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.