Posted By: Jane Mertz
Posted On: May 19, 2011
Chibi: A True Story from Japan is a delightful children’s book about a mama duck searching for the perfect home for her brood. First, Oka-San (Japanese for mother) flies into the pool of an office park in downtown Tokyo. Mama builds her nest, seemingly ignoring the Uchibori Dori, an 8-lane avenue, that is nearby.
Soon, ten eggs hatch, with the last one being that of Chibi, the tiny duckling named by Mr. Sato, a news photographer.
Oka-San and her brood create quite a following among the office workers. But, then Oka-San decides to move her family to the Imperial Gardens. In order to make this move, Mama must lead her ducks across the busy Uchibori Dori.
The author goes on to describe this adventure and that of the terrible typhoon which wreaked havoc on the ducks. Three ducklings went missing. One came back safely, one died, and after three days, to the delight of the onlookers, Chibi returned, floating on a piece of Styrofoam.
This book was an instant hit with my second graders. I will be using it each year during my East Asian unit.