Ninja Kid: From Nerd to Ninja

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Ninjas aren't the only thing this story is about, but my kids were interested in it because of the title and cover. Tim is blamed for everything that goes wrong in his house, including a ninja who isn't usually so impulsive. This isn't the case. He comes up with a clever way to show his parents who the real culprits are. The Ninjabread Man, by C. J. Leigh and Chris Gail A young woman joins their ranks, and she helps a young girl who is inspired to train in martial arts herself. Read this to your girls as a story of female empowerment! [picture book, ages 6 and up]

There is nothing more fun, in my mind, than a fractured fairy tale … except for a fractured NINJA fairy tale! And this one even rhymes in an unusual but run to read A BB CC pattern! [picture book, ages 4 and up]

Nina the Neighborhood Ninja, by Sonia Panigrahy and Hazel Quintanilla

I’ve enjoyed McCully’s artwork since I read Mirette on the High Wire. In this book, her paintings have so much movement, and her landscapes in particular are gorgeous. Mingyi’s initial impetuousness and Wu Mei’s serenity as a nun both clearly show in their expressions and body language. I was so glad to find a historical, female-centric martial arts book to complement some of the more modern, funny martial arts books we’ve also enjoyed.

He must stop a hungry Daimyo (warlord) from developing a powerful new weapon from the west that would threaten the fragile peace finally established in Japan. Ninja: A ninja or shinobi was a covert agent or mercenary in feudal Japan. The functions of the ninja included espionage, sabotage, infiltration, and assassination, and open combat in certain situations. Their covert methods of waging war contrasted the ninja with the samurai, who observed strict rules about honor and combat. Late at night, when all is quiet and everyone is asleep, a ninja creeps silently through the house in search of “treasure”. Ed Young’s wonderful illustration help to set up the surprise at the end. [picture book, ages 4 and up] Three Samurai Cats: A Story from Japan by Eric A. Kimmel, retold from Kenji Sora’s The Swordsman and the Cat

Jack B. Ninja by Tim McCanna, illustrated by Stephen Savage

Ninja, Cowboy, and Bear are best friends, but Ninja can’t figure out how to play with his friends (and meet his own need for adventure) without someone else getting hurt. What’s a ninja to do? Fear not, dear reader. When you’re motivated, no problem is without a solution. The character design for this book is too cute, and I loved the parable-like storytelling. There’s some real creativity in how the friends end up combining their different styles. Just like a parable, it’s meant to impart a lesson, but the fun details keep it from being just another “lesson” book.

Boy Detective’s eyes got really big when I pulled this out of the library shelf, and we had to bring it home. How could this cover not catch your eye? Goto’s paintings are absolutely gorgeous, with a gravity to them that goes with the story. His book is about what qualities make a person truly great, learned by a swordmaker’s apprentice who watches his master evaluate candidates for ownership of the sword. If you need a bedtime book about samurai and swords, this is the one. If you want your child to excel at their home learning activities, they're going to need some extra support. Little Kunoichi trains like crazy at a secret school to learn the ways of the ninja. She’s a ninja-in-training. Her friend, Chibi Samurai, goes to a special school too. Some of the skills they must master are the same such as fitness, strategy, and mindfulness. Use this picture book to learn what ninjas were really like.

Ninja! by Arree Chung

Samurai: Samurai, usually referred to in Japanese as bushi, were the military nobility of medieval and early modern Japan who worked for a particular Daimyo. While the samurai numbered less than 10% of Japan’s population, their teachings can still be found today in both everyday life and in modern Japanese martial arts. If you want to simply practise some maths, handwriting or phonics, buying workbooks is a fast and affordable way of giving them the right practice material in a colourful and engaging way.