Japanese Reader Collection Volume 5: Shitakiri Suzume - Paperback

by Yumi Boutwell (Author), Clay Boutwell (Author)

Read two of Japan's most beloved folktales, broken down sentence by sentence for upper-beginner learners.

A kind old man searches the mountains for his pet sparrow after his mean-tempered wife cuts out its tongue - and finds himself welcomed into a hidden sparrow village with a choice between two treasure boxes. Another old man, this one with a large lump on his cheek, stumbles upon a circle of oni dancing in the forest at night; he joins their dance and ends the night rid of the lump, only for a greedy neighbor with the same affliction to try the same trick and end up wearing two.

New in the 2026 edition:

• Bonus unlock code inside the book - redeem at Makoto+ to study every sentence from this book interactively, on the web or in the mobile app
• New watercolor illustration and audio QR codes on every story's opening page
• Hook teaser and Before-You-Read intro for each story, pointing you toward the grammar and vocabulary patterns to watch for
• Full Exercises sections with answer keys (Comprehension Questions, Particle Fill-in, Grammar Pattern Hunt, Translation Comparison) for both stories
• Resized furigana - ruby now sits closer to the base text, the way good Japanese typography should
• Running headers, page numbers, and sumi-e section ornaments throughout

The two stories:

1. The Cut-Tongue Sparrow (Shitakiri Suzume) - A kind old man keeps a pet sparrow that brings him daily joy. While he's away, his mean-tempered wife cuts the bird's tongue for eating some rice starch, and it flies off. The old man searches the mountains for his lost friend, finds a hidden village of sparrows, and is offered a choice between two treasure boxes on his way home. His wife, hearing the story, sets off to claim one of her own - and learns the difference between humility and grasping.

2. Kobutori Jiisan - An old man with a large lump on his cheek is caught out at night in the mountains and stumbles upon a circle of oni dancing under the moon. They invite him to join, and he dances so well they ask for his lump as collateral so he'll return - leaving him newly unblemished. A neighboring old man with the same affliction hears the tale and tries to repeat it. The oni are not pleased.

What's inside:

• Each story presented three ways: with line-by-line vocabulary, in plain Japanese (for unscaffolded reading practice), and in English summary
• Word-by-word breakdowns with furigana over every kanji
• Grammar spotlights, cultural notes, and reading tips throughout
• Free MP3 audio downloads - natural speed and slowed down - recorded by a native speaker
• Free Anki decks for pre-study
• Bonus unlock code for Makoto+ Sentence Explorer
• No sign-up required for the audio

Who this is for: Upper-beginner to lower-intermediate learners. You'll need solid kana and a working sense of basic grammar. (New to hiragana? Take our free two-week crash course at TheJapanesePage.com/hiragana.)

Questions or requests for future readers? The authors' personal email addresses are inside the book.