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.