The Wise Old Woman


 Retold by Yoshiko Uchida and illustrated by Martin Springett, this inspirational yet non award winning book has been told for many generations, which is why it is "retold" but doesn't have an original author. The suggested and appropriate age group for this book is from 5-9 years old.


Taking place in Japan, the story is about a young farmer forcibly having to move his 70-year old mother to the mountains because his cruel leader thinks that people that age are useless and should be left to die. While walking her up the mountain, he changes his mind and decides to keep her hidden in the village so that nobody knows where she is. Later on, the same village is threatened to be taken over by Lord Higa unless the young lord completes three difficult tasks. No one in the village, not even the wisest men or creatures are able to do it until the young farmer secretly asks his mother for help. With her help and her wise mind, the village is spared by Lord Higa and the young lord releases everyone in the dungeon and changes his mind about the elderly and he later on honors and respects them. The young farmer then lives happily with his mother.


As a future teacher, I would definitely read and use this book for my students to teach them about morals and respecting their elderly even though the world around them may see them as unimportant. This book can be read in 1st-3rd grade classrooms. In a 2nd grade Language Arts class that is learning about the authors purpose, I can allow my students to pair up in groups and discuss what they think the purpose that Uchida is trying to make while retelling this story. They then come back and share their thoughts with the class.

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