i have reason

If there's a good reason, picking your nose isn't so bad, right!?
Because—that's the secret button to activate the "Happy Beam"!
Why do I bite my nails? Actually, I'm emitting ultrasound to scare away crows.
Even though Mom can't stand me jiggling my leg,
That's how I chat with moles!
 
Adults, get ready to activate your sense of humor and accept your child's series of legitimate "reasons"!
 
Awards and Honors
8th MOE Picture Book Award - 1st Place
4th Shizuoka Bookstore Award for Children's New Releases - 3rd Place
3rd Wakayama Picture Book Award - 1st Place


Praise from all sectors
Looking at children from different angles changes how you feel; appreciating these creative reasons leads to a deeper understanding and less estrangement from children. —Yuan Qiaoling, International Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA-D)
 
Children use their imagination to turn "bad habits" into "doing good deeds."
When they exhibit negative behaviors because they dare not speak their true feelings, they need sufficient trust and care.
—Huang Hui-chi, Administrator of Keiko's Japanese Picture Book Communication

[Media Book Review]
Shinsuke Yoshitake, the author who caused a sensation with his picture books "Is This an Apple? Maybe So." and "Make a Robot, Pretend It's Me," and who remains highly acclaimed, has a new work on the theme of "habits."
Picking your nose, biting your nails, jiggling your leg—these are all habits formed unconsciously. If a child does these things, an adult will surely warn them. However, this picture book doesn't suggest telling children "don't do those bad habits!" The protagonist, "I," in the book can genuinely give a "good reason" for every action.
"Wow... is that so?" The "reasons" (excuses?) that people can't help but agree with are truly amusing. The wild imagination indeed "justifies" these reasons. It even makes one want to hear more reasons.
Like the mother in this book, when seeing a child's habit problem, one might want to ask what's going on before scolding. Even as adults, we unconsciously perform habitual actions, don't we? I should also think of a reason.
If children read this book and laugh, and their mental burden can be lightened a bit, that would be wonderful.
—Sonoko Isozaki, Editor-in-Chief of Ehon NAVI

Shinsuke Yoshitake's work "I Have a Reason" begins with a dialogue between an innocent mother and child.
Seeing "I" pick his nose, Mom gets angry because she thinks it's "improper behavior," so "I" racks his brain to come up with a good reason. Similarly, biting nails, jiggling legs, spilling food all over the table, and so on... all have reasons. No matter how the child explains the reasons, Mom always responds with "Ah, is that so?" letting the child off the hook. The mother-child dialogue is truly hilarious and relaxing.
My 6-year-old child also read this book, and imitating the book, tried to find reasons for his own behavior, licking a finger that had picked his nose, saying "I'm using this as medicine to cure the pain inside my mouth," and throwing out a towel used to wipe his hands, saying "it can be used when the baby comes." Hmm... still funny, otherwise...
—Sankei Shimbun, Reporter's Book Review