Japanese Tadoku Books by Students
Smith College Tadoku Project
この本はとてもおもしろいとおもう。よもむずかしですがたのしです。えがすきです。
This book is very fun because it’s all information about sushi. Different types of sushi, what fish they are made from, and where sushi originated from. It had many unfamiliar words and phrases. I did not notice that this book is actually a level 1 book so that makes sense. Although it is very informational I would recommend that level 0 students not read this as they would have to look up several words and phrases in order to understand. 
ジョンさんは 夏休み仙台に森さんの家族とホームステイをしに行きました。They celebrated 七夕 together, which 仙台 celebrates in August instead of July.
この本は 面白くて、日本の文化があるので、とてもすいせんします。ジョンさんと森さんの子供のインタラクションはとてもかわいです。John also made a lot of silly mistakes that were so funny to read about. でも、ちょっと難しいから、JPN 111 まで 待ったほうがいいですよ。 私も 大きい犬のぬいぐるみがほしいですね。
最初にはちょっと話がりかいできませんでしたが、あとでわかりました。とても面白くて、ふしぎな話だと思います。私は読んでかんどうしました。だから、皆さんもあきらめなくてさいごまで読んで見てください。
I would like to recommend this story to my classmates, because it has a very good plot that keeps you curious, and it has a pretty good ending that makes you look back on your own life and be grateful. It might be a little confusing in the beginning, but you’ll get the story in the end, and the grammar and vocabulary isn’t too difficult.
ジョンさんはバスに乗っています。彼はあそこでおばあさんと一緒に話しました。あとで、バスの中でジョンさんはねむ。だから、クラスに遅れます。おもしろいですね。
John rides the bus everyday. One day, he meets an old lady who sees his fashionably ripped jeans and expresses comical pity for him, unaware that the distressed look is intentional. Another day, John falls asleep in the bus and misses his stop. As a result, he arrives late to school.
この話が大好きですが、終わりは早く来たんです。おばあさんは死にましたか？わかりません！読むがは楽しかったです。こんな子供の本を作りたいです。
I read this book with all of the furigana covered with a card, and only checked it for 箱 and 雀. Those kanjis were used so specifically, and followed with such clear illustrations, that I was able to make out their definitions without looking them up. There was also 洗濯のり, which I couldn’t understand, but I understood from the illustration and the furigana せんたくthat it was some material for laundry.
The story was very easy to follow, and there were a couple kanji from JPN 111 that I could recognize at this point. It’s pretty long, too, which means the story is a lot more developed and interesting. For that reason, I think it would be fun for students to tackle!
とても暖かい話で、私は感動した。おばあさんとおじいさんはとても優しくて親切な人たちだし。いい人だので、いいことがあるんだね。
I encountered a lot of grammar points and vocabularies that I just learnt when I read this story. Also the pictures are really cute and the art style is dreamy. This story could heal. I highly recommend this book.
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笑い話の中で、五つ面白いストーリーがあります。いちばん好きなストーリーはうぐいすのストーリーです。うぐいすは春の鳥です。それから、みんなは早くうぐいすの声が聞きたいすで。本の中で、たくさんかんたんな会話があるので、いいれんしゅうです。新しいたんごがたくさんありますが、ストーリーはあまりむずかしくないです。
The book is really interesting through its context. Two stories are a little bit long, other three are very short. I think in this book, lots of new words can be memorized, such as Boshi (star) because the story repeats this key word lots of times
一人女の子はタクシーで乗ります。あの子はもう死ねていました。
A girl takes a ride in a taxi and later turns out to be a ghost. She tricks the taxi driver into dropping her off at her house and then runs inside without paying. the driver waits outside for her to come back and pay him but she never does. He eventually knocks on the door only to find out that the girl had died in a bicycle accident.
This book is accessible to a Japanese 111 student if not a Japanese 110 student. It takes a bit of intuition to piece together some of the story but it was certainly original.
このストーリーはとても面白いです。この本の方が私読んだ本より、ちょっと長くて、ちょっと難しいいです。新しい単語がたくさんありますから。でも、絵は綺麗です。
I recommend this book! I would say the level of this book is 1.5, because it is more difficult than other 1 level books that I’ve read. The storyline is nice, with unexpected unfolding. It’s impressive for a book with a few pages to tell such a good story!
この本はとても悲しいです。犬は毎日先生の帰りを待ちます、でも先生はもう死にました。私はペットが好きだった、この本はおもしろいと思います。
I would recommend this book. It teachers readers about a part of Japanese history and reminds them to make sure someone will check on their pets and other belongings if they happen to die suddenly. – Lily Xiao
