A tadpole wonders why we get up, if we go to bed again anyway. A deer looks for an answer to the question about the meaning of life. A tiger cries because he has eaten a fox… and a moon bear wishes the crescent moon were his friend, so that he can escape his loneliness.
These seven precious stories from Japan, told with impressive lightness, poetry, and wit, talk about the major questions of life. Who am I? What is friendship? What is happiness? A book that will make you thoughtful, a book that will make you smile.

The author

Ando Mikie was born in Kofu, Japan, in 1953. She is the author of numerous short stories, fairy tales and children's books and has received many awards in Japan for her work. Der Mond zu Gast is the author's first book to be translated into German. Ando Mikie answers our question about the origins of her unusual stories: »Animals like bears, snakes or ravens, but also other animals, almost 'forced' me to write. The urge to write a story always comes unexpectedly. When washing the dishes, the animals whisper in my ear and say 'write!'«

The illustrator

Shimowada Sachiyo was born in the Aichi prefecture in Japan in 1968. She works as an illustrator for Japanese periodicals and children's books.