『絵物語 古事記』（読み物）をおすすめします。
712年に成立した日本最古の歴史書といわれる「古事記」（３巻本）の中から、神話をとりあげた上巻を、人気作家が物語として再話し、国際的なアニメーション作家でもある画家が、楽しい絵をつけた作品。監修者は、「古事記」の研究者。イザナキとイザナミによる国生み、イザナキの黄泉の国訪問、天の岩屋、やまたのおろち、稲羽の白うさぎ、海幸彦と山幸彦など、日本でもおなじみの神話が紹介されている。富安は、現代作家ならではの視点で、それぞれの話に流れをつけ、わかりやすくてダイナミックな物語に仕上げている。各ページにイラストを入れている山村は、さまざまな神々をユーモラスかつ人間くさく描くことによって、読者の興味をひくことに成功している。後書きには、「古事記」が作られた経緯や、成立にかかわった人々についての解説が載っている。
8歳から／神話 不思議
Illustrated KOJIKI
The Stories of Japanese Gods and Goddesses
Dating back to AD 712, the Kojiki is said to be Japan’s oldest historical record. It describes Japan’s history from the foundation of the nation to the era of Empress Suiko in the 7th century. The first volume tells richly imaginative tales of the gods, while Volumes 2 and 3 record the imperial lineage and major events during each reign. In this book, a children’s author who has been nominated for the Andersen Award from Japan retells the stories of Volume 1, accompanied by entertaining illustrations by an internationally renowned animator. The supervisor is a scholar of the Kojiki.
Myths known by Japanese children are retold here, such as the story of how the god Izanaki and goddess Izanami used a magical spear to form the country out of chaos; the story of how after her death, Izanaki chased Izanami through the underworld; and stories of how the sun goddess Amaterasu was so disgusted by the bad behavior of her younger brother Susanoo that she hid herself in a cave, and how Susanoo slayed the eight-headed monster Yamata no Orochi after being banished from heaven, and how the god Oonamuji saved the white hare that had its fur ripped out after tricking the sharks, and about the quarrel between the god Hoderi, who lived off the bounty of the sea, and the god Hoori, who lived off the bounty of the mountain.
Tomiyasu retells these many myths from the perspective of a contemporary author, making them into highly readable, entertaining, and exciting tales. Yamamura’s illustrations appear on every page, with amusing and humanlike portrayals of the deities that successfully draw children in. An afterword introduces how the Kojiki came to be written and the people who were involved in producing it. (Sakuma)
- Text: Tomiyasu, Yoko | Illus. Yamamura, Koji | Spv. Miura, Sukeyuki
- Kaiseisha
- 2017
- 255 pages
- 22×15
- ISBN 978-4-03-744870-7
- Age 8 +
Myths, Gods
（JBBY「おすすめ！日本の子どもの本2019」より）
