Keiko Shibata's Picture Book "Butasuke's Horn" to Protect Lives Wins Yomiuri Advertising Grand Prix Runner-Up Prize

A newspaper advertisement published in the Yomiuri Shimbun morning edition on July 18, 2025, by Poplar Publishing Co., Ltd. and the "Tasuke Boo Boo" project team, won the "Runner-Up Prize" at the 42nd Yomiuri Advertising Awards on July 1, 2026.

The "Tasuke Boo Boo" project team is engaged in awareness activities for the action "#TasukeBooBoo," which involves honking a car horn to call for help, in order to prevent children from being left behind in vehicles. As part of the project, they published the picture book "Butasuke's Horn," which teaches children left in cars how to call for help from outside. The newspaper advertisement features a creative design of the protagonist "Butasuke" from "Butasuke's Horn" desperately honking the horn and seeking help from the outside, along with a message to prevent children from being left in cars.

Words on Receiving the Award

Approximately 30,000 cases of children being left in cars occur annually. We want to save children's lives. With this desire, the "Tasuke Boo Boo" project was born. To convey that one can call for help with the car horn when trapped, we produced the picture book "Butasuke's Horn" with Keiko Shibata and others. We are now expanding this action with car manufacturers. We placed this ad as a declaration of our activities and to protect lives.

About the "Tasuke Boo Boo" Project

Recently, there have been a series of accidents involving children left in vehicles, with several accidents occurring in 2025. Survey results show that 54.9% of respondents have admitted to leaving children in their cars (JAF "Survey on Child Vehicle Accidents"), indicating a high potential risk of accidents. Although the mandatory installation of safety devices was implemented in April 2023, there are still many challenges such as introduction costs and operating conditions, making it insufficient to completely prevent accidents. In this context, attention is being drawn to car horns as a means for children to call for help themselves, and there is a need to popularize methods that even small children with little strength can easily operate.

Therefore, the "Tasuke Boo Boo" project team considered how to use the power of picture books to help children learn how to call for help in a fun and natural way, and launched this project last year as a new summer safety initiative.

The Picture Book "Butasuke's Horn" by Picture Book Author Keiko Shibata and Others

This story was created to increase children's awareness of car horns. With the cute characters drawn by Keiko Shibata, a popular picture book author known for the "Pandorobo" series (KADOKAWA), children can learn in a fun way how to call for help by honking the horn when trapped in a car. We hope that children will read this picture book with their families and teachers, and that even one less tragic accident will occur.

Overview of "Butasuke's Horn"

<Synopsis>

Butasuke is a pig boy who attends a forest nursery school. A cheerful "Boo!" sound comes from the horn on his head. "Boo!" during drawing time, "Boo!" during lunch, and even during nap time. Even when the nursery teacher says, "Butasuke-kun's horn is like a car horn, it surprises everyone," he doesn't mind.

One day, while playing hide-and-seek, Butasuke notices that the nursery school bus door is open. Thinking "Perfect," he hides inside the bus, but the door is closed and he can't get out...

Butasuke's Horn

Written by: Hiroshi Yamazaki

Illustrated by: Keiko Shibata

Price: 1,300 yen (excluding tax)

Specifications: 32 pages, B5 variant size

Book Page >> https://www.poplar.co.jp/book/search/result/archive/2900565.html

Amazon >> https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/4591186121/?tag=poplarsha-22&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1

Release Date: June 4, 2025

Author Profile

Hiroshi Yamazaki Born in Gifu Prefecture in 1983. Worked as a creative director/copywriter at an advertising agency, handling TV commercials and more. Major picture book works include the "Problems of Morality Without Answers: How to Solve Them?" series (Poplar Publishing) and "Let's All! How to Solve?" (McDonald's Happy Set).

Keiko Shibata Born and resides in Kochi Prefecture. Debuted as a picture book author in 2016 with "Meganeko" (Tebukurosha). Picture book works include the "Shirokuma" series (PHP Institute), the "Pandorobo" series (KADOKAWA), "Kumata's Amazing Big Plan" (Hakusensha), "Our Bell Pepper" (Text by Hideko Kawanoue / Alicekan), the "I Won't Do..." series (Written by Kenta Otsuka / Pie International), and the "Panda's Spoon" series (Poplar Publishing).

Poplar Publishing Co., Ltd.

<Contact for Picture Book Inquiries> Public Relations Department: Ayako Sano TEL: 080-6252-6699 / MAIL: a_sano@poplar.co.jp

"Tasuke Boo Boo" Project Office

<Contact for Other Project Inquiries> MAIL: webinfo@boobooproject.jp