木の上の少年 is a work of children's literature by 奥山かずお, portraying encounter, loneliness, and moments of growth from a child's point of view. The story remains accessible while giving depth to emotional change and relationships with others within familiar events.
Within small events, the story follows a child facing the wider world and other people.
鬼を見た is a work of children's literature by 黒江ゆに, portraying encounter, loneliness, and moments of growth from a child's point of view. The story remains accessible while giving depth to emotional change and relationships with others within familiar events.
Within small events, the story follows a child facing the wider world and other people.
帰ってきたネコ is a work of children's literature by 守道子, portraying encounter, loneliness, and moments of growth from a child's point of view. The story remains accessible while giving depth to emotional change and relationships with others within familiar events.
Within small events, the story follows a child facing the wider world and other people.
Ivan Who Came from the Sea is a children's story about Ivan, a dog left behind in an unfamiliar Japanese port town by a Soviet ship, and his relationship with old Isohei from the town. As a story of receiving a being who has crossed the sea, it presents foreignness, loneliness, and the growth of trust in a form accessible to young readers.
From the meeting of a dog left behind in a port town and an old man, trust begins to grow across borders.
小さな冒険者たち is a work of children's literature by 牧原辰, portraying encounter, loneliness, and moments of growth from a child's point of view. The story remains accessible while giving depth to emotional change and relationships with others within familiar events.
Within small events, the story follows a child facing the wider world and other people.
象になった象 is a work of children's literature by 谷咲子, portraying encounter, loneliness, and moments of growth from a child's point of view. The story remains accessible while giving depth to emotional change and relationships with others within familiar events.
Within small events, the story follows a child facing the wider world and other people.
Tiger is a children’s literary work recognized by the Kodansha Children’s Literature Newcomer Award. Through the image of the animal, it presents vitality and the moment when people face nature and fear in a form accessible to young readers.
The tiger’s presence reflects the vastness and fear of the world through a child’s eyes.
Crybaby Witch Teacher is a humorous children’s book about a timid witch teacher and her relationships with children. Through magical mishaps and school-life commotion, it conveys the warmth of facing others while carrying one’s own weaknesses.
A tearful witch teacher stumbles her way closer to the children’s hearts.
The Distant White Ball is a children’s work centered on baseball, dreams, and setbacks. Through the act of chasing the ball, it layers friendship, effort, and family relationships.
A white ball flying into the distance carries young hopes and growth.
A prizewinning children’s work whose title suggests echoes of children’s voices and local memory, with a folkloric resonance.
A children’s story with the lingering feel of voices returning from the land.
Renkonmura no Musukotachi is children’s fiction about village life and boys growing up within a community, linking landscape with the time of growth.
Children’s eyes and daily lives come alive within a village landscape.
Three Liters of Moonlight joins an everyday measure with a fantastical image, opening the boundary between reality and imagination through a child’s sensibility.
Its title, as if measuring moonlight, quietly invites a child’s imagination.
Ma-chan to Yoidon is a children's book by Chiyako Tsujino. It can be read as a friendly story shaped around the energy and playfulness of children's everyday life.
A bright story that turns children's play and momentum into narrative.
Yokko-chan and the Three Forest Triplets is a work of children’s literature that links a child’s everyday life with the presence of the forest. As a commendation work of the Kodansha New Children’s Literature Prize, it marked one of the new voices in children’s fiction of its time.
A 1970s children’s story where the depth of the forest overlaps with a child’s imagination.
Jinkichi and the Shamo was published under the revised title Joppari to Shamo. The story depicts people rooted in Tsugaru and an obsession with fighting shamo chickens, and its strong regional character earned it a commendation in the Kodansha New Children’s Literature Prize.
Set against Tsugaru and shamo fighting, it portrays stubborn pride and the force of life.
気ちがい通りのリナ is a children’s literature by 柏葉幸子. Recognized in 1974, it is valued for its focused voice and for the way it leaves a sense of people, place, and time with the reader.
気ちがい通りのリナ captures a sense of people and time within a tightly shaped form.
水曜日には朝がある is a children’s literature by 山里るり. Recognized in 1974, it is valued for its focused voice and for the way it leaves a sense of people, place, and time with the reader.
水曜日には朝がある captures a sense of people and time within a tightly shaped form.
光の丘 is a children’s literature by 前中行至. Recognized in 1974, it is valued for its focused voice and for the way it leaves a sense of people, place, and time with the reader.
光の丘 captures a sense of people and time within a tightly shaped form.
神さまがみんなをわらわせた is a children’s literature by 江川圀彦. Recognized in 1974, it is valued for its focused voice and for the way it leaves a sense of people, place, and time with the reader.
神さまがみんなをわらわせた captures a sense of people and time within a tightly shaped form.
ドベ猫メチャラムニュ is a children’s literature by 金原徹郎. Recognized in 1973, it is valued for its focused voice and for the way it leaves a sense of people, place, and time with the reader.
ドベ猫メチャラムニュ captures a sense of people and time within a tightly shaped form.
太陽を見たモヤシ is a children’s literature by 井出郁子. Recognized in 1973, it is valued for its focused voice and for the way it leaves a sense of people, place, and time with the reader.
太陽を見たモヤシ captures a sense of people and time within a tightly shaped form.
燃えながら飛んだよ！ is a 児童文学作品 by 飯田栄彦. It reflects the literary and publishing climate around its award year, with the person, place, or incident suggested by the title forming the center of the work.
燃えながら飛んだよ！ conveys the force of its subject and the author's perspective as an award-winning work.
カポンをはいたけんじ is a 児童文学作品 by 槇ひろし. It reflects the literary and publishing climate around its award year, with the person, place, or incident suggested by the title forming the center of the work.
カポンをはいたけんじ conveys the force of its subject and the author's perspective as an award-winning work.
天の車 is a work by 上種ミスズ; a book edition was published by 講談社 in 1987.
天の車 stands in 上種ミスズ's award record.
ポケットの中の赤ちゃん is a work by 宇野和子; a book edition was published by 復刊ドットコム in 2024.
ポケットの中の赤ちゃん stands in 宇野和子's award record.
悪魔のようなジェジェ is a work by 石郷正; a book edition was published by 講談社 in 1972.
悪魔のようなジェジェ stands in 石郷正's award record.
ウタリーの星 is a work by 大谷勝義; a book edition was published by 講談社 in 1962.
ウタリーの星 stands in 大谷勝義's award record.
遠い朝 is a work by 田中博 recognized by the kodansha-children-literature-newcomer-award in 1970. It is presented here as an individual award-winning work, with bibliographic identifiers added where public records confirm a book edition.
遠い朝, a work recognized by the kodansha-children-literature-newcomer-award.
ティンクの星 is a work by 鈴木妙子 recognized by the kodansha-children-literature-newcomer-award in 1970. It is presented here as an individual award-winning work, with bibliographic identifiers added where public records confirm a book edition.
ティンクの星, a work recognized by the kodansha-children-literature-newcomer-award.
ともしび is a work by 新田祐一 recognized by the kodansha-children-literature-newcomer-award in 1970. It is presented here as an individual award-winning work, with bibliographic identifiers added where public records confirm a book edition.
ともしび, a work recognized by the kodansha-children-literature-newcomer-award.
イサムの海 is a work by 荒井静子 recognized by the kodansha-children-literature-newcomer-award in 1970. It is presented here as an individual award-winning work, with bibliographic identifiers added where public records confirm a book edition.
イサムの海, a work recognized by the kodansha-children-literature-newcomer-award.
アユの子アッポ is a work by 斎藤晴輝 recognized by the kodansha-children-literature-newcomer-award in 1970. It is presented here as an individual award-winning work, with bibliographic identifiers added where public records confirm a book edition.
アユの子アッポ, a work recognized by the kodansha-children-literature-newcomer-award.
Umi no Kagaribi is a children's work by Eiko Takeda, likely portraying a child's way of seeing the world through images of seaside life and guiding light.
The image of a fire lit by the sea becomes a guidepost in a child's heart.
Kaze no Hanazono is a children's work by Takako Hino, likely depicting a child's sensitivity and encounters with nature through the images of wind and a flower garden.
In a garden through which the wind passes, a child's heart opens through encounters with nature.
Plastic no Sora is a children's work by Yuzuru Chikita. The title's artificial material suggests a story where a modern living environment overlaps with a child's gaze toward the sky.
The hard image of a plastic sky raises questions about the world a child looks up at.
Kyukei no Chitei Toshi Mohoro is a children's work by Yosuke Kitasato. Through the adventurous setting of a spherical underground city, it likely portrays curiosity and imagination directed toward an unknown world.
The setting of a spherical underground city invites a child's adventurous spirit into an unknown world.
火の子 is a 児童文学 by 松林清明. It is presented here as a work shaped by 児童文学, 成長, 火.
火の子 preserves 松林清明's voice in the form of 児童文学.
こりすが五ひき is a 児童文学 by 森山京. It is presented here as a work shaped by 児童文学, 動物, 自然.
こりすが五ひき preserves 森山京's voice in the form of 児童文学.
A children’s story that joins the fantasy of a wooden horse with a child’s loneliness. Through a strange presence entering everyday life, it portrays emotional uncertainty and the power of imagination.
ロザンドの木馬 stands as an award-winning work by 瀬尾七重, leaving readers with the central theme suggested by its title.
A children’s story that uses a small earring to connect memory and encounters with another culture in Burma. Against shadows of war and travel, it guides young readers toward the lives of people in a distant place.
ビルマの耳飾り stands as an award-winning work by 武者一雄, leaving readers with the central theme suggested by its title.
A nature-centered children’s story about Blakiston’s fish owl and the forests of Hokkaido. It links wildlife with human life and conveys the quiet presence of living things in the woods.
シマフクロウの森 stands as an award-winning work by 香山彬子, leaving readers with the central theme suggested by its title.
A children’s story centered on the striking image of a golden lion, portraying longing and courage. Its view of animals and sense of adventure make it an inviting story for young readers.
きんいろのライオン stands as an award-winning work by 香山彬子, leaving readers with the central theme suggested by its title.
A children’s story that looks at children living on the earth with both hope and pain. While touching social realities, it places children’s vitality and companionship at the center.
大地は天使たちでいっぱいだ stands as an award-winning work by 後藤竜二, leaving readers with the central theme suggested by its title.
A children’s story about a boy trying to make his own path, as the title suggests. It focuses on movement toward independence amid hesitation and anxiety in everyday life.
ぼくの前に道はない stands as an award-winning work by 中川昭, leaving readers with the central theme suggested by its title.
A children’s story that brings camp experience and historical memory into a boy’s perspective. It depicts dignity and the will to live under harsh conditions.
ラーゲルの少年 stands as an award-winning work by 勢田十三夫, leaving readers with the central theme suggested by its title.
"Itsuka Taiyo no Shita de" is a children's novel by Taro Okamura about group evacuation of schoolchildren in wartime Miyazaki. Based on lived experience, it portrays children's hardship and anxiety and was published as a Kodansha award-winning work.
An award-winning story of wartime school evacuation told through children's daily experience.
"Haru o Yobu Koe" won the Kodansha Children's Literature Newcomer Award and was retitled Kusa no Me wa Aoi for publication. It follows a girl's growth and carefully portrays a child's changing feelings amid family life, school, and relocation.
An important early novel by Haruko Shogenji, later known under the title Kusa no Me wa Aoi.
"Kuri no Ki no Shita de" is an honorable-mention work by Yoriko Yoshida for the Kodansha Children's Literature Newcomer Award. Award records confirm the title and author, but major public bibliographic sources do not confirm a standalone book or collection.
An honorable-mention children's literature work known from award records, with no confirmed book publication.
"Tosuke to Chogenbo" is a children's work by Akiko Kayama, later identifiable in book form as Tosuke-san Fue o Fuite! from Kodansha Aoi Tori Bunko. Through the friendship between a boy and a bird, it depicts vanishing nature and human cruelty.
A story that entrusts a concern for nature to the bond between a boy and a kestrel.
"Yoshio no Boken" is an honorable-mention work by Mieko Okano for the Kodansha Children's Literature Newcomer Award. Award records confirm the title and author, but no public record of a standalone book or paperback edition was confirmed.
A children's literary work preserved in award records, with no confirmed publication record.
On New Year's Eve, Yuka witnesses a meeting of the crayons and sets out with Queen Silver to find King Golden, who has disappeared. Across a journey through the twelve months, the queen gradually confronts and corrects her faults in this fantasy adventure.
Guided by twelve colors, the queen and Yuka travel through a year, searching for the king while looking again at their own hearts.
A children's novel centered on a blind junior-high-school student raised in a mountain village. Drawing on the author's experience as a teacher at a school for blind students, it portrays disability and growth through everyday life and human relationships.
The steps of a boy with a white cane illuminate life in a mountain village and the people around him.
A commendation-winning work by Takashi Yamagata. Its title, a school named for the screw pine, suggests a children's story linking a vivid plant image with school life, community, and learning.
At a school named for the screw pine, children's daily life and learning become a story.
A commendation-winning work by Shizuyo Nishimura. Through the vivid image of a peacock feather, it suggests a children's story about beauty, longing, and the awareness of being seen.
The brilliance of a peacock feather reflects a child's longing and inner unease.
"Yasashii Senshi" is an early children's literary work by Hiroko Minagawa that received honorable mention in the Kodansha Children's Literature Newcomer Award. Written around the hidden Christians of Japan, it was later revised and published as the children's novel Umi to Juujika.
An early children's story on hidden Christians that marks the starting point of Hiroko Minagawa's fiction.
A children's novel that begins in a heron colony in Saitama and expands its view toward China and Cambodia. Based on close observation of the birds, it connects natural life with human communities and conveys a widening sense of the world through migration.
The journey of a young white heron carries readers from village landscapes toward distant countries.
A full-length children's story by Sakae Takeno. Centered on the dog Buchi, it depicts courage, trust, and growth through the bond between an animal and children. It belongs to the postwar current of Japanese animal stories for young readers.
Buchi's struggle tests the children's courage and trust.
A commendation-winning work by Sachiko Ohashi. Its title suggests a device for seeing through mist and points toward a children's story about uncertainty, discovery, and the effort to understand the world from a child's point of view.
The wish to see beyond the mist links a child's unease with discovery.
A commendation-winning work by Emiko Ogiwara. The title, pairing two similar names, suggests a children's story concerned with individuality, naming, and understanding another person.
Between two similar names, a story begins about seeing difference.
A commendation-winning work by Takami Fujita. Its title, about travelling through the land of kappa, suggests a children's story that combines folkloric imagination with the form of a travel account.
A journey through the land of kappa evokes folklore, playfulness, and adventure.
A long mystery novel for young readers. It follows a mystery hidden in a familiar setting from a child's viewpoint, combining adventure with the pleasure of detection.
An everyday place becomes the entrance to a strange case through the eyes of young readers.
A work of children's literature with a title that evokes Greek myth. It portrays a boy's emotional growth in a lyrical narrative, layering adventure with inner uncertainty.
A boy's journey and changing heart are told with a mythic afterglow.
A long children's novel whose title announces a departure. It depicts the hope and anxiety of stepping into a new world through friendship and adventure.
The departure becomes the sign that the boys are widening their world.
A children's story about two countries facing each other across a river. Through the ideas of borders, difference, and exchange, it forms an allegorical world accessible to young readers.
A single river becomes both a divide and a place of encounter.
A children's story with the resonance of a folktale title. It appears to draw on a mountain or local setting, shaping a folktale-like world approachable for children.
The mountain-like title invites readers into a plainspoken story world.
Prism Mura Tanjo is a children's literary work by Shotaro Nishizawa. It stands near the beginning of an author known for writing about nature and local communities, and can be read as a story of children looking closely at their own place and facing change.
A formative children's story by a writer attentive to nature and local community.
Yuri to Dekadeka-jin to Chibichibi-jin no Monogatari was published as Dekadeka-jin to Chibichibi-jin, a children's fantasy by Erika Tachihara. By bringing together beings of very different sizes, it gently portrays children's imagination and understanding of others.
A children's fantasy that expands imagination and empathy through encounters between large and small beings.
Pufa Shonen is a children's literary work by Kyoko Yamashita that received an honorable mention in the Kodansha Children's Literature Newcomer Award. It belongs to the period when the author, once a student of Tatsuo Hori, expanded from postwar fiction into children's literature.
An award-recognized children's work from Kyoko Yamashita's move into writing for young readers.
A children's literary work centered on a boy's journey, suggesting growth and encounters through travel. As a first-prize work in the inaugural Kodansha children's literature newcomer award, it signaled a new writer in longer fiction for children.
The time of travel gradually changes a boy's heart.
A folktale-like children's novel in which Taro journeys north to find his mother, who has become a dragon. Beyond poverty and harsh nature, his love for his mother joins with the power to help others.
The search for his mother leads Taro into a story of saving village and nature.
A children's novel in which young people confront poverty, adult values, and the social strains of postwar Japan while learning to see the world for themselves. Hisashi Yamanaka's direct child-centered viewpoint brings out both the mood of the era and the realities of family and community.
Through a child's eyes, the story depicts postwar contradictions and the strength to live through them.