Peach Boy: A Japanese Legend

Legends of the World

by Gail Sakurai, Makiko Nagano (Illustrator )

When an old couple finds a baby inside a peach floating on the river, they raise him as their son, and he grows up to fight the terrible demons who have terrorized the village for years.

Genres: Childrens

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

As a child, Gail Sakurai was an enthusiastic reader. The more she read, the more she thought she'd like to become an author herself. She began writing stories when she was about eight years old.

But as she grew older, Sakurai moved away from writing. In college she studied foreign languages, and after graduation, she and her husband started a family. Sakurai read book after book to her two children when they were young. This revived her own dream of writing books, especially children's books. When her youngest child started going to school, Sakurai started making that dream come true. In addition to retelling folktales, she has written books about the United States in the colonial and revolutionary periods, the Library of Congress, and Asian Americans in the Old West.

For a long time Gail Sakurai was a fan of the TV series Star Trek and movies based on the show. This interest served her well as she began writing. At first she helped write a newsletter for Star Trek fans. Later, this same interest led her to write her biography of space scientist Mae Jemison, as well as a biography of Stephen Hawking, a scientist who studies the universe.

Reviews

[Claire Binkley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This version made me think so much of the art style the artists used for the Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, besides getting me to look up 桃, how to write peach in kanji.

I actually have read storybooks like this when I was little. I swear.

The artwork did calm me down.

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

This old Japanese folktale shares many characteristics of many legends of other cultures. A poor old couple is childless until the woman finds a giant peach floating down the stream. She takes it home, thinking that they will have some fresh peach as part of their next meal. They are surprised when it opens, and a young boy emerges.
He proves to have a ravenous appetite and grows rapidly, becoming strong and very helpful to those around him. A group of ogres has terrified the population, stealing their valuables and destroying their possessions. The boy vows to fight and defeat the ogres and after acquiring a sword and being given provisions, he sets out on his adventure.
Along the way, he aids some wild animals by sharing his dumplings and they accompany him on his journey. Once he arrives at the castle of the ogres, with the assistance of the animals, he beats up the ogres and gets them to give up their treasure and forever leave the villagers alone.
The child being found floating on a river is a very old and ubiquitous story, think Moses of the bible. Growing up to be the hero and sharing his belongings with wild creatures is also found in many other tales. This is a nice story with a simple plot, the hero saving his family and neighbors from a consistent threat that no one else seems capable of dealing with. While not original by any means, it still makes for a good tale to be read to children.

[Maura Fenelon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is based on a Japanese folk tale about a young boy whose parents find him inside a peach. The boy, Momotaro, grows up to be strong and brave, making friends with a few animals and taking his village's treasure back from the ogres who stole it. This book is best for second to third grade classrooms, and I would use it primarily to work on fluency. This is the kind of book that can easily be turned into a play with parts for a large number of students. It also brings more representation into the classroom.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an entertaining retelling of the classic Japanese fable about Momotaro, the peach boy. The narrative is engaging, perfect for young children, and the illustrations are colorful.

[Carole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated Japanese legend of an old couple who yearned for a child but had not been blessed with one until one day, as the old woman is washing clothes in the stream, a giant peach floats by. She takes it home to the old man who she thinks will enjoy the peach. When he starts to cut into it, it starts to move and breaks open; inside is a baby. The old couple thinks this is the blessing they have hoped for. He has a voracious appetite, grows rapidly, and becomes very strong.

He is a good son, helping his parents, and saving his village from some very bad ogres.

[Crista Goluch · Rating 3 out of 5]

This Japanese folktale is about a couple who discover a baby boy in a giant peach. They raise him as their own and he turns into a great warrior.

This is a great book to uses when discussing persistence and determination. The young warrior is kind and strong and wants to do the right thing to help his village.

Because it is a retelling of a Japanese legend and illustrated to reflect that, it would be a great addition to any multicultural shelf.

[Ashten Wolff]

Momotaro goes to fight the terrible ogres that are harming people in Japan.