Cikádkův velký večer
Noriko Kudo

(kniha: Dobrodružství cikády)

Ano, haló haló, mumly mumly….

Ano, je to tak, konečně, je to dnes večer

Bzz bzz,
hej rup, hej rup!

Uf uf,
hopsa hejsa!

Raz, dva, tři, čtyři… huup!
Riririrííín (cvrkot / zvonivý zvuk cikád)
Zkusme takhle letět.

Už je to tady.
Sbohem, domečku, děkuji ti.

Prask!
Uuuh… hup!
Tak… a teď!
A je to!

Gratulujeme cikádko, čekali jsme tě
Tak dneska je oslava

(Miin miin) děkuji!
Pane nosorožíku, cvrčku,
včelo a housenečky!

Jéé!
Děkujeme, pane světluško!

-

The Shopkeeper 
Eiko Kadono — text
Seiichi Tabata — illustrations

I can't go out to play, no friends are coming over, and it's so boring.

-

I spread out a handkerchief, a mug, crayons, scissors, a ball, a skipping rope and all sorts of things on the floor. Then I threw the window wide open. "Come on in. We have wonderful things for sale. I have something for everyone."

"Come in, come in." And then came a sound. "Meow, please. Meow." Another customer. My neighbour's fat cat.

"Come in, come in. We have everything." And then came a sound. "A skipping rope, please," said the next customer. Children appeared whom I had never seen before. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 of them were there. And they all looked the same. Rain dripping from their heads.

"Who are you?" I asked. "We are rain boys. Please give us the skipping rope." "That will be 10 yen." Each one took 10 yen from their pocket and gave me 50 yen. "You see, we want to play train with this skipping rope."

And the rain boys tied the skipping rope into a circle. Then they all lined up and climbed inside. And all together they said: "Departure. The tansy is already in bloom, we must return. We have been here long enough." And with a "clickety-clack" they disappeared into the distance.

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Beetle Proffesional
Takashi Yamamoto

Oh, ohhh! Ah, ahhh! What on earth is happening?! The dream insect wrestling match! The stag beetle really goes for it! The rhinoceros beetle too! You can't tear your eyes away!

-

Beetle Proffesional
Takashi Yamamoto

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen! Once again this year we have gathered at the Great Oak Stadium! The dream insect wrestling match — "Mushi Pro!"

The thrilling battle between the rhinoceros beetle team and the stag beetle team is just beginning! Who will win this match and claim the sweet sap of the Great Oak all for themselves? Which team will it be?

And now, the first match! From the rhinoceros beetle team, here comes "The Black Monster" — Kokasus! And facing him from the stag beetle team, "The Wild One" — Miyama!

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen! Here in this hushed room, the match between the rhinoceros beetle and the saw stag beetle continues. Oh! The lid of the insect cage has just... opened! They did it — they are free!

Around the Corner
Yosuke Inoue 

Kodomo no tomo (Childhood Friend)
number 12

What might appear on a winding street in a city at dusk? 
A winding street

A great toad looms up

What might appear on a winding street in a city at dusk? 
Around the corner hangs a great hairy caterpillar

What might appear on a winding street in a city at dusk? 
Around the corner loomed a great mole

What might appear on a winding street in a city at dusk? 
Around the corner loomed chimney boys

What might appear on a winding street in a city at dusk? 
Around the corner will appear the first star

What might appear on a winding street in a city at dusk? 
Around the corner will loom a cyclist

-

A Chorus of Winter Buds 

Tadao Tominari, Toru Mogi — photography
Cho Shinta — text

A Chorus of Winter Buds 

Tadao Tominari, Toru Mogi — photography
Cho Shinta — text

A leaf will sprout, a flower will bloom — puff, puff, puff

And the sun, and the wind

They are so wonderful they say, laughing

The Bread Thief 
Keiko Shibata

My dear, my dear, sweet bread!

[The Corner Bakery] 
A shadow shot out from the bakery on the corner. Bread clutching bread, running away with it. "I am the Bread Thief! A master thief who goes after the finest baked goods."

The bread from the corner bakery is soft, fluffy and delicate. "What a treat. I just can't stop eating it." The Bread Thief loves eating good bread more than anything.

One day the Bread Thief found a bakery deep in the forest that he had never seen before. "They say it's the best bread in the world? What if I just took a little peek inside?" He smiles beneath his whiskers.

He peered inside to see what it looked like. Inside, rows of freshly baked goods line the shelves, just out of the oven. "My, that looks delicious. I must try one."

He slings the bread over his shoulder and dashes toward the exit. This Bread Thief has very quick feet. He is so fast that the baker doesn't notice him at all.

[forest bakery, the best in the world] 
"Hooray, I did it!" He dashes out of the forest.

A Little Tree
Eiko Kadono, Miho Satake

Cars often drove past. And every time, the little tree trembled. When night came, a "woooon" echoed from the town — a dog's bark carried far into the distance. When the little tree heard that voice, it felt relieved.

The two of them set off on their journey. Gogh walked: thump, thump, thump. Kikko walked: step, step, step. They went up and down gentle hills and walked on. The sky was a bright blue and a pleasant breeze was blowing. They walked and walked. When the road forked, they said: "That way!" and went there. And when it forked again, they said: "This way!" and went another way. They went wherever they wanted. It seemed as though they could walk forever, anywhere and as far as they wished.

Gogh walked: thump, thump, thump. Kikko walked: step, step, step. Iwao rolled: thud, thud, thud. A cold wind began to blow. A cold rain began to fall. But they all kept going, with their faces turned forward.

"But... that's alright. It's enough if I can chat with someone like this every now and then." "Every now and then is enough for you?" asked Gogh. Itcche paused. Just a moment ago she had thought that "every now and then" was not enough. "But I can't, it's impossible," Itcche rippled the water with a loud splash. "That's alright. When you want to go, you'll be able to," said Kikko. Then she dipped her branch into Itcche. And Itcche grabbed hold of that branch and rose up lightly and smoothly.

Gogh walked: thump, thump, thump. 
Kikko walked: step, step, step. 
Iwao rolled: thud-thud, thud-thud, thud-thud. 
Itcche bounced: splash-splash, splash-splash, splash-splash.

From the following day, Kikko, Itcche and Iwao began their ordinary life. But it was completely different from before. Now they could set off for a walk whenever they wanted, whenever the mood took them.

The Pill Bug Celebration 
Yamasaki Oshiruko

"Every creature matters." A story about pill bugs that is both joyful and moving. A picture book through which children learn about "life." The long-awaited debut of a beloved creator! 

Publisher: KADOKAWA

One after another, they head toward the forest. They line up in a row — and march forward! Beside them, fireflies flutter and shimmer. In the sky, a round moon shines. The pill bugs swarm and march. All the pill bugs march together.

"To the one who shines brightest of all at tonight's festival, we shall award a wonderful prize!" Whatever could this amazing prize be? Their hearts are pounding and they are filled with excitement — all aquiver with anticipation.

Come on everyone, the festival begins! They roll and spin around and around. Kutululu. Kutululu. The sounds of life converge and rolling thunder across the whole glade. Hooray, hooray, pill bugs! Hooray, hooray, pill bugs!

She gave her last strength and when she reached the top, she was curled into a ball and no longer moving. Her blue shell, bathed in moonlight, began to shimmer.

The elder came forward and called out "Hey!" and raised his staff. "To the one who shone the brightest, I shall award a wonderful prize." The blue body shimmers and rises up toward the sky.

The festival began again. Everyone curled into a ball, gazed up at the sky and began to sing. Slowly, rolling along, pill bugs. Slowly, rolling along, pill bugs. The song of the pill bugs spread quietly through the forest.

A Cloud's Diary 
Cho Shinta

○. ○. (Snow) I see a snowman. He looks quite a lot like me, so I went closer. He has a nicely made face. I don't have a face. I am a cloud, after all. This is the beginning of a diary by a cloud with no face. Fluffy, fluffy — that's how I'll go on living!

○. ○. (Overcast) I arrived in cold lands. Chunks of ice are floating in the sea. They are called "drift ice." I wanted to get a good look at them, so I moved closer — and this is what happened. It's cold. The "drift ice" crunches and seems to be laughing at me.

○. ○. (Overcast) Under a dark sky there is a blue lake. There are lots of birds called grebes here. They always hop into the water and before I know it, they surface again. And then they call out "ru, ru, ru". I became a grebe. Look, this too is thanks to them. But I cannot dive underwater. That frustrates me.

○. ○. (Sunny) When spring comes, the snow melts. I am glad that I can float through the sky. I don't even want to think about grebes anymore. We will be friends forever, Kumoko-chan. I think of her. Kumoko-chan was that creature — a cloud dinosaur. Her name was Ryoko-chan. I hope she is alright... But Kumoko-chan is gone.

○. ○. (Sunny) I am on a ship. It looks like it is sailing very far away. I decided to disappear and hitch a ride on it. But my ears tell me: "Stop, stop." I hear "dónde, dónde" and someone says: "That is something the passengers don't like." "Passengers? And who are they?" I ask. "People," comes the answer. Can it really be that there are people who are bothered even by clouds?

○. ○. (Overcast) Today I tried resting on the peak of a snowy mountain. From a distance it apparently looked like a real mountain, and people were quite stirred up about it. That was fun. But I couldn't hold it — I sneezed and the mountain slid away.

○. ○. (Snow) Today it is snowing. I would love to see the happy faces of everyone going to school, but the snow must fall. Quietly, quietly it snows. I hope nobody loses their mittens... and I hope nobody catches a cold. Quietly... quietly... quietly...

-

Cat's Sweater

-

This is an always cold, lazy cat. 
The Cat's Sweater

-

She wears a worn and tattered sweater with two big holes. Even though she is always cold, she keeps wearing it anyway.

[box of caps] 

Her job is to put caps on acorns every day.

Every time she puts a cap on an acorn, they let out a tiny cry: oh! eeee! And the cat would always greet the acorns: Hello, good day, and so on. [box of caps]

But the cat is terribly lazy, and so after just three caps she loses interest and starts slacking off.

Oh dear, this is so boring. Her tail always droops.

Hey, it's already time for dinner. This cold, lazy cat is impatient on top of it all.

Because she is so impatient, she opens her tin can while walking. And when she drinks her milk, she always holds the bowl with her tail. She has terrible manners.

And at that moment the acorns on the table usually start singing this song: It's full of holes! It's full of holes!! The cat's sweater is full of holes. It's full of holes. It's full of holes! The cat's sweater is full of holes. What could be hiding in those holes, what could be hiding in them.

The cat is a crybaby and a shrinking violet. "You acorns! Stop that song." The cat is so ashamed and sad that she turns completely red and bursts into tears.

The cat pulled off her sweater, threw it on the floor and crawled under the duvet. She really is a terribly messy cat.

-

Even though she was always cold, lazy, impatient, badly behaved, shy, crybaby and a little messy, she always got up very early.

A cat's breakfast is two loaves of bread and two cups of tea. And the cat always says to herself: "Today is a lovely day."

And today too, in front of the stove, the cat put on her worn and tattered sweater with two big holes. The cat must really love that sweater very much.

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The Acorn Conference 
Text: Susumu Koya, Illustrations: Yoshiko Saito

Have you ever seen a place where there are lots of acorns on the ground? In an oak forest in a northern land, there are years when many acorns grow, and years when only a few grow — and these years alternate. A year when there are many is called a "year of plenty," and a year when there are few is called a "year of poor harvest." Why are there "years of plenty" and "years of poor harvest"? This story is my explanation of that question.

The Acorn Conference 
Text: Susumu Koya 
Illustrations: Ken Katayama 
Publisher: Fukuinkan Shoten

Once upon a time, this story took place in a forest in a northern land. When autumn came, the oak trees dropped plenty of acorns. And so they had done every year, since time immemorial. The forest animals would come and eat the acorns with delight, and the oak trees would watch with delight too. Why were they pleased to see their acorns being eaten? There is a reason for that. For when the animals eat plenty of their beloved acorns...

But what happened? At first everything worked well, but lately, even though acorns kept falling and falling, by spring they had all been eaten, and young oak trees had stopped sprouting altogether. When the oaks took notice, they found that the forest was full of nothing but themselves — old trees. The animals had plenty of acorns, were full of energy, and in spring kept giving birth to more and more young, multiplying all the while. Their numbers had grown so great that not a single acorn was left uneaten. One evening, the desperate oaks gathered together and called a meeting.

There were no more acorns to dig up and eat, and for the overpopulated animals it was a truly harsh winter. The hungry animals had to wander through the snow in search of food. Some of them perished without finding any. And so the long winter passed, and spring finally came.

The oaks regained their strength, spread their roots as wide as they could, unfurled their leaves and once again bore plenty of acorns. The animals could hardly wait for those acorns. Perhaps they had never looked forward to anything as much as this.

"We've finally figured it out! Dropping plenty of acorns every single year was our mistake." "That's right. It would be enough to drop acorns abundantly just once every two years." "If it's once every two years, we won't exhaust ourselves and we'll be able to drop plenty of acorns..." "And the animals will go hungry once every two years too, so their numbers won't grow out of control." "If their numbers don't grow out of control, our acorns will remain." "And if some acorns are left over, new shoots will sprout from the fallen, damp remains and grow into our children — new trees!"

And so they tried alternating a year of many acorns ("a year of plenty") with a year of few ("a year of scarcity"), every other year… The animals no longer multiplied out of control, there was always just enough left uneaten, and from that, one by one, young oak trees grew. And all was well.

Clickety-clack, clickety-clack

Clickety-clack, clickety-clack
Splash splash

Author: Anzai Mizumaru

Clickety-clack, clickety-clack 
Please, take us aboard!

Clickety-clack, clickety-clack
Splash splash

Clickety-clack, clickety-clack 
Please, take us aboard!

Clickety-clack, clickety-clack
Splash splash

Clickety-clack
Good bye

-

The Mountain Goes for a Walk 
Cho Shinta

4/ Uncle Raccoon went out for a walk. He lives on this mountain.
5/ This place is called Raccoon Mountain.

8/ There must be a monster somewhere nearby. Uncle was shaking like in Antarctica. And that disgusting laughter kept getting closer. “chi chi chi chi chi”

10/
1/ chi chi chi chi
does that laughter belong to the monster?

2/ chi chi chi chi
Uncle thought the monster was already here

3/ this is how he imagined it:
they call me Pigsty

4/ chi chi chi chi
I am Věchálka

11/
5/ chi chi chi chi
my name is Skull

6/ chi chi chi chi
I am Chewie

7/ chi chi chi chi
they call me Little-Stabber

8/ chi chi chi chi
I am Sludge

20/ It looks like an earthquake. Uncle can barely walk and is staggering.

48/ Aha! Aha! The mountains are trying to wrestle each other!
The other mountain is called Pointy Mountain. “Come on.”

Uncle is the referee. Raccoon Mountain won.

SQUISH! CRUSH! WRIIING!!!

The mountain says: "I want to wrestle a tall, tall building." If that were ever to happen, humans would really have a terrible time of it!

Fly, Grasshopper, Fly! 
Seizō Tajima

At last, the snake found her after all.

Just at that moment, a praying mantis leapt at him.

He tore through the spider's web and the spider itself — and the grasshopper flies on.

The grasshopper burst through the clouds high above her and climbed higher than anything else. But she could go no further. She began to fall… lower and lower.

But the grasshopper didn't care what anyone said. She was so happy to be flying on her own strength that she could barely contain her joy. She flew higher and higher. On her own wings, wherever she wanted to go, carried by the wind, she flew on.

The grasshopper flew across the wasteland.

She flew on into the far distance.

-

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Pill Bug's Fart

Text: Masaki Macumura
Illustration: Jukiko Murakami

Pill Bug's Fart

Text: Masaki Macumura
Illustration: Jukiko Murakami

April wind carries the scent of flowers. But there is one dandelion seed that cannot play with the wind.

Oh my, what a fright! 
The pill bug curled into a ball and rolled, and rolled, and rolled down the hill.

"Hey! I'll ride on a great big fart and fly wherever I want!" 
"Let's give it a try!" 
"Watch out, here comes a long one! One, two, three — fssss… fúúúú…"

"I'm flying! I'm flying! I'm lifting off! Woo, this is so fun… this is amazing!"

"Wait… which wind?" 
"That one over there?" 
"Or this one?"

"Everyone — don't laugh at the little seed and don't tease it. The little seed is just trying to catch the wind."

Carried by the wind, the little seed traced "thank you" across the sky together with its friends, and then scattered joyfully into the world.

Why are buckwheat stems red?

Iwanami Publishing

Once upon a time, long, long ago, in the days when grass and trees still spoke, this story took place. It was a cold winter's day. By a great river, a buckwheat plant and a reed were talking together. Then an old man came toward them, leaning on a staff. When he reached them, he stopped and said: "Where is the bridge across this river? Please, tell me. I have been looking for it for some time, but I cannot find it."

Soon the river water rose up around the buckwheat. Time and again it seemed she would fall. Her legs were trembling. Yet she tried to hold on — so that the old man would not get wet. Higher and higher she lifted the river above herself, straining with all her might. And at last she reached the other bank. When she came to where there were no more stones, she carefully set the old man down on the ground.

"Well now, you are truly a praiseworthy young one. I will hide nothing from you — I am the one who gave you your body. I am the one who walks the world in winter and summer, watching how everyone fares. You are a young one who does not fear the winter cold. Perhaps you have done me a kindness. And so from now on I shall let you grow beautifully and swiftly under the summer sun." But the disagreeable, cold-fearing wheat must go on enduring the winter chill. When the old man had finished speaking, he took up his staff once more and went on his way.

Me, pill bug
Jukihisa Tokuda, Kjoši Takahaši 

Hey! Hello. Do you know what I am? A ball? No, no, that's wrong.

I am a pill bug. My real size is this small, look.

We pill bugs are more comfortable living in town than in thickets or forests. Why, you ask? You'll understand once you take a closer look at our lives.

We prefer to go out looking for food at night. We eat dry plants and dead insects. And also leftover food thrown away by people. Even pet food, newspapers, or cardboard! Because we eat all sorts of things, some people call us 'nature's cleaners'.

Our appetite is amazing. We can munch through even a big leaf like this, every last bit. And right after eating — we need to go to the bathroom. But our droppings are very tiny.

We moult many times and grow little by little. Moulting is like wriggling out of clothes that have become too tight. Our way of moulting is a little unusual though. First, on day one, we shed the skin from the back half of our body.

On the next day, we shed the front half. And we always eat the shed skin. Because it's full of nutrients.

We lived energetically while it was warm, but cold winter is too much for us. So when late autumn arrives, we burrow down into the ground and all sleep together, until the warm spring comes.

Acorn Rolly

-

Autumn has arrived. Whoops, roly-poly. Rolly jumped down from his tree.

Rolly has a pointy little head and a round little bottom — acorns are round after all! He sings a song as he goes.

More acorns came from the other direction. "Hello! We are Rollys too!" "Wow, so now there are three of us Rollys!"

Rolly has a pointy little head and a round little bottom — acorns are round after all! The Rollys sing a song as they go.

"Hey, you won't catch us! Being eaten by a squirrel? No way. Run for it!" The Rollys started rolling and ran as fast as their little legs could carry them.

In spring Rolly sprouts and grows up to the sky — acorns turn into trees.

"Rolly has a pointy little head and a round little bottom — acorns turn into trees."

The Carpenter of Acorn Village
Nakaya Miwa

Early one morning the acorn taxi driver came rushing over. "The door of my taxi has come loose!" "No problem, I'll fix it right away," said the carpenter — tap tap, tap tap, tap tap tap. In no time at all it was done. "Wow, you saved me! Thank you, carpenter!" The acorn taxi driver gave his thanks and hurried off to work.

Whenever someone in the village has a problem, the carpenter comes running with his tools. When a grandfather slips on the steps, the carpenter swiftly removes the step and adds a handrail. When a mother with a pram cannot get past the stairs, the carpenter quickly puts down a ramp. And a dangerous broken swing? Fixed in the blink of an eye.

The next day the carpenter set off to find just the right tree for Shinkon's new house. "This tree is healthy and lovely!" "But it's a little small here…" "This one is a good size! But there's not quite enough sun here…" He just couldn't find the perfect tree.

He kept searching without giving up, and just as dusk was falling, he finally found exactly the tree he was looking for. "The size is just right, the sun looks good too! And on top of that there's a lovely breeze — it will surely feel wonderful here!"

At last the "House for Everyone" was completed through everyone's efforts together. "I thought it would just be an ordinary house — and it's so much fun!" "I've made so many friends!" "Whenever I have a problem, I'll come here!"

"When I grow up, I want to be a carpenter!" "Me too!" said the younger acorn, and the carpenter smiled: "I can't wait."

Picture Book Children
Rjódži Arai

When the big book yawned, a small book jumped out. A child jumped out of the book. It jumped out of the book by train!

A child from a book — thump goes the book.
A child from a book — thump goes the book.
The little book train keeps rolling on.

Little stories? We don’t need them.
Short stories? We don’t need them.
We’re going anywhere — all the way to the edge of the world.

A child from a book — thump goes the book.

A child from a book — thump goes the book.
Look, the children from the forest are calling, calling.
Look, the children by the river are calling, calling.
The child from the book goes on — let’s read a little story!

So then, first, this story……

The child from the book tells a story.

The clever cook Kurita made soup in an enormous pot.
It was so delicious that he decided to share it with everyone.
He turned the pot into a boat and set sail.
Kurita’s delightful soup boat!

I’m setting sail!

The child from the book tells a story.

Someone forgot a whole lot of hats.
All kinds of people live here.
They turned the hats into their homes.
A cozy hat house!

Look, someone’s coming again.
Come in—welcome!

“The big book yawns, and a child jumps out of it.”
“The child from the book rides a train.”
“Children from many places — little, little stories.”
“Go in the rain. Go in the storm. Go in the sunshine. A book for children.”

-

Big River, Little River

-

Big River, Little River

Ken Katayama

big river, little river
two streams
one sun 
one moon

In the big river there are big fish 
in the little river there are little fish

boats that sail on the big river 
boats that sail on the little river

the big river smiles quietly 
the river stream giggles

the nights of the big river are clear

nights of the little river are full of life

big river
little river

on the big river a joyful rain began to fall 
on the little river the rain joyfully continues

the big river flows stronger and stronger 
the little river overflows more and more

sometimes a fun flood comes to the big river

sometimes a bountiful flood comes to the little stream

big river, little river
big river, little river

-

big river, little river
two streams
one sun
one moon

one sun
one moon

-

-

Soil Creatures 
Miroco Machiko

Good morning, 
good morning, 
good morning 
sun 

Black, brown, yellow — 
all soil creatures

Good morning, 
good morning, 
roots 

Near the roots it is a little damp, 
there is a pleasant coolness — 
the soil creatures are enchanted

And suddenly they fly up to the sky.

Falling, falling — the soil creatures are chilled to the bone and now sleep deeply.

Good morning, 
good morning, 
good morning, 
soil creatures 

Good morning, wrigglers, 
good morning, roots 
Everyone is awake — 
the world has woken up.

I'm a Chair
Shinta Cho

I'm a chair

I am a chair. Everyone sits on my back.

This time it looks like it's going to sit on a stone. But my bottom hurts. Sitting down is harder than it seems.

Hey, can you see me? I'm doing my best. I've climbed all the way up here.

The rock melted into a thick liquid and began to flow. If you touched it, you would burn and die. (sounds:) Dun dun dun dun Huuuu (roaring) Waaah!

1. Hot rattling rocks are streaming this way
2. Streaming toward me
3. They're chasing me! Help!
4. Boom boom, they're following me. (What? What?)
5. Boom boom they're following me! (Fire, fire!)
6. Boom boom boom
7. boom boom boom
8. boom boom boooom

Huuuu (roaring) I'll run for it

I ran like mad. My legs are getting so tangled up that I can't run any further.

This is tough! The thundering man is sitting down on me. I get it! I get it! He came to sit on me.

Good night.

Bunbuku the Teapot

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I, the cicada
 

I, the Cicada
Tokuda Yukihisa - text, Takahashi Kiyoshi - illustrations

Jirijirijirijiri……
A hot summer day, a male cicada sings.

A few days later, the female lays her eggs under the wavy bark.

Winter has come.
The eggs live quietly inside the dry bark.

When I fall to the ground,
I quickly burrow into the soil
so that ants and spiders won't find me.

With my shovel-like front legs
I dig my way through the dirt
and look for thin tree roots.

When I find one,
I bite into it
and suck the juice out of it.

That's my food.

Five years have passed since then.
One sunny summer night
I climbed out of the ground.

When I began to see a little,
I found a tree
and slowly climbed up it.

I walked and walked,
and when I reached a branch,
I stopped there for a moment and rested.

Then I started to feel
something strangely twisting and moving inside my body.

My head was spinning.

I don't know why,
but it seemed
something big was happening inside my body.

I met
different kinds of cicadas in the forest.

All the cicadas
had their own names.

We cicadas
don't fly much.

Do you know why we sing?

When we sing, we tell other cicadas:
"I'm here!"

and let them know about us.

And when a female hears
and likes our voice,
she will come to us.

Yes, when we grow up,
we only live for about a week or two.

That's why we sing so loudly
with all our might.

Oh! From the depths of the forest
came a female.