My Father’s Shop    

By Satomi Ichikawa ( Kane/Miller Book Publishers, Inc. ~  in 2006)

Mustafa, a young Moroccan boy comes to his father’s shop full with beautiful rugs. His father welcomes all tourists from around the world, and greets them in their language. Mustafa finds a little rug which he loves, and his father gives it to him since it has a big hole. Instead of that, his father encourages Mustafa to learn different languages to entertain foreign tourist. Mustafa runs out of the shop to the market with his favorite rug over his head, he encounters a rooster hearten by his bright colored rug. End up Mustafa attracts many tourists to his father’s shop as speaking the rooster’s sound in 5 different languages.

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モロッコで絨毯を売っている父の家を手伝っていた少年が、売り物にならない、穴のあいた小さな絨毯をもらった。その代わりに、世界各国から来る観光客を店に招く為に、色々な国の言葉を覚えるように、父から言われた。少年が絨毯を被ってマーケットへ行くと、絨毯と同じ色合いの雄鶏が後をついてきた。お陰で世界五ヶ国語の雄鶏の鳴き声を、覚えたが、、、、愉快で楽しい話の絵本は、イラストレーターとしても活躍している市川里美女史の作品。