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    The Funny Little Woman
    The Funny Little Woman
    The Funny Little Woman
    Audiobook8 minutes

    The Funny Little Woman

    Written by Arlene Mosel

    Narrated by Frances Kelley

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    A woman in old Japan who loves to cook rice dumplings and to laugh is captured by the wicked Oni.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherWeston Woods
    Release dateJan 1, 1991
    ISBN9780545831376
    The Funny Little Woman
    Author

    Arlene Mosel

    Arlene Mosel (1921-1996) first heard the story of Tikki Tikki Tembo as a child. When she grew up, she shared this wonderful tale with countless children, including her own. Because so many young listeners responded enthusiastically, she decided to write her own retelling, and Tikki Tikki Tembo became her first book for children. The book was named an American Library Association Notable Book and won the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award. In 1997, The New York Times named it one of the best 50 children's books of the previous 50 years. Mosel was also the author of The Funny Little Woman, which won the 1973 Caldecott Medal for Blair Lent's illustrations and was recognized as an Honor Book by the Hans Christian Andersen International Children's Book Awards. Mosel was an associate professor of library science at Case Western Reserve University. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Mosel died in Indianapolis in 1996.

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    Reviews for The Funny Little Woman

    4/5

    23 ratings12 reviews

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    • 5/5
      This is a great book about a little woman and her dumplings. She has to overcome obstacles but eventually does and becomes the richest woman in Japan. This is a great story to have elementary students do readers theatre to.
    • 4/5
      The Funny Little Women is a 'waraibanashi', or a funny story from Japanese folklore retold by Arlene Mosel and illustrated by Blair Lent. While chasing a dumpling, the funny little woman encounters a Ojizō-sama, the protective Buddhist deity of travelers, who warns her that the oni, ogre-like monster spirits, live at the end of the road. The little woman ignores Jizō’s advice and is captured by the oni and taken to their stupas to cook rice dumplings. The oni give her a magic paddle which multiples one grain of rice into a full pot of rice. The little woman prepares rice for many months and grows homesick; she escapes from the oni and becomes the richest woman in Japan making rice dumplings with her magic paddle. Mosel’s illustrations are in the style of Japanese ink paintings, and express the humor of the story through the droll expressions of the characters. 
    • 5/5
      This book is appropriate for K-2nd grade students. This is a Japanese folktale about a little woman who liked to laugh and make dumplings. One day she chased a runaway dumpling into a hole where she was taken to the land of "Oni's" (devil) to make them dumplings. She eventually finds her way home and opens a dumpling shop. This is a funny story that children would be able to laugh along with.* Good for teaching folktales* Similar to other culture folktales
    • 4/5
      Love it! The underground world really sparks the imagination, and the demons are equally fun and spooky, a winning combination. Great book here for Halloween storytimes.
    • 3/5
      Caldecott winner. This is based off of a Japanese folktale in which a funny little woman was chasing a dumping and ran into the deity of travelers. She's warned that, at the end of the road, there is an oni. The little woman ignores this warning and is taken by the oni and is forced to cook. A magic paddle that the oni gives her allows the little woman to make a whole pot of rice with one grain. When she tries to escape by water, the monster drinks all of the water but laughs and spits it out, allowing the little woman to escape. She then goes back home and uses her magic paddle to make dumplings and becomes very rich.I thought that this was a cute and clever story. The illustrations are done in a Japanese style and help make the story funny.This is a great story to teach children about other cultures and folktales. As a class, I would ask what other types of folktales that they know of. Then, as a class, we could create our own version of a certain folktale.
    • 3/5
      This is a cute picture book about a "funny little woman" who chases a lost rice dumpling down a crack in the ground and enters a world full of "Wicked Onis." She uses her wit and sense of humor (she's always laughing) to escape and live a happy life. The story was entertaining for kids (not too scary with the Wicked Onis), the illustrations were attention holding, and the story overall had a nice message.
    • 5/5
      Listen this is a great book to read I give it a five out of Styrofoam you
    • 3/5
      Summary:There is a little woman who liked to make dumplings out of rice. One day, she lost one of her dumplings in a crack and she chased after it. As she chased after it, people warned her that it was rolling towards the oni, or the evil monsters. She was not afraid. She got her dumpling away from the oni, and was able to make it back home despite the oni’s attempts to capture and cook her. After that she was the fastest dumpling maker in Japan. Personal Reaction:I thought the story was good, and very multicultural for reading it to children. But, for this to be a Caldecott winner, I was not that impressed with the pictures. They were very good and authentic to the culture, but I thought they were slightly dull and boring and needed a little more color. Extension Ideas:1) Have the class discuss the culture of Japan and have them talk about points in the book that is different than American culture. Also make dumplings out of rice and bring it to the class for them to try, or make the dumplings in the class together. 2) Have the class draw their own oni to present and hang on a wall in the classroom.
    • 3/5
      SUMMARY:A little Japanese woman loses her dumpling, and goes on a journey to find it. Along the way she meets the wicked oni! The wicked oni captures her, and makes her cook dumplings with a magic spoon. One day she finally escapes, and lives happily ever after. PERSONAL REACTION:Although this book is also a caldecott medal winner, I did not like the pictures. However, I did appreciate the story. The little woman has a distinct laugh that I found humorous, and I loved that she showed absolutely no fear throughout her entire journey. CLASSROOM EXTENSION:The oni is portrayed as a monster, I think it would be a great art's and craft's lesson during October for Halloween. The children could make monster masks with paper sacks, yarn, markers ect. It could also contribute to a lesson over different cultures, or travel. Maybe a back to school from summer vacation story. Therefore, all of the children can discuss where they went or where they would like to go for their summer vacation.
    • 3/5
      The funny little woman is written by Arlene Mosel. This book is about an old woman who lives in Japan and makes rice dumplings and how one day one of the dumplings escapes her. This is a cute story about an old woman who cooks dumplings all day. This is a cute adventure story.I would like to read this to my students because I think they would like the pictures in the book and how the old lady laughs alot. I could have them draw me a picture of a monster.
    • 3/5
      At first, the funny little woman's laugh irritated me, but it turned out to be an interesting story. The funny little woman was also clever.
    • 5/5
      A retelling of a Japanese folktale about a woman who chases after a dumpling into a strange underworld where she has to cook for Oni or monsters. The illustrations combined with the way the story is told would make this a wonderful book to introduce a child to Japanese culture. One of the most interesting things about this book is how the illustrations follow how time passes as she's underground so that it can be noted how her house in black and white falls apart. This is a book that I would recommend for an early reader since not all of the words are immediately obvious in meaning, but they provide a good chance to broaden a child's views of the world within a good story.