The Moon Princess

Kodansha Bilingual Children's Classics

by Ralph F. McCarthy, Kancho Oda (Illustrator)

An old bamboo cutter finds a tiny child in the hollow of a bamboo stalk. Thus begins the beloved story of the Moon Princess, whose unearthly beauty brings her fame and would-be husbands from throughout the land, but whose destiny shines far off in the sky. The delicate color and detail of Kancho Oda's illustrations, painted over half a century ago, create a mood of charm and mystery, admirably accompanied by the lilting verse of writer, translator, and lyricist Ralph F. McCarthy.

Genres: Japan, Fantasy, Picture Books, Fiction, Childrens, Japanese Literature, Fairy Tales

47 pages, Hardcover

First published September 27, 1996

About the author

RALPH F. McCARTHY is a writer, lyricist, and translator from Michigan and California. Among his translations are another collection of stories by Osamu Dazai, Self Portraits, and 69 by Ryu Murakami.

Reviews

[Natasha M. Nurse, Esq. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty illustrations but lacking in a compelling or memorable storyline.

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought these for the child of a friend but just couldn't help myself and very carefully read them all. They are bilingual (Japanese / Hiragana and English). The English translation is spot on the art that goes with the story is brilliant.

If you're learning Japanese and want to read stories to your child in either Japanese or English or if you want to introduce your child to folk tales from other countries, these books are great.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part of Kodansha Bilingual Children's Classics series, which also includes such titles as The Adventure of Momotaro, the Peach Boy , Urashima and the Kingdom Beneath the Sea , Kintaro, the Nature Boy , and The Inch High Samurai , this lovely little picture-book offers a bilingual retelling of a classic Japanese fairy-tale about a moon princess who descends to earth, and lives for a time as the daughter of a bamboo-cutter and his wife. Sought by many princes, Princess Shining Bright has no desire to wed, and eventually returns - much to the sorrow of her earthly parents - to her lunar home.

I have owned this book, together with its companions, for a number of years now - I found them for sale in a wonderful little boxed set, and purchased them on the spot! - but it took an online friend's glowing review to convince me to take it down off the shelf, and actually give it a try. I'm glad that I finally did, as I enjoyed both story and artwork (especially artwork), and now plan to read the rest of the set right away. This story feels very familiar to me, but I'm struggling to think of another retelling I have read. I know that there is The Tale of the Shining Princess , but I haven't read that in some time, and am struggling to recall the details. In any case, wherever I encountered this tale before, it was agreeable to encounter it again, in such a lovely edition!

[Raya Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

sweet, quiet story <3

[Arlian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this book up because it is supposed to be bilingual edition of the story "Kaguya Hime" which is well known even in America.

While the story is printed in English and Japanese (Hiragana only) these version are *definitely* not translations of each other. The English and Japanese tales are remarkably different. The English version is written in a rhyming poem format that is very descriptive and the Japanese version is written in a pretty straightforward manner. Not only is the style of writing/translating different but the actual content on each page doesn't match very well. For example: on the page 4 the English edition mentions the wood-cutters wife, where as the Japanese edition doesn't introduce her until page 9.

It is my belief that this book is not for English speaking people to practice their Japanese, but for Japanese children to practice their English. This is further supported by the fact that the book has a "translation notes" at the back of it, but all the notes are translating English words into Japanese (Kanji). This still doesn't explain why the versions are so different but whatev.

As a side note, the images are really pretty and the story is really cute. I don't mean to trash the whole thing, it's just not really helpful as a learning aide.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remeber seeing this book being read on a pbs show when I was little, the one where an artist draws a picture of what's happening while the book is being read. I remeber really liking this story even after re-reading it I still can't put my finger on why I enjoy it so much. But the moral that I walked away with is to be thankful for the people around you everyday because you don't know when you will have to part from them.

[lamarcus brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my favorite book to read to my daughter. An old couple who ahve no kids of their own find this baby in the woods and care for her. She grows to be beautiful beyond measure and all the princes in the land try to court her. As it turns out she is a princess from the moon.

[Lita · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Japanese folktale shows a whole new culture using beautiful color pictures to show how people in Japan used to live. This book is written in English and in Japanese hiragana, so it introduces students to a whole new writing style.

[Redfox5 · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully illustrated book with a sweet story :)

[Pascal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bilingue Japonais - Anglais.
Sympa et facile à lire.

[Monika · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vana bambuselõikaja leiab õõnsast bambusetüvest väikese tüdrukukese ja toob lapse koju naise juurde. Tüdrukust sirgub kaunis neiu ning kuuldused ta ilust levivad kaugele. Kui viis noormeest soovivad teda endale naiseks, siis annab neiu igaühele neist (võimatu) ülesande, näiteks peab prints Otomo talle tooma Draakonikuninga värvilise palli. Ühelgi noormehel ei õnnestu neiu soovi täita ja nii möödub rahulikult neli aastat. Ühel päeval leiab vanapaar ta nutmas ning neiu tunnistab neile, et on Kuul asuva linna printsess, kuid seal oleva sõja tõttu saadeti ta Maale varju. Nüüd on aga oht möödas ja tal on aeg koju tagasi pöörduda.

With one last farewell she turned and
Stepped on to the cloud of light.
then it rose up to the heavens
Till it vanished in the night.
(lk. 47)

Pisikeses raamatukeses peitub vaid üks muinasjutt, lugu Kuuprintessist, mille on ümberjutustanud Ralph F. McCarthy ning illustreerinud Kancho Oda. Sisu polegi eriti kommenteerida, sest muinasjutud on alati armsad, kuid raamatu väärtuseks on lisaks imeilusale kujundusele ka kakskeelne tekst. Inglisekeelsed värsid pole otsetõlge jaapani keelest vaid pigem sisu ümberjutustus. Raamatu viimasel leheküljel on ka väike sõnastik, milles on märgitud, mida on kuidas tõlgitud.

[Abi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good read. I'd never heard the whole tale of Kaguyahime before, and I enjoyed it. The Japanese wasn't too hard, which was nice. I definitely had to look up lots of words, but the grammar was pretty easy. I think I finished it in about half an hour. 4 stars.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

10/10 for just a book to read, but not as great for the study tool I wanted it to be, because the English and Japanese texts are so different. I understand and appreciate the more poetic translation, but it doesn't make as much sense to me in a bilingual text.

[em · Rating 4 out of 5]

she really said men ain't shit and returned to the moon.

[Ashley Allgood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable.

[MightySSStrawberry · Rating 3 out of 5]

A classic Japanese tale I have finally read.
I was even able to read the Japanese (hiragana) pretty well!

[Rob Chappell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a condensed, illustrated, bilingual retelling of the classic 9th-century Japanese story, "The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter." English and Japanese versions of the story appear side-by-side or on facing pages of this book, which is suitable for readers of all ages -- especially those who are interested in premodern examples of the science fiction genre. It's a bittersweet tale, to be sure, but along the way, there are many wonders and delights, and the readers is left to ponder how advanced the imagination of the original storyteller was, to conceive of an extraterrestrial visiting Earth over 11 centuries before the dawn of the Space Age!