Rat Worthy A Folk Tale from Japan

Retold by Stacey Lane

FROM THE MOMENT Saikou was born, she was a most marvelous rat. Clearly she was more intelligent, more talented, more compassionate, more creative, and more humble than anyone in all of Japan . . . or the entire universe. Or so her proud parents thought. Because of—or perhaps despite—her mother and father’s constant adoration, Saikou grew up to be a wonderful young lady. Nezumi, who lived on the other side of the wall, also thought Saikou was the most marvelous rat in the world. But he was charmed by her imperfections: the way she joyfully joined the birds in song but sang horribly off-key, how when she nibbled okaki she left behind a mess of crumbs, and that time she tripped over her kimono when she turned back to offer…

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Spider Magazine Stories, Games, Activites And Puzzles For Children And Kids (Digital) - 1 Issue, February 2025

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