These are our favorite ninja picture books. We hope you like them, too. The Best Ninja Picture Books for Kids 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. 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] There are bad guys out to get her and her new-found Japanese family (also well-trained as ninjas). But why is the person who is responsible for capturing her so alluring? This YA action adventure love story is non-stop action as Jet fights to save a sacred mountain in Japan. [young adult, ages 10 and up] 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.

Shogun: A Shogun was often one of the military governors of Japan from 1192 to 1867. It was typically a Daimyo who was able to unite the others in opposition of the emperor.

Learning Books

My kids are one-quarter Japanese and they wish that their Japanese ancestry is steeped in the way of the ninja. It’s not. Their heritage is actually that of Daimyo, a feudal landowner/warlord, and our ancestors are located about one hour outside of the city of Hiroshima. Young Mingyi is being pressured into marriage by the bandit Soong Ling. He’s a real jerk, but the fate of Mingyi’s family’s business is at stake. She wants a way out, so she turns to Wu Mei, a local nun who’s known as the “beautiful warrior” for her martial arts skills. Postpone the marriage a year, says Wu Mei, and tell the bandit you’ll marry him then if he can beat you in kung fu. Mingyi does, and thus begins a year of her life that will change her destiny. For today, October 10th or 10/10, I have 10 ninja books ranging from picture books, early chapter book, chapter books, and young adult. So it’s 10 on 10/10! Daimyo: The Daimyo were the powerful Feudal lords in pre-modern Japan who ruled most of the country from their vast, hereditary land holdings. Subordinate only to the shogun, daimyo were the most powerful feudal rulers from the 10th century to the middle 19th century in Japan. There were about 260 daimyo by the end of the feudal era.

Carefully selected by educational experts, our home learning books break down complex subjects and topics into simple bite-size chunks. Inside: Does your child love everything ninja and martial arts? Take a look at our top selections of the best ninja books for kids! Think of this easy chapter book as a gateway drug for reading for boys who are also gamers. If they love Ninjago — it doesn’t matter what: the lego sets, the TV show, the graphic novel series — just hand them these books. There are only four but they really get boys reading. 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.Use this hilarious picture book for any child expecting a new sibling, particularly for a girl preparing for new baby brother! Nina was a ninja baby from the start, wanting to do everything by herself and excellent at advanced infiltration. Shaolin Monastery: In addition to being the birthplace of Chan (Zen) Buddhism, Shaolin is the first temple that institutionalized kung fu. Because of its long famous association with Shaolin Kung Fu and development of many other Chinese martial arts, it is considered the cradle of kung fu. There’s a new reading holiday — and trust us, you won’t see this one coming. December 5th has been declared National Ninja Day, and the team behind “ Ninjas Reads” wants you and your martial arts-loving kids to celebrate all things masked and sneaky by organizing a “Ninja Storytime” where you can all read some cool ninja books for kids. Sounds fun, right? Three Samurai Cats: A Story from Japan by Eric A. Kimmel, retold from Kenji Sora’s The Swordsman and the Cat

Of course you might instead be preparing for an all-important test like the phonics screening test, 11+ exam, KS2 SATs paper or GCSEs. In which case, our extensive range of practice papers will have everything your child needs to succeed. This is possibly the cutest, sweetest book about ninjas ever. Our heroine, Little Kunoichi, is struggling in her ninja studies. She meets Chibi Samurai, who trains at the samurai school in the neighboring village, and they team up to practice. After all, the Island Festival is coming up, and they want to show off their mad skills. But what to do? Having rejected ideas involving a cannon, spaceship, and unicorns, they come up with a show that their neighbors will surely never forget. It’s a pretty simple story, but the heart and the gorgeous, detailed watercolor paintings more than make up for it. Since Boy Detective is a fan of tiny cute things AND ninjas, this was a hit at our house. 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]

Feudal Japan Hierarchy and Terminology

If you want your child to excel at their home learning activities, they're going to need some extra support. My son delighted in this easy chapter book series when he was in first and second grade about a Japanese ninja family with special abilities to turn into their spirit animal. [easy chapter book series, ages 6 and up] 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. 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. 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.