Description Mr. Giant, who lives in a small village, has always worried about not having a belly button. One day, a tangerine offers to become his belly button, but it turns out to be quite inconvenient and soon runs away. The upset Mr. Giant chases after it. From then on, Mr. Giant wears a brand new belly button every day. Since he's careful not to bump into anything, his tangerine belly button never runs away again. Everyone admires him, saying, "Mr. Giant has the coolest tangerine belly button in the whole world!" But whenever Mr. Giant looks at his tummy, he always sighs, "Ah, I wish I really had a belly button..." One day, Mr. Giant was eating his favorite tangerines. "Mmm, delicious! Tangerines are always so tasty." But just as he was about to eat the very last one, the tangerine spoke up: "Please don't eat me. I'll become your belly button instead." So Mr. Giant finished eating the tangerine and planted its seed in his yard. Every day, he watered it faithfully. At last, a sprout appeared, and it grew and grew... until it became a magnificent tree. The tangerine tree said to Mr. Giant, "My fruit is delicious, and it makes a wonderful belly button too. Come, pick as many as you like!" From that day on, Mr. Giant proudly wore a fresh new belly button every single day. --- pp. 2-3, 29-32 "Mr. Giant, I have a favor to ask. Please eat me and plant my seed." Mr. Giant was surprised. "But then what will happen to my belly button?" "Don't worry, everything will turn out just fine." So Mr. Giant ate the tangerine. "Tangerines really are delicious." He finished it and planted the seed in his yard, watering it every day. At last, a sprout appeared, and it grew and grew... until it became a magnificent tree. The tangerine tree said to Mr. Giant, "My fruit is delicious, and it makes a wonderful belly button too. Come, pick as many as you like!" --- From the story In another story, Mr. Giant faces having to get a vaccination shot, but he's terrified because the needle looks enormous. He hides in fear, running from spot to spot, but he keeps getting caught, and the worry even gives him nightmares. Eventually, he comes up with a clever solution: instead of one giant shot, he'll get ten small shots! This way, he won't get sick, and he won't have to worry about a painful giant needle either. "Mr. Giant is so smart!" everyone praised him. Someone called out earnestly to Mr. Giant, "Mr. Giant, if you don't get your vaccination, you'll get sick!" From inside his house, Mr. Giant replied, "If I have to get a shot with a needle that huge, I'd rather just get sick." --- p. 16 When it was finally Mr. Giant's turn, the nurse pulled out an enormous syringe from under the desk. Mr. Giant was shocked. "Whoa, it's that big? Everyone else got a small one!" "Since you're so much bigger, you need a bigger syringe." "No way! I don't want something that huge!" --- p. 5 When it was Mr. Giant's turn, the nurse pulled out an enormous syringe from under the desk. Mr. Giant was shocked. "Whoa, it's that big? Everyone else got a small one!" "Since you're so much bigger, you need a bigger syringe." "No way! I don't want something that huge!" Mr. Giant took off running. "Oh no, what should I do..." After thinking hard for a while, a wonderful idea popped into his head. --- pp. 5, 29 What makes this story unique from the start is the friendly, easygoing relationship between the giant and the ordinary townspeople. The giant is afraid of shots, worries about getting sick if he skips them, and comes up with clever tricks to solve his problems—just like a real child would. This charming, relatable personality is what makes kids love this story so much. This volume is packaged together with "Mr. Giant's Belly Button Is a Tangerine." ---- Recommended by the Children's Book Research Society Author: Haruo Fukami Born in Tokyo, Japan in 1937, the author worked as a freelancer for broadcasting stations and illustrated many works. His books include "Mr. Giant's Belly Button Is a Tangerine."