Books & Literature

Picture Book About Calf to Be Eaten Soon Becomes Popular; Song to Accompany Book Released

Courtesy of Chuokoron-Shinsha, Inc.
The picture book “Mo Jiki Taberareru Boku” (I’m a calf going to be eaten soon)

The Yomiuri Shimbun

6:00 JST, November 3, 2024

A picture book depicting a calf that has accepted its fate of being eaten and is going to visit its mother in its hometown has become popular and known as a deeply moving book.

In addition, a song for the book was released online in September with the aim of spreading the word about the book’s publication.

“Mo Jiki Taberareru Boku” (I’m a calf going to be eaten soon) by Yuji Hasegawa, 66, has sold more than 200,000 copies.

It was published in the summer of 2022 by Chuokoron-Shinsha Inc. after Hasegawa released the story and pictures online. Some people have commented that the book conveys the importance of life or touches people’s hearts.

“I got the idea for the story when I was young. As I saw a cow being transported in a truck, I felt sad because the cow was the same as animals in zoos,” Hasegawa said. “I created the story about an issue for which I have no answer myself. I hope people who read it will think of various things and be open to opinions that are different from their own.”

The song was written and arranged by singer-songwriter Shinji Kakijima, 58, who also made the song for NHK Educational TV’s animation program “Hanakappa.” He and Nonoka Murakata, 6, sing the song for the picture book as the duo “Kakky & Nono-chan.”

The song’s sad melody and the clear voice of Murakata, who debuted as a children’s song singer at the age of 2, convey the world conjured in the book even more deeply.

The Yomiuri Shimbun
Nonoka Murakata, front, and Shinji Kakijima

“I was moved by the ending of the picture book,” Murakata said. “I sang the song with all my heart [for the recording], so I hope you’ll listen to it a lot.”

Kakijima added: “I hope the song will be listened to in various ways. You can enjoy it while reading the book, for instance.”

Two different versions of the song sung by Murakata and Kakijima separately are scheduled to be released in October and November, respectively.

The song can be accessed at several music streaming services such as Apple Music as well as Chuokoron-Shinsha’s special website. (https://www.chuko.co.jp/special/moutabe/).