Connections with Others: What to Do in These Moments

If You Ever Feel Ordinary

edited by The Japan Children’s Literature Association

illus. by Kashiwai

What should you do if you realise you’re ordinary and boring compared to your friends? What if you feel completely alone in your class? What if you start feeling frustrated about being stuck between childhood and adulthood? This collection of short stories by five authors – Hirochika Ishikawa, Chika Ogiyanagi, Ayaka Suginari, Mihoko Inoue, and Junko Kudo – offers comforting support for the struggles of human relationships.

19 x 13 cm, 180 pages, Black-and-white illustrations
First published January 2025