(35) Things that captivate me ~ I feel like I'm melting... Picture books, Part 6 (The fun and importance of words)

*My impressions and thoughts on these picture books are based on my own personal reading experience.
This is not intended for sales or promotion, but is written as a genuine recommendation.

I would appreciate it if you could take a look at my previous post here.

Japanese...

Among the many languages in the world,
it seems to rank
among the most difficult to learn.

We use such a language as a matter of course,
perhaps we don't really think about it much in our daily lives.

Let's enjoy
such words
all over again through picture books.

I wonder if there is anyone else
who can assemble Japanese
as joyfully as this person...
That person is
Shuntaro Tanikawa.

I think 'Kappa kapparatta~' was
in the first-grade textbook, wasn't it?
It's like a tongue twister,
rhythmic,
and very fun.

The sequel to 'Kotoba Asobi Uta' (Word Play Songs),
the title
isn't something like Volume 2,
but '...Mata' (Again),
which is, in itself, quite clever and stylish.

I have
long been fascinated by 'A-I-U-E-O'.
The back cover of a first-grade Japanese notebook,
the syllabary chart,
just looking at it makes me excited.
There are many discoveries
to be made from 'A-I-U-E-O'.
After all,
when you say the 'A-row' out loud,
they all end in 'a'.
And then, and then,
the 'n' sound
transforms depending on the sound it connects to.

It feels like gathering
many words starting with 'A'
and chanting them rhythmically to enjoy that fun.
The way it ties into a 'King' is also interesting.
It makes me love 'A-I-U-E-O' even more.

A shiritori (word chain game) of animals
starting with 'A' and ending with 'n'.
A picture book like this
should be chanted out loud.
By saying it out loud, the fun
should connect even more
to the next.
You'll surely think that words are interesting.
There shouldn't be any Japanese words that start with 'n'.
(Though I hear there are some in the Okinawan language?)
Will the
shiritori ever end?

If words had a shape,
would our feelings
be conveyed
better to others?
Sometimes cold and harsh,
sometimes warm and gentle,
sometimes conveying love.
If the invisible thing called words
had a shape,
could we be closer to one another...?

Finally,
though it's not a picture book,
something that teaches us
the richness of the 'Gojuon' (fifty sounds).
It's by Hakushu Kitahara.
I enjoy trying to create
something similar myself.