The Travels of Old Man Bumblebee Dowa-kan Publishing 0001-6336 By Frank R. Stockton Illustrated by Maurice Sendak Translated by Natsuya Mitsuyoshi Format: Hardcover, Color Size: 21 x 18 cm / 48P Release Date: 1998/08/25 Price: ¥1540 Synopsis Once upon a time, in a place called Orn, there lived an old man who lived with bumblebees. The old man was ugly, unkempt, wrinkled, and sunburnt. On top of that, he was poor and had no friends other than the bumblebees, but even so, the old man was happy and content. One day, a young magician said to the old man, "Do you know what you were reborn as?" The old man thought about it. What could he have been reborn as? A giant, a strong prince, or perhaps a dog or a horse. Maybe a terrifying snake... The old man, accompanied by the buzzing bumblebees, set off on a journey to return to his original form. He didn't want to be better than he was, he just wanted to return to his original self. During his journey, he found a cave and went inside, where a dragon was holding a baby. He was going to eat such a cute baby! The old man threw a beehive at the dragon and ran away with the baby in his arms. When he went to the village, the baby's real mother was found, and she thanked the old man again and again. The old man said, "I think I must have been reborn as a baby." And so, the old man became a baby again and began a new life. Once again, to be even happier.