『あのころ』is the first title in a series of three books about Momoko Sakura’s childhood. The other two books are 『まる子だった』and 『ももこの話』. The book contains 15 short episodes, all accompanied by an illustration.
Review
I love reading Momoko Sakura’s recollection of her childhood. The way she talks about it makes her stories extremely heart-warming, relatable and funny.
I think that I already wrote this in my review of 『まる子だった』, but I am surprised by how similar children’s everyday life can be across the world. I can relate to so many episodes described by Momoko Sakura, even though I grew up in France. Waiting until the last days of the holidays before starting your homework, struggling to learn how to ride a bike when everyone else is doing fine, pestering your parents to get some money and buy useless things you immediately regret… there are so many relatable episodes in there! I remember that I hated gymnastics at school, and the marathon episode reminded me of the dreaded gymnastics competition we had in primary school.
Overall, the tone is mostly light and funny, but there are some moments that I found a little sad. Adults (parents and teachers) can sometimes say harsh things or have an attitude that will wound children, even if they didn’t mean to. But even these unhappy moments become cherished memories. The whole book feels very nostalgic.
I only have positive things to say about 『あのころ』, and I heartily recommend it. With its short chapters and everyday life vocabulary, it is also a perfect reading material for Japanese learners.
Other books in this series:
About
I’m learning Japanese, Korean and Chinese to read mystery novels and play video games in these languages.
Learning languages has always been one of my favourite hobbies, but I’m not a social person, I don’t like to meet new people and make friends, this is just not me. I keep hearing that languages are meant for communication, that we have to actively use them, talk with natives, etc. and for a long time, I thought it was weird to learn languages just to read books, with zero interest in communication.
Now I don’t really care what people think, and this blog helped me a lot to stop doubting myself and just do what I enjoy doing.
Thank you very much for all your valuable comments about Japanese books!
Thank you! 🙂
You grew up in France!? But you’re Korean, right? Not to pry, the mystery about your identity is part of the appeal of this blog! But seriously, I’m always amazed at your English and your reading speed (I can’t read that fast in English, let alone Japanese!). Very inspirational 🙂
I haven’t read this one but I’m really enjoying もものかんづめ. Her writing is so entertaining and I really agree about the vocabulary she uses.
Thanks for sharing this!
Hello! Thank you very much for your comment 🙂
Improving my English is one of my goal for 2021! Oh, and I do have Korean origins, but I am mostly French 😀
I have added もものかんづめ to my list! This one and ももこの話 will certainly be part of my next order!