新学期初の中学校の読み聞かせでした。選んだのは「うどん対ラーメン」。田中六大さんの創作絵本で、うどんとラーメンが互いにどっちが美味しいか競い合う内容です。「うどんしばり」や「チャーシューかぶせ」「きつねとびのじゅつ」などナンセンスな絵と言葉が飛び交い普段読んでいる本とは毛色が違い私には挑戦的でしたが、食べ物がテーマでちょっと馬鹿馬鹿しいこういうものが中学生には楽しいのではないかと思ったのと、オチが傑作で私自身大笑いしたので色々な本を探した末に「決まり」となりました。中学生新人諸君たち、数人の男子がニタニタ面白そうにマスク越しに笑っているものの、多くの子は背筋ピン、真剣な顔つきでこちらを見ています。担任の先生ほか校長先生、教頭先生、学年主任の先生もスーツにネクタイ姿で後ろの入り口付近に立っていらっしゃいます。リラックスしない硬い感じだったので、うどん、ラーメン、そば、スパゲティ、それぞれ自分の好きなものに手をあげてもらったら、うどんとラーメンが同じぐらい多く、この辺りでほぐれてきました。全部好き！と言った子もいました。私も麺類ぜ〜んぶ好きなのでその子と同じです。
It was the first storytelling at Taga Junior High School in the new semester. I chose a picture book titled "Udon vs. Ramen" which is written by Rokudai Tanaka. Udon noodles and Ramen compete with each other to see which one is better. There are many nonsensical lines and pictures such as "Tied up with Udon noodles''," Cover with a roasted pork fillet", or " Flying Way on the fried Tofu". Storytelling of this book was challenging to me because it had a different taste compared to other books which I have chosen before, but I chose it among several books which I have researched. I thought that students must like a book about food and would be interested in a story that contains a lot of nonsensical and funny lines. While I was reading, several male students were laughing at the story but most of them were looking at me sitting up straight. Classroom teacher, principal, vice principal and head teacher of a grade were standing and watching in the back of the classroom in a suit and tie. Since it was an unrelaxed atmosphere, I asked students to raise their hand about their favorite one among Udon, Ramen, Soba and Spaghetti and around that point, it seemed they started relaxing. A couple of students said they like all of them. I thought it was the same as me because I like all kinds of noodles as well!
