Journey Through Japan (Journey Through series) - Softcover

Grade 3-5-- These two attractive volumes give simple introductions to their respective countries, highlighting specific locales within each. Both concentrate on the here-and-now with only the slightest genuflection to history. China's great diversity of terrain and ethnicity is clearly brought out, while in Japan homogeneity is underscored. The whirlwind approach gives very little feeling for what it is like to live in either place. Factual tidbits are presented in an attractive and clear manner; well-reproduced full-color photographs and illustrations present unusual and informative material. Appended fact files and time charts will prove useful for school reports. The index to Japan is fairly comprehensive; the one in China , although larger, consists largely of place names. Waterlow's China (Bookwright, 1990) is the only serious competition at this grade level, while Japan has no real rivals. Neither book is definitive, but both are good stopgaps. --John Philbrook, San Francisco Public Library
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

"Easier to read than most encyclopedia articles." -- Library Talk

"Introduces foreign countries in a travelogue format." -- Booklist