Customer Reviews

My Japan

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My 5 year old started talking about Japanese toilets the other day. She followed this up later by rolling a washcloth, draping it around her neck and announcing she was taking a bath like they do in Japan. What more could a mother ask for from a children's book but to know that her child is learning something?

I came across My Japan in the Museum store at the MOMA in San Francisco. Museum stores (especially ones in San Francisco) have the most incredible selection of children's books. I took a mental note to remember this book and later ordered it from Amazon when we returned home from the trip.

What attracted me to the book was my child's growing interest in learning about people from around the world and my own love for encyclopedia-like children's books that are lush with details. I love children's dictionaries, anything published by DK and Richard Scarey books. Etsuko Watanbe's book My Japan is a wonderfully illustrated book full of fun colorful illustrations about life in Japan. The readers follow Yuki, a 7 year old and learn everything about her from the kind of clothes she wears to school, to the kinds of food she eats, to where and how she spends her vacations. The pages are chockfull of wonderful pictures, definitions and fun facts like children in Japan like to buy Stag Beetles and keep them as pets.

I have a special soft spot for Japan as a military brat, I had a number of friends whose mothers were were from Japan. I would go camping with my friend Amy and her mother would pack rice wrapped in seaweed. My Dad traveled through Asia and brought me back dolls and kimonos as souvenirs. I still have the yellow gold kimono somewhere although the doll recently lost her hair. I also had the opportunity to travel to Japan in the late eighties and love the country and the culture. I'm so glad Watanbe authored this book so I can introduce the country to my daughter.

Look out because now I'm putting my publisher hat on. This book was originally published in France and was brought to the US by Kane/Miller. Please Watanabe, Kane/Miller, someone please turn this into an entire series! I went to B&N the other day to browse and see if I could find a book like this on France or China. I was surprised that such a huge children's section had nothing like what I was looking for. There were a few picture dictionaries for foreign languages, some atlases and plenty of books on dinosaurs. If I were the publisher of this book, I would refuse to let it be buried and would immediately expand it. While I'm handing out advice, I'd also hook up with RIF or Room to Read--an international organization dedicated to literacy. Don't let this book get lost! I'm buying one for my child's daycare, her teacher and her friends.

Although this is illustrated, and not photographs, it is one of the best books about another culture for children I've seen. There is great detail about the illustrations, and it's very thorough. Covering food, the bathroom, holidays, etc. Highly recommend.

I've been to Japan three times, and I've read all the children's books about Japan that I can find. This one is the best. It's very cute, which is quite Japanese. There is a lot of information in it, and the info is accurate. I highly recommend this book!