The Friends

Curious about death, three sixth-grade boys decide to spy on an old man waiting for him to die, but they end up becoming his friends.

Children's Books

Yumoto, Kazumi

Growing Up & Facts of Life

Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)

By the award-winning author of The Friends When Chiaki learns of the death of her and her mother’s former landlady, Mrs. Yanagi, she feels compelled to go to the funeral, although she hasn’t seen Mrs. Yanagi in years. As she prepares for the trip, she also begins a journey through memory, beginning right after her father’s death, when her mother took an apartment at Poplar House. Chiaki, six at the time, is overwhelmed by the recent changes, falls ill, and cannot attend school. Mrs. Yanagi ends up looking after her during the daytime. The landlady initially frightens her new charge, but as Chiaki spends more time with her, the two begin to form an odd alliance. One day Mrs. Yanagi tells Chiaki that she has been charged with a divine mission to carry letters to the dead when she goes to the grave herself. Inspired, Chiaki then begins a tentative one-way correspondence with her father, diligently entrusting her letters to the landlady. And it’s through remembering this time of her life that the grown Chiaki is able to confront her confusion about who she is now.

The Letters

Teen & Young Adult

The Spring Tone

Plagued by headaches and nightmares, Tomomi tries to make sense of her grandmother's death, her little brother's obsession with saving sick and abandoned cats, and her fear that she is becoming a monster

Hirano, Cathy

Literature & Fiction

Farrar. Straus & Giroux

In this award-winning book from Japan, three young boys curious about death learn--and teach--some valuable lessons about life and friendship.
The Friends is the winner of the 1997 Boston Globe - Horn Book Award for Fiction.

Guy, Rosa

Tomomi Kiriki feels herself turning into a monster. Her body is changing, and so is her heart. Since the death of her grandmother, this spring threatens to take away the closeness her family once felt, and brings haunting dreams into Tomomi's home. The house is falling apart. Grandpa keeps old, useless junk around. Tomorm gets headaches that keep her from enjoying the school break until her brilliant little brother, Tetsu, shares with Tomorm his secret life and his terrible plan of revenge for their neighbor. This spring the real and the imaginary have never seemed so close, and Tomorm must struggle to tell the difference.

Laurel-Leaf

Letters

When Chiaki learns that her mother’s former landlady, Mrs. Yanagi, has died, she decides to attend the funeral. The last time she saw Mrs. Yanagi was when she lived in her apartment building when she was a little girl. Chiaki takes a trip back through time and remembers what her life was like shortly after her father’s death. At first young Chiaki is scared of old Mrs. Yanagi, but as time goes on, they form a close relationship. Then Mrs. Yanagi reveals that she has a special mission in life. She will deliver letters to the dead when she herself passes away. She keeps the letters in a drawer and when it is filled, then she will die. She warns Chiaki that anyone else who looks in the drawer will carry the burden of delivering the letters instead of her. Chiaki starts writing letters to her father every day to overcome her loss. Years later, Chiaki is unprepared for the surprises that await her at Mrs. Yanagi’s funeral and the unexpected turn her life will take from that point on.

Kiyama and his friends Kawabe and Yamashita become fascinated and curious about death when Yamashita's grandmother dies. They wonder what a dead body looks like and if the dead person becomes a ghost. They hope to see death firsthand by spying on an old man who looks like he will die soon. But while they watch the old man, he watches them. Soon their fascination for each other turns into a friendship that will change their lives forever.

Geography & Cultures

Yearling

Demco Media

A picture book with delicate illustrations that explains the path of grief, ending with the uplifting new beginning of a budding friendship based on understanding.\nWhen the little bird dies, his friend the bear is inconsolable. Full of grief, he locks himself in his house and ventures out again only when the smell of young spring grass blows through his window. He always carries a small box, which he opens for no one.\nHe meets a wildcat who understands his need to carry the box. As the cat plays on her violin, the bear remembers all the beauty he experienced with the little bird. Now he can bury his friend, keeping him alive in his memories and feelings.\nExplaining the topic of grief and loss in a way that speaks to any age and with a quiet understanding of what it is like to lose someone you love, The Bear and the Wildcat shows a way through paralyzing grief and simultaneously tells the story of a hopeful new friendship.\nTender and sensitive, this is an excellent tool for helping to explain the process of grief, loss and bereavement with children or anyone who needs it 
Loved by adults and children, also suitable for schools, hospices, grief centers and counselors 
Translated from the Japanese edition by Cathy Hirano.\nKomako Sakai lives in Japan and studied art in Tokyo. She is one of the most popular children’s illustrators in Japan and winner of the Japanese Picture Book Prize, and her books are published throughout the world.\nKazumi Yumoto was born in Tokyo, Japan. Her books, mostly novels for older children, have won numerous international awards.\nPraise for The Bear and the Wildcat: 
"[A] tender story . . . [and] forward-looking book for children who have loved and lost.”―Wall Street Journal 
“[A] touchstone for talking about loss.”―starred, Publishers Weekly 
"Quietly contemplative, mingling hope and healing, this is a book that will offer comfort to many."―starred, Kirkus Reviews 
"In this touching story about grief, Bear mourns the death of his friend Bird, working his way from being paralyzed by sadness to reengaging with the world."―Booklist 
"This powerful story deals with one of life's most complicated and painful aspects with delicacy and honesty. Intricately layered pencil illustration accompanies the tale to create a story that is very moving but also filled with hope.”―BookTrust UK 
"If grieving people are allowed to grieve, then they will find their way back to the joy of life - that's the message of this delicate Japanese book.”―Die Zeit

The Bear and the Wildcat

Animals

Gecko Press ™

The Friends / Natsu no niwa

Shinchosha

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Yumoto, Kazumi. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Yumoto, Kazumi

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Yumoto, Kazumi. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

The Friends

The Letters

The Spring Tone

The Friends

The Spring Tone

The Letters

The Friends

The Friends

The Bear and the Wildcat

The Friends / Natsu no niwa