I truly enjoy the message in this book.
While it appears that the message in this book is one of helping out others, I also like to emphasize Yosaku's (yo-sah-koo) perspective at the start of the story.

Yosaku falls into a puddle of mud; a seemingly unfortunate event. However, Yosaku considers himself to be lucky because the mud was soft and prevented him from being hurt by the fall.

As a result, a chain-reaction of events occurs in which Yosaku unselfishly trades away items. Consequently, Yosaku's unselfish and positive attitude are unexpectedly rewarded.
Yosaku's chance encounter with a princess will give listeners and readers a diverse alternative to the face of typical storybook princesses.

Please read this book to your preschoolers and kindergarteners. The illustrations are nice and it also provides opportunity to explore another culture. ( )