My First Book of Japanese Words: An ABC Rhyming Book of Japanese Language and Culture

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$10.95


From inu to tanuki, prepare to meet a fleet of new words from the everyday world of Japan. As the reader is introduced to aspects of Japanese culture on a journey from A to Z, a window is opened not only into a different culture but a wider, more varied world of language and civilization.

The mix of drawing and watercolors adds depth and personality to the wonderful art accompanying each alphabetic entry, bringing life to each scene. It’s particularly striking in entries like D and E, where the two-page tableau of a train at night arriving at a snowy station is just beautiful.

Each page is also composed so that neither the art nor the words detract from one another. You can enjoy the art — and you will! — simply as a visual guide, and you can easily read every letter from A to Z without the art interfering with legibility.

When you factor in the detailed pronunciation guide (and the explanation of the letters in English that are missing from the Japanese alphabet), you have a marvelous introduction that really sets the reader up to want to know more about the language. That’s a rare gift.


Reviewed By:

Author Michelle Haney Brown • Aya Padron, Illustrator
Star Count /5
Format Hard
Page Count 32 pages
Publisher Tuttle Publishing
Publish Date 2017-Aug-29
ISBN 9780804849531
Bookshop.org Buy this Book
Issue May 2018
Category Children's
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