Editorial review
しろくまちゃんのほっとけーき
わかやまけん · もりひさし · わだよしおみ ／ こぐま社
the hotcake book toddlers learn by heart
A little polar bear makes hotcakes and shares them with a friend. Parents widely report that children pick up the sound words from the cooking pages almost immediately, and then want to cook for real.
- Publisher states
- 0歳から3歳ごろまで
- NIPIKO Books suggests
- 1–4 yrs
About the book
しろくまちゃんのほっとけーき (roughly “Little Polar Bear's Hotcakes”) was published by Kogumasha (こぐま社) in 1972 as part of its こぐまちゃんえほん series. The publisher credits three creators: わかやまけん (Wakayama Ken), もりひさし (Mori Hisashi) and わだよしおみ (Wada Yoshiomi). It is a 20×21 cm book of 22 pages with bright, flat colours.
The story and what makes it special
The premise is everyday: the little polar bear decides to make hotcakes, gathers ingredients, mixes and cooks them, then shares them with a bear friend. The best-known part, highlighted by the publisher itself, is the double-page spread showing the hotcakes cooking step by step, with playful sound words.
Summarised from reader feedback
Why children love it
Readers on 絵本ナビ and reader-card comments published on Kogumasha's own page describe children memorising the cooking sound words very quickly and saying them along. Many children mime the mixing, pretend to feed the finished hotcake to their parent, and ask to make hotcakes for real. One parent mentions it was the first book their child sat through from start to finish.
What parents may appreciate
Parents like the short, memorable sentences, which suit a toddler's attention span, and the clear, attractive pictures. It leads naturally into real-life cooking together. Many parents read it themselves as children and enjoy passing it on.
Things to consider
Readers raise few real concerns. A handful didn't care for the colours or style, or say their child didn't take to it at first. A practical note: because so many children want to cook after reading it, give them safe jobs like stirring if you try it, and keep the hot pan with an adult.
Recommended age
- Publisher states
- 0歳から3歳ごろまで
- NIPIKO Books suggests
- 1–4 yrs
Publisher information: Kogumasha gives the age guide 「0歳から3歳ごろまで」 (from 0 to about 3). NIPIKO Books's suggestion: best from about 1 to 4, when children love copying what grown-ups do.
Reading-together ideas
- Read the cooking sound words slowly and with expression, and let your child say them the next time.
- Act out stirring and flipping, and on the last page pretend to feed each other.
- Make real hotcakes afterwards and walk through the steps in the order the book shows.
NIPIKO Books editorial assessment
NIPIKO Books's recommendation
NIPIKO Books recommends this everyday classic for children from about 1 to 4. It is especially good for families who want their child to pick up Japanese through fun sound words and to connect a book with a real activity. The text is short and the pictures clear, so it is easy to read even if you are new to reading aloud in Japanese.
Where to buy
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- Amazon.co.jp ↗Plain link · not an affiliate link
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Edition details
Verified facts
- Author
- わかやまけん・もりひさし・わだよしおみ
- Illustrator
- わかやまけん
- Publisher
- こぐま社
- ISBN
- 9784772100311
- Published
- 1972-10
- Format
- こぐまちゃんえほん・20×21cm・22ページ。
- Edition language
- Japanese
NIPIKO Books does not reproduce the book's text or inside illustrations. Articles are original editorial writing.
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Sources & verification log
Last verified:
- Publisherこぐま社 しろくまちゃんのほっとけーき ↗
- Library版元ドットコム しろくまちゃんのほっとけーき ↗
- LibraryNDL Search しろくまちゃんのほっとけーき (こぐまちゃんえほん : 3) ↗
- LibraryNDL Search しろくまちゃんのほっとけーき (こぐまちゃんえほん ; 第3集) ↗
- LibraryopenBD 9784772100311 ↗
- Reader reviews絵本ナビ しろくまちゃんのほっとけーき 作品ページ ↗
- Reader reviews絵本ナビ しろくまちゃんのほっとけーき みんなの声 ↗