あした、弁当を作る。（読みもの）
I’m Making My Lunch Tomorrow.
カテゴリー: Japanese Children's Books、おすすめ！日本の子どもの本、読みもの／chapter books and novels
『あした、弁当を作る。』
「ぼく」の名は日下部龍樹（くさかべたつき）。幼い頃は母にべったりだったが、中学生になると、「タッちゃんのお弁当を毎日作れるのがうれしい」という母がしだいに疎ましくなっていく。朝、家を出る時に、背中にそっとふれられるのもゾクッとするようになる。
「ぼく」を育てるのが生きがいだという母親にプレッシャーを感じた龍樹は、両親が共働きのマシロが、毎朝自分で弁当を作っていると聞き、自分も弁当を作ってみようと考える。彼女から作り方を聞いた「ぼく」は、駅前のスーパーの冷凍食品コーナーに初めて行った。昼休み、「ぼく」が弁当を開けたら「冷凍食品弁当の第１作？」とマシロが笑う。「男の子が弁当をつくるなんて」と母親は猛反対し、父親は「お前の仕事は勉強することで、弁当作りではない」と怒り、小遣いも取り上げてしまう。「ぼく」はパソコンで「弁当 おかず 簡単 中学生」と検索し、両親の反対を押し切って弁当を作り続け、洗濯も母任せではなく自分でしようとする。
月曜日の朝から翌週の土曜日までの13 日間を１日ごとに追い、弁当作りを通して自立に目覚めた少年の両親との葛藤が、友だちとの軽妙な会話を交えて鮮やかに浮かび上がってくる。思春期の少年の困惑に寄り添いながら、男性規範やジェンダーバイアスを突き破る視点が痛快だ。（野上）
| 出版社 | 講談社 |
|---|---|
| 初版年 | 2023年 |
| ISBN | 978-4-0653-0595-9 |
| ページ数 | 272頁 |
| サイズ | 20×14 |
| 対象年齢 | 13歳から |
| キーワード | 親子、友だち、ジェンダー、自立 |
I’m Making My Lunch Tomorrow.
Tatsuki Kusakabe loved his mother’s attention when he was small, but as a middle schooler, he tires of her saying things like, “I’m glad I can make your bento packed lunch for you every day, Tat chan.” And he cringes at her soft touch on his back in the mornings when he leaves the house. Raising him seems to be her reason for living, which makes him feel pressured. On the other hand, Tatsuki’s classmate Mashiro’s parents both work, and Mashiro makes her own bento in the mornings. Hearing this, Tatsuki decides to do the same. Following Mashiro’s instructions, he stops at the frozen food section in the supermarket by the train station for the first time. The next time he opens his lunch, Mashiro asks if it’s his “first frozen food creation” and smiles.
Tatsuki’s parents oppose this change; his mother protests that “boys don’t make their lunches,” and his father snaps that “your job is studying, not making lunch.” They even revoke his allowance. But Tatsuki searches up bento, side dishes, simple and middle school on the computer, and despite his parents’ resistance, he keeps making his lunch and even begins doing his laundry.
This book follows Tatsuki through thirteen days, from a Monday through the Saturday of the next week. It explores a young man’s new desire for independence, awakened by bento, and the rift this causes with his parents. Lively dialogue between Tatsuki and his friends accents the story. It is exhilarating how this work, written from Tatsuki’s perspective, skewers traditional notions of men’s work and gender roles. (Nogami)
- Text: Hiko TANAKA | Ill. OKANO Kensuke
- Kodansha
- 2023
- 272 pages
- 20×14
- ISBN 978-4-0653-0595-9
- Ages 13 +
Parent and child, Friends, Gender, Independence