Under the Cherry Blossom Tree: An Old Japanese Tale

Spring had finally come and everyone in the village was happy despite being poor - everyone except the miserly landlord. Mumbling and grumbling he sat all alone eating a bowl of cherries and glaring as the villagers sang and danced in the meadow. Then quite by accident he swallowed a cherry pit. The pit began to sprout. Soon the landlord was the wonder of the village - a cherry tree was growing on top of his head! What happened to the cherry tree and to the wicked landlord is a favorite joke in Japan. Allen Say tells the story with wit and vitality and his beautiful drawings complement this classic Japanese tale.