MOMOTARO AND THE ISLAND OF OGRES

An exquisite scroll, painted in the early 18th century and now in the Spencer Collection of the New York Public Library, illustrates the story of Momotaro, the Peach Boy, retold equally exquisitely by a curator of Japanese art. Wada’s language is as limpid and magical as the sound of flowing water as she relates this popular Japanese folktale. An elderly couple has their wish for a child fulfilled when the wife finds on a riverbank a huge, glowing peach that holds a tiny baby boy inside. He grows up strong, wise and loving, and when he’s 15, he sets out to rid the land of marauding ogres. Along the way, a dog, a monkey and a pheasant join him. The ogres aren’t impressed but not only does the quartet defeat them, Momotaro convinces them to mend their ways and return all the treasures they’ve stolen. The painting on silk repays close examination, and the text gracefully illuminates details in the images that might be overlooked. Lends itself wonderfully to reading aloud, too. (Picture book/folktale. 5-10)