JAPAN

A board book with text in two languages.

As an age-appropriate visual guide offering a few Japanese phrases alongside the English narrative, this book presents scenes of daily life that tidily fit within a framework of characteristic associations with Japan: cherry blossoms filling the sky; a traditional Japanese breakfast of rice, salted fish, pickled plums, and soup; and bowing to say "hello and thank you." The cartoonish illustrations resemble young children’s drawings and may appeal especially to those who are beginning to engage with colors and forms on the printed page. However, for some, the depictions of a garden walk, a market visit, and bathing methods speak more to nostalgia and tropes than to quotidian realities—cherry blossoms are a prime example of what comes to mind when many picture Japan but are in season only a few weeks a year. For this reason, assertions such as “we say” and “we eat” can feel prescriptive. The people portrayed all have beige- or peach-toned skin and rosy cheeks as well as dark hair (except for a gray-haired character) and dark dots for eyes. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A gentle yet predictable child’s-eye view of Japan.