(3) K-3 Illustrated by L. K. Tay-Audouard. This adaptation of the sixteenth-century Chinese novel Journey to the West by Wu Ch'eng-en (itself incorporating Chinese legends and folklore) is beautifully and fancifully illustrated in a traditional style. Although a bit wordy for a picture book, the story of Tripitaka--a monk sent to India to get Buddhist scriptures from Lord Buddha himself--and his helpers (including the titular Monkey King) is amusing and exciting.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Thi Hop Nguyen & Dong Nguyen. Colorful and intricately detailed paintings, (forced) rhymes, and brief additional notes introduce Vietnamese culture. Following the English alphabet, however, means awkwardly highlighting English words for letters that don't exist in Vietnamese. So "N is for the Nón..." but "W is for wisdom. / Trí is what we say." Pronunciation guidelines are provided.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Patcharee Meesukhon & Vinit Yeesman. This combination country study and activity book explores animals, clothing, sports, dance, shadow puppets, traditional crafts, playground games, holidays, religion, folktales, and recipes (which require grown-up kitchen savvy). The narration alternates between Northern Thailand villager Mali and Bangkok resident Tawan. The brightly colored illustrations often lack specificity, but color photos are also included. Unfortunately there are several typos. Reading list, websites. Ind.

Reviewer: Amy Seto Forrester

(3) K-3 When young farm boy Norihei saves a mythical water creature's life, they become fast friends. Kyu, the kappa, later returns the favor. The simple English/Japanese bilingual story works as both a morality play about the environment and also teaches Western audiences a bit about Japanese culture and mythology. Colorful illustrations and cultural notes are a welcome addition. Japanese text not evaluated.

Reviewer: Antonio Trujillo

(4) YA After her mother's death, seventeen-year-old Jet Black travels to Japan and finally learns why her mother had secretly trained her in ninja and survival techniques. Jet is a compelling character, and the complicated story, involving indigenous cultures, a family secret, dangerous enemies, and, of course, lots of martial-arts action, is well researched. Constant explanation of terms and history, however, bog down the narrative.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Lak-Khee Tay-Audouard. This uniquely designed book contains nineteen short Chinese fables, stories as strange as the handwritten-looking font. Some are simple morality tales, while others, of dim-witted thieves, fundraising monks, and a prophetic sentry, are confusing. Chinese artist Tay-Audouard's light-soaked illustrations stylistically embody traditional Chinese ink wash paintings, but they, too, are often obscure. The origins of each fable are noted in the back.

Reviewer: Sian Gaetano

(4) 4-6 Fifth grader Dan records his experiences living with a Japanese family in a small village outside Kyoto. His "notebook" covers his impressions of food, school, martial arts, bowing, the tea ceremony, ninja, calligraphy, comic books, games, snacks, holidays, and more. Both the text and the cartoonlike art are often lost in the gutter, but the colorful book is jam-packed with solid information.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Helen Acraman. This collection of nursery rhymes is presented in Korean script, Romanized Korean, and English. The subjects have universal appeal, although the English translations don't always scan well. The fourteen rhymes/songs are each accompanied by a note about the topic, Korean culture, or suggestions for sharing. The vividly colored, stylized illustrations are welcoming ambassadors to the material. A CD in English and Korean is included, sources are not.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Aya Padrón. With attractive illustrations stylistically recalling traditional woodblock prints, this captivating and informative alphabet book in verse gives a Chinese word--simplified and traditional Chinese characters, Romanized form (Pinyin), and tone--for every letter of the English alphabet. Each poem explains what the Chinese word means, while smaller text gives some cultural background; the words can be heard on the publisher's website.

Reviewer: Sian Gaetano

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Aya Padrón. Using an alphabet-book structure, this unique package strains to simultaneously introduce Hangeul (the Korean alphabet), Korean words, and cultural details. When a Roman letter has no Hangeul equivalent, it's paired with an English word, then the Korean translation ("Q is for Queen. / We call her wangbi.") The rhymes don't always scan, but illustrations that recall traditional woodblock prints are striking.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(4) K-3 A girl agrees to sacrifice herself to a giant centipede that threatens the village in order to earn money for her father's medicine. But with the help of a magical turtle, she survives and becomes a princess, as her long-dead mother had prophesied. Footnotes about Korean customs are informative (and necessary), but they interrupt the flow; the ornate paintings are inconsistent.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(4) K-3 This original legend explains the creation of the Japanese daruma doll. When clever orphan Yuko-chan notices that her tea gourd, if dropped, tips upright again, her village becomes famous for making inspirational dolls out of gourds. The bilingual narrative is a little long and the message about perseverance isn't subtle, but the tale is engaging enough, with cheerful cartoon illustrations.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander

(4) PS Illustrated by Helen Acraman. Warm, flat art illustrates these fifteen songs--rhymes traditionally sung in games and modern songs written for singing in school. Little additional information is provided, and the English translations are awkward, especially on the audio CD. But language learners will appreciate the Japanese/romanized Japanese/English text, and the CD's guitar accompaniment is a welcome alternative to the numerous widely available Muzak-like versions of these songs.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Soosoonam Barg. Each book provides brief information about history, language, religion, celebrations, food, homes, traditional clothing, the arts, and more. Folktales, songs, recipes, and crafts are included. Japan is more kid-friendly, with cheerful cartoon art, an upbeat text, and a pair of child characters (one rural, one urban) speaking directly to readers about their daily lives. Reading list, websites. Ind. Review covers these titles: All About Korea and All About Japan.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Kazumi Wilds. Each book provides brief information about history, language, religion, celebrations, food, homes, traditional clothing, the arts, and more. Folktales, songs, recipes, and crafts are included. Japan is more kid-friendly, with cheerful cartoon art, an upbeat text, and a pair of child characters (one rural, one urban) speaking directly to readers about their daily lives. Reading list, websites. Ind. Review covers these titles: All About Korea and All About Japan.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander

(3) 4-6 The graceful, flowing images of a Chinese brush painting are the result of carefully controlled strokes. This book gives easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions on drawing traditional subjects such as orchids and bamboo. Attention is paid to the importance of holding the brush correctly, mixing shades of gray, and learning basic strokes used in calligraphy and painting. Some Chinese painting history is also included. Reading list.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Lak-Khee Tay-Audouard. This fictionalized account tells of Chinese admiral and explorer Zheng He's expeditions between 1405 and 1433. Bowler's "summary of historically agreed facts" at the bottom of each double-page spread offers additional information but makes the reading disjointed. The text is accompanied by handsomely detailed, golden-hued colored-pencil illustrations. No specific sources are listed. A large map poster is included.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(4) K-3 This enthusiastic compendium of the numerous Japanese holidays and festivals includes lots of general information, Japanese words and phrases, and colorful illustrations. Small labeled pictures fill many of the pages and add appeal, though the descriptions accompanying the illustrations are printed in too-tiny type. Some crafts, a song, and a pronunciation guide are included.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander

(4) K-3 Translated by Richard Carpenter. In this sixth book about Little Daruma, the Japanese doll goes fishing, gets some help from his three friends, then helps them in return. Despite the unfamiliar characters and setting and the somewhat peculiar pace of the text, American readers may still find appeal in this simple tale of friendship, illustrated with colorful, amusing drawings.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander

(3) 4-6 Comprehensive, step-by-step instructions and diagrams guide beginners through the ancient Japanese art of paper-folding. Helpful information on paper supplies, origami symbols, and proper paper folding techniques is given. Fifteen easy to intermediate origami projects include a fan, lotus blossom, paper box, koi fish, and crane.

Reviewer: Marika Hoe