A long time ago in Japan, there lived an old man and an old woman. They were kind and hardworking. Every day, the man went to the mountains to cut wood, and the woman went to the river to wash clothes.
They were happy, but they had no children. They prayed every day for a child of their own.
One day, while washing clothes in the river, the old woman saw something amazing — a huge peach floating in the water! It was bigger than any peach she had ever seen.
“What a wonderful peach!” she said.
She pulled it from the river and took it home.
When the old man came back, he was surprised too.
“Let’s eat it,” he said. “It must be delicious!”
But just as he raised the knife to cut it, the peach split open by itself.
Inside was a baby boy!
The couple was filled with joy. They named him Momotaro, which means Peach Boy in Japanese.
Momotaro grew up strong and kind. He ate a lot and trained every day. By the time he was young, he was stronger than anyone in the village. People admired him.
One day, he heard that Oni (Japanese demons or ogres) from a faraway island were attacking villages and stealing treasure.
Momotaro stood up and said,
“I will go to Oni Island and stop them. Please give me some food for the journey.”
His mother made him kibi dango (millet dumplings), a special Japanese snack. His father gave him a sword. With his bag full of dumplings, Momotaro set off.
On the road, Momotaro met a dog.
“Where are you going?” the dog asked.
“To fight the Oni,” said Momotaro. “And I have the best dumplings in Japan!”
“Give me one, and I’ll join you,” said the dog.
Momotaro gave the dog a dumpling. The dog joined him.
Next, they met a monkey.
“That smells good,” said the monkey. “Give me a dumpling and I’ll help too.”
Momotaro shared another dumpling. The monkey joined the team.
Then, a pheasant flew down.
“I’ve heard of your journey,” said the bird. “If you give me a dumpling, I’ll help from the sky.”
Momotaro gave the bird a dumpling. Now, with the dog, the monkey, and the pheasant, Momotaro was ready to face the Oni.
They reached Onigashima, or Demon Island, where the Oni lived. A big fortress stood on the shore, guarded by strong demons.
The pheasant flew over the wall and attacked from the sky. The monkey climbed the wall and opened the gate. The dog rushed in and bit the Oni’s legs.
Then Momotaro charged in with his sword. Together, they fought bravely.
At last, they reached the Oni leader — a huge, scary demon.
“We give up!” the Oni shouted. “We’ll return everything we stole! Please don’t hurt us!”
Momotaro agreed. The Oni gave back the gold and treasure. Momotaro and his friends brought it home.
The people cheered. Momotaro was a hero! His parents were proud and happy.
Momotaro, the dog, the monkey, and the pheasant became great friends and lived in peace. The Oni never attacked again.