９月１５日（木曜日）２０２２年
久々に小学校での読み聞かせに行ってきました。３年生には何がいいのかしら…と家にある絵本を探していたら、ちょうどいいのがありました。滋賀の昔話シリーズで「まんまる月夜の竹生島」。長さもちょうど１０分以内。
は組の教室に入って挨拶を済ませた後、「皆んながいるのは何県？」と聞くと、「滋賀県！」「滋賀県にある大きな湖は？」「琵琶湖！」「どうして琵琶湖って言うの？」「……」。ここから琵琶という楽器の話、音楽の女神で琵琶をならす弁天様を紹介して、弁天様がいらっしゃるのは竹生島と簡単な前置きをして絵本に入りました。大きな黒い魚が絵本いっぱいに描かれたところにきて「あっ、ナマズや！」と誰かが言ったのはさすがです。
生徒たちの殆どが竹生島にはまだ行ったことがないようです。琵琶と弁天さんと竹生島の紹介ができて嬉しく思いました。
I went to the local elementary school for storytelling for kids after a long time. I was wondering about choosing a book for third graders and looked around my bookshelf, then found the perfect book. It was one of a series of folk tales of Shiga named "Chikubu Island under the full moon". The length of the story was less than ten minutes which was perfect.
After entering the classroom and doing morning greetings, I asked the kids which prefecture you are in now. They responded it was Shiga prefecture. "What is the name of the lake in Shiga? " "Biwako! " "Why do people say Biwako?" "...........". Then I started talking about Biwa which is a string instrument and the name of the lake came from it because of the shape of the lake just like Biwa. I introduced Benten, who is the goddess of arts and wisdom, holding Biwa and playing it. She is living in Chikubushima (Chikubu island in the lake). After telling these simple introductions, I started telling the story of the picture book. When I turned the page on which a big black fish was drawn, some kid said " Ah! That is catfish!". I was glad to know that kids were interested in my reading and concentrated on looking into the picture book.
It seems most of the kids haven't visited Chikubu-shima yet. I am glad that I could introduce Biwa, goddess Benten and Chikubu-shima.
