Little J Books

Publisher info

Little J Books is an independent translation and e-publishing company that publishes the works of some of Japan's greatest storytellers; stories that can be enjoyed by children and adults alike.

Hi, my name is Paul and I started Little J Books because I personally wanted to be able to read more of these kinds of Japanese stories in English, especially in ebook form. By putting these stories into an ebook format they will be available for anyone to access anywhere in the world, forever. That last word is key, because quite often translators do an incredible job of translating a book into English, but after it gets published and sells out, you can't get your hands on it, or it becomes really expensive. But now with ebooks and publishing on demand (POD) that is changing.

Feel free to drop us a line anytime.
Paul
Little J Books

Where to find Little J Books online

The Fart (Tales from Japan)
Price: Free! Words: 8,390. Language: English. Published: May 14, 2014 by Little J Books. Categories: Fiction » Literature » Literary, Fiction » Literary collections » Asian / Japanese
This is a story of a dramatic event that happened to a boy named Harukichi one warm afternoon in autumn. Harukichi goes to a small school in a small village. Sometimes Harukichi is embarrassed by the way his classmates behave. One day a new teacher named Mr. Fuji arrives from the big city. Another interesting character in this story is Ishitaro. Ishitaro likes to fart. A lot.
Night on the Milky Way Railway
Price: Free! Words: 26,470. Language: English. Published: January 14, 2014 by Little J Books. Categories: Fiction » Children’s books » Fairy Tales & Folklore / Anthologies, Fiction » Fantasy » Short stories
Giovanni is having trouble concentrating at school because he's tired from his part-time job and he doesn't have time to play with any of his friends any more. His local village is getting ready to hold their annual star festival, but Giovanni feels as if he's been left out. But then the most amazing thing happens, and Giovanni finds himself riding on a train heading through the Milky Way.
The Restaurant of Many Orders
Price: Free! Words: 4,680. Language: English. Published: November 27, 2013 by Little J Books. Categories: Fiction » Children’s books » Fairy Tales & Folklore / Anthologies, Fiction » Fantasy » Short stories
This is perhaps the most famous of Kenji's short stories and one of his personal favorites, as it was the title story of his one and only self-published collection of short stories. Two hunters go on a hunting trip in the country and end up completely lost. Luckily they come across what appears to be an extremely popular restaurant…but everything is not as it seems.
Buying Mittens
Series: Tales from Japan, Book 3. Price: Free! Words: 3,720. Language: English. Published: November 13, 2013 by Little J Books. Categories: Fiction » Fantasy » General, Fiction » Children’s books » Fairy tales & fables
Nankichi Niimi is undoubtedly one of Japan's most highly regarded writers of fantasy fiction. Book 3 of Tales from a Japanese Dreamland is an introduction to Niimi's writing through one of his most famous children's stories. The highlight of this delightful children's story is the beautiful description of the foxes' journey through the snow covered woods during the middle of the night.
Kenju's Forest Playground & Ame-ni-mo makezu
Series: Tales from Japan, Book1. Price: Free! Words: 4,650. Language: English. Published: November 13, 2013 by Little J Books. Categories: Poetry » Japanese Poetry, Fiction » Fantasy » General
Kenji Miyazawa is undoubtedly one of Japan's most highly regarded writers of fantasy fiction. Book 1 of Tales From A Japanese Dreamland is an introduction to Kenji's writing through his well-known poem Ame-ni-mo makezu and the story of Kenju, which can be thought of as an extension of that poem. Note that both these stories can be found in Book 4 & 5 of the series Tales from a Japanese Dreamland.
Gon the Fox and Other Stories
Series: Tales from Japan, Book 4. Price: Free! Words: 18,920. Language: English. Published: November 13, 2013 by Little J Books. Categories: Fiction » Fantasy » Short stories, Fiction » Children’s books » Fairy Tales & Folklore / Anthologies
Nankichi Niimi & Kenji Miyazawa are undoubtedly two of Japan's most highly regarded writers of fantasy fiction. Book 4 of Tales From A Japanese Dreamland contains four wonderful stories by Niimi and one story by Kenji. In addition to the title story, this book also includes Grandpa's Lamp as well as Kenji's much loved Ame-ni-mo makezu. A truly wonderful collection.
10 of the Best Stories from Kenji Miyazawa and Nankichi Niimi
Series: Tales from Japan, Book 5. Price: Free! Words: 31,590. Language: English. Published: November 12, 2013 by Little J Books. Categories: Fiction » Fantasy » Short stories, Fiction » Children’s books » Fairy Tales & Folklore / Anthologies
Nankichi Niimi & Kenji Miyazawa are undoubtedly two of Japan's most highly regarded writers of fantasy fiction. Book 5 of Tales from Japan contains all stories from Books 1 - 4, five stories by Kenji, including Gauche the Cellist and The Restaurant of Many Orders (along with his famous poem Ame-ni-mo makezu) and five stories from Niimi, including Gon the Fox.
Gauche the Cellist and Other Stories
Series: Tales from Japan, Book 2. Price: Free! Words: 14,880. Language: English. Published: November 12, 2013 by Little J Books. Categories: Fiction » Fantasy » Short stories, Fiction » Children’s books » Fairy Tales & Folklore / Anthologies
Nankichi Niimi & Kenji Miyazawa are undoubtedly two of Japan's most highly regarded writers of fantasy fiction. Book 2 of Tales From A Japanese Dreamland contains four stories by Kenji Miyazawa and one story by Nankichi Niimi. In addition to the title story, this book also includes Kenji's much loved The Restaurant of Many Orders and Niimi's Buying Mittens. A wonderful collection.
Gauche the Cellist
Price: Free! Words: 7,260. Language: English. Published: February 25, 2013 by Little J Books. Categories: Fiction » Children’s books » Classics, Fiction » Literary collections » Asian / Japanese
(3.00 from 1 review)
Another gem from the Japanese maestro of storytelling Kenji Miyazawa. Gauche plays the cello in the town orchestra, but he needs to do a lot better if he wants to keep his place. He realizes he is going to have to practice every spare moment if he is going to improve in time for the big concert. But will that be enough? Just when he is getting into his rhythm a visitor drops in - and then another.