Editorial review

100かいだてのいえ

Name: 100かいだてのいえ
ISBN: 9784033315409

いわいとしお／偕成社

a vertical picture book that climbs 100 floors

Iwai Toshio's tall, vertically opening picture book follows a boy up a mysterious 100-storey house, meeting a new kind of creature every ten floors and counting all the way to the top.

Publisher states: 3歳から
NIPIKO Books suggests: 3–7 yrs

Series: 100かいだてのいえ · Book 1 →

About the book

100かいだてのいえ (roughly 'The 100-Storey House') is the first book in a series by いわいとしお (Iwai Toshio), a picture-book author and media artist, published by Kaiseisha in May 2008. The book opens vertically (縦開き), so each spread shows a tall slice of the house rising upward. In a note on the publisher's page, the author explains that the idea came when his daughter, then in first grade, was struggling with counting past ten: ten floors per spread, ten spreads, one hundred floors.

The story and what makes it special

The premise is simple. A boy called Tochi-kun receives a letter inviting him to the very top of a strange tall house, and he climbs it floor by floor. Every ten floors a different kind of small animal or insect lives, each floor a room with its own household life: cooking, bathing, sleeping, playing. Numbers sit quietly on each floor rather than being taught like a worksheet, so children count along as they explore.

Summarised from reader feedback

Why children love it

Parents on Ehon Navi and readers quoted on Kaiseisha's own product page describe children tracing the staircase with a finger like a maze, counting each floor aloud as they go. Many children try to guess which creature lives on the next ten floors, then linger over the rooms looking for tiny details. The vertical opening itself is a reported delight: readers say it makes the climb feel real.

What parents may appreciate

Two things come up again and again: children get comfortable with numbers up to 100 without any pressure, and the pictures spark a steady stream of conversation about what each resident is doing. Many adults say they enjoy the detailed art themselves and spot something new on each reread. Some families report the book growing with the child, from counting and creature-spotting to inventing stories from the pictures.

Things to consider

The most common practical note is time: going through all 100 floors takes a while, especially with a child who stops on every room, so some families start halfway or read it over several evenings. The art is dense and small, which suits lap reading better than reading to a group (Kaiseisha publishes a large-format big-book edition for that). The tall format also needs a bit of space to open.

Recommended age

Publisher states: 3歳から
NIPIKO Books suggests: 3–7 yrs

Publisher's stated age: 「3歳から」 (from age 3). NIPIKO Books's suggestion: roughly 3 to 7. Three- and four-year-olds tend to enjoy tracing the stairs and finding the animals, while five- to seven-year-olds can read the numbers and count to 100 themselves. For rough-handling toddlers, the sturdier board-book mini edition is an option.

Reading-together ideas

Let your child trace the stairs with a finger and read out each floor number as they reach it.
Before turning the page, ask 'Who do you think lives on the next ten floors?' and then check together.
Spread it over several nights, stopping at a floor your child chooses and picking up there next time.

NIPIKO Books editorial assessment

NIPIKO Books's recommendation

NIPIKO Books sees this as an excellent look-and-talk book for preschoolers, especially children who love numbers, hunting for details, or imagining rooms and houses. It is not a quick bedtime read; it shines in unhurried sessions with an adult alongside. Children who enjoy it have a natural next step in the rest of the series, which moves the house underground, into the sea and beyond.