Japan

From School Library Journal
Grade 2-4?Serviceable titles for young report writers. The print is large and the information is up-to-date. Basic overviews are provided of of each country?geography, lifestyles, history, economy (including major crops, minerals, and manufactured goods), and arts and culture. Simple maps suitable for tracing are included. One might question the size of the Mexico City metropolitan area or the information on China's Great Wall, but these are minor quibbles. Coverage of Chinese history is very selective, the focus generally being on the later dynasties?the Mongols with Kublai Khan, the Ming, and the Manchu?and, of course, the Communists. In Japan, some subjects, such as history and the description of written Japanese language, suffer from the brevity of the coverage. Early rulers are described as coming from the Yamato region, but this area is not shown. Also, ruling families, such as the Yamato and Tokugawa, should not be pluralized by adding "s." Each spread usually has one-to-three full-color photographs and/or reproductions. The layouts are lackluster; pictures are often overlapped, with no clear differentiation between them. The appendix includes a very short glossary (six-to-eight words), some organizations to contact, and a listing of online sites. The last, unfortunately, are generally out-of-date or age inappropriate.?Diane S. Marton, Arlington County Library, VACopyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Card catalog description
Describes the history, geography, plants and animlas, economy, language, people and culture of the island nation of Japan.


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Gr 4-6--This completely new book, written by a different author than the original title (1983), describes Japanese culture, cities, nature, history, government, and people. Heinrichs includes information on the Kobe earthquake of 1995 and the wedding of Crown Prince Naruhito in 1993. The writing is clear, if at times bland, but the topics covered are broad in scope and will be suitable for assignments. Good-quality, full-color photographs, reproductions, and maps are interspersed throughout. A two-page time line contrasts Japan's history with world history from 2500 B.C.E through 1996. Another new feature of the "Second Series" is the inclusion of Internet sites, organizations, and embassies. Japanese words and phrases are in italics and defined within the text. A serviceable addition to replace outdated material.--DeAnn Tabuchi, San Anselmo Public Library, CA


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