"Lanka"

The main character in this story is a 10-year-old girl named Lanka, who has come to Japan from a country that is warm all year round and filled with green. Arriving at a school where she does not understand the language or the writing, she feels “alone in the world.” Unused to changing into indoor shoes, wearing the same gym clothes as others, and serving lunch as a class, she gets confused by the various customs and grows worried and nervous. One day, when recalling her home she tries to climb a tree in the playground as she used to, a classmate pulls her leg to stop her because of the danger. But Lanka mistakes this for bullying and it makes her cry. Schools across Japan now serve more than forty thousand children with roots overseas. The author, who teaches Japanese, conveys the need to connect despite the language barrier—not only for students who arrive from different countries, but also for students who receive them.   

『ランカ にほんにやってきたおんなのこ』野呂さくえ作、松成真理子絵 2021  

主人公のランカは10歳の女の子。一年中温暖な緑あふれる国から日本へやってきた。言葉も文字もわからないまま転入した学校では、「ちきゅうに ひとりぼっちの きぶん」になる。上履きに履き替え、全員同じ体操服を着、給食を自分たちで配膳する、日本の学校の風習に戸惑い、不安と緊張がつのる。ある日、故郷を思い出して校庭の木に登ろうとしたら、クラスメートに危険だからと足を引っ張られ、止められる。ランカは意地悪をされたと勘違いし、ついに泣き出す。現在、日本全国の学校には、海外にルーツをもつ子どもが4万人以上いる。日本語教師でもある作者が、異国からの転入生だけでなく、彼らを迎え入れる子どもたちにも、言葉を超えた人のつながりの大切さを伝える。  

Text. Noro, Sakue  

Illus. Matsunari, Mariko  

Kaisei-sha  

2020  

32 pages  

23×25  

ISBN 978-4-03-435150-5  

Ages 6+  

New student, Immigration, Friendship