An itsy-bitsy mouse who lives with his grandfather in a cosy nest somewhere in a small cottage, whenever he sees the stars, he dreams of touching one of them.

The little mouse who wanted to touch a little star

One evening close to Christmas, the tree, having seen the splendidly trimmed Christmas trees standing in the windows of nearby houses, and longing to be as beautiful as they are, begs the boy to trim it too.  But the boy has neither ornaments nor money to buy any, in fact he has nothing.  How can he make this withered, shriveled tree look beautiful, there in the middle of a filthy, freezing pavement? And yet this night will prove to be a very different night from every other. It will be a night when dreams come true, a night of enchantment and magic.

The boy and the tree

Many years ago, somewhere in the mountains of Japan, there lived a poor woodcutter and his wife. They were very old and had no children. Every day the man went alone to the forest to cut wood, while his wife stayed at home to weave. But one day, the man went much further than usual...