About the Author

NHK World is the international service of Japanese public broadcaster NHK. The stories published in this book were part of a special series produced by Radio Japan, NHK World's radio service in 18 languages.

Illustrators
After working as a graphic designer, Manami Yamada became an author of children's books and an artist. Her books include Grandma Nosehair, whose illustrations were selected for the Bologna Illustrators Exhibition in 2008, and Kaeru to Okan ("The Frog and the Crown"). She is the recipient of several awards.

Tomonori Taniguchi was born in Osaka in 1978 and studied Nihon-ga Japanese painting at Kanazawa College of Art. His children's books have been published in Japan, France and Italy. They include Sarukun to Banana no Yuenchi ("Monkey and Banana's Amusement Park") and Pinocchio, la marionnette de fer ("Pinocchio the Iron Puppet").

Born in Gifu prefecture in 1978, Nao Takabatake is an author of children's books and an illustrator. He received the Japan Picture Book Award in 2013 for Kaeru no Odekake ("The Frog Goes Out"). His other works include Chiita Dai Se-ru ("Cheetah's Big Sale") and Banana Jiken ("The Banana Incident").

Takumi Nishio was born in Tokyo in 1968. He worked as a graphic and set designer for public broadcaster NHK from 1994 to 1999, and later produced animations, illustrations and opening titles for TV programs. He currently teaches at the Yokohama College of Art and Design.

Reviews

"The overall quality of production matches the care taken in narrative choices and imagery. The stories and artwork work very well together and will likely delight young readers, particularly when read aloud." --Booklist

"The traditional beliefs of long ago come alive through the work of several artists." --Skipping Stones magazine

"Once Upon a Time in Japan is an ideal introduction to Japanese folktales…the publication's beautiful layout showcases a variety of award-winning Japanese illustrators." --The Japan Times