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Momotaro, the Peach Boy: a book club kit
Where it comes from. People in Japan told this for hundreds of years. It was printed in picture books about 300 years ago.
In short (for the leader; it gives the ending away). An old couple find a giant peach floating in the river, and a boy named Momotaro, Peach Boy, comes out of it. When he grows up, he sets off for the Island of the Oni to stop the ogres who steal from villages. On the way a dog, a monkey and a pheasant join him for millet dumplings, and together they win.
The lesson, in one line. Friends who work together can do hard things.
Reading plan, by the story's parts. Meeting 1: Part One, “The Giant Peach” and Part Two, “Three Friends”, pages 1–9 (about 5 minutes aloud); Meeting 2: Part Three, “The Island of the Oni”, pages 10–15 (about 3 minutes aloud). Each stop's own questions, which never give away what comes next: Momotaro, the Peach Boy by chapter.
Questions to talk about
- What is the moral of Momotaro the Peach Boy?
The story's answer: Friends who work together can do hard things. Momotaro, the dog, the monkey and the pheasant win because each one helps. - Where does Momotaro come from?
The story's answer: It is a folk tale from Japan, told for hundreds of years and printed in picture books about 300 years ago. - What does Momotaro mean?
The story's answer: In Japanese, Momotaro means Peach Boy. He gets the name because he comes out of a giant peach. - What are oni?
The story's answer: Oni are ogres or demons in Japanese stories. They are often shown with horns and clubs. - What does this story tell you about the place it comes from?
Listen for: Food, weather, animals, how people live: anything the story shows. - Does it remind you of another story you know?
Listen for: Many folk tales have cousins in other countries.
Did you know?
- It is a Japanese folk tale, told for hundreds of years and printed in picture books about 300 years ago.
- “Momotaro” means “Peach Boy” in Japanese.
- The oni are ogres in Japanese stories.
Activity: Tell it round the circle
Find where the story comes from on a map. Then retell it, one sentence each, round the circle, without the book.
More to talk about
More facts for the leader
- The dog, the monkey and the pheasant join him in return for his millet dumplings.
Words to teach before you start
- ogres: big, rough monsters
- dumplings: little round cakes
- dango: sweet dumpling
- millet: a small grain
- pheasant: long-tailed bird
- arguing: fighting with words
- feast: a big meal
Questions leaders ask
How long does a Momotaro, the Peach Boy book club meeting take?
Reading it aloud takes about 8 minutes in all, so plan one meeting of 30 to 45 minutes, with time left for the questions. The reading plan on the sheet says where to stop.
What age is Momotaro, the Peach Boy for?
It is written at Peabody level 8, a grade 3 reading level, so most children at that level can read it alone. Younger children can listen to it read aloud.
Do the children need to read it before the meeting?
No. Each child can read it free on Peabody, before the meeting or together at it, and the questions work either way. The sheet's short version gives the ending away, so keep it for the leader.
How do I use the questions?
Start with the story's own questions, which have answers in the leader's notes, then move to the open ones and listen for reasons. There is no wrong answer to an open question. Stop when the group runs out of things to say.
Club kits for stories like this
- Anansi and the Pot of Wisdom (level 9)
- The Boy Who Drew Cats (level 9)
- Urashima Taro (level 10)
- Yeh-Shen (level 10)
- Aladdin (level 11)
How this kit is made
The short version, the facts and the first questions with their answers are the story's own, written for its page in Peabody's library and checked against the sources named there. The open questions, the activity and the plan are Peabody's, written for this kind of story. No part of it is written by a computer model.
Running the meeting: the meeting plans (30, 45 and 60 minutes) and the sign-up sheet.