Sora Iro no Tane facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Sora Iro no Tane

Japanese cover of Sora Iro no Tane.
Author	Rieko Nakagawa
Original title	そらいろのたね
Illustrator	Yuriko Ōmura
Cover artist	Yuriko Ōmura
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese
Genre	Children's picture book
Published	1964 (Fukuin Kanshoten) (Japan)
Pages	28
ISBN	4-8340-0084-2

Sora Iro no Tane (そらいろのたね, lit. The Sky-Colored Seed or The Blue Seed) is a popular Japanese children's picture book. It was written by Rieko Nakagawa and illustrated by Yuriko Ōmura. The story first appeared in a magazine called Kodomo no Tomo (こどものとも) in 1964. Later, it was published as a book in 1967. This book has been printed continuously since then. By 2010, over 1.7 million copies had been sold in Japan, showing how much people love it!

Story of the Blue Seed

One day, a boy named Yuuji was playing with his favorite model airplane. A fox came up to him and wanted to trade. The fox offered Yuuji a special "blue seed" for his airplane. Yuuji agreed and took the seed.

Yuuji planted the blue seed in his garden. He watered it carefully. The very next morning, the seed had grown! It was now a small, blue house that looked like a toy. Yuuji wanted it to grow even bigger. He chanted, "Grow bigger!" and kept taking care of it.

Soon, the house grew larger. A small chick moved in, claiming it as its home. The house kept getting bigger and bigger. A cat and a pig also decided to live there. Yuuji's friends came over and had a wonderful time playing in the growing house.

As the house got huge, all sorts of forest animals and neighborhood kids joined the fun. One day, the fox who gave Yuuji the seed came by. He was amazed at how big the house had become. The fox told Yuuji he wanted his house back and offered to return the model airplane. So, all the animals and children left the house.

The fox went inside the house alone. He quickly locked all the doors and windows. Yuuji then warned him, "Oh no! The sun is going to crash into the house!" Just as Yuuji said, the sun hit the house. The house crumbled and disappeared. After that, the fox fainted right where the seed had been planted.

How the Book Was Published

Sora Iro no Tane first appeared in a children's magazine. This magazine was called Kodomo no Tomo (こどものとも). It was published in 1964 by a company named Fukuin Kanshoten.

The story was so popular that Fukuin Kanshoten published it as a hardcover book in 1967. Since then, the book has always been available for purchase. By 2010, more than 1.7 million copies had been sold in Japan.

Television Animation

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Nippon Television, three short animated episodes were made. These episodes were based on Sora Iro no Tane. Studio Ghibli, a famous animation studio, created them.

The episodes were directed by Hayao Miyazaki, a very well-known director. Shigeru Nagata created the music for them. Each episode was only 30 seconds long. All three episodes were shown on television on December 23, 1992.

Besides being on TV, these short films were also shown in movie theaters. They played before screenings of another Studio Ghibli film, Ocean Waves. This happened in cities like Osaka, Yamagata, and Tokyo in 1993 and 1994.

Later, in November 2005, these episodes were released on a DVD. The DVD was called Everything Ghibli Special: Short Short (ジブリがいっぱいSpecial ショートショート, Jiburi ga Ippai Supesharu Shōto Shōto).

Key Staff for the Animation

The animation for Sora Iro no Tane was made at Studio Cosmos. Here are some of the main people who worked on it:

• Producers: Yasuyoshi Tokuma, Yoshio Sasaki
• Director: Hayao Miyazaki
• Storyboards, Animation Director: Yoshifumi Kondō
• Music: Shigeru Nagata
• Key Animation: Yoshiharu Satō, Sachiko Sugino
• Color Designer: Michiyo Yasuda
• Director of Photography: Hisao Shirai