Description: ¡Explora el país de Japón, incluida su cultura, geografía y tradiciones! Explore the country of Japan, including its culture, geography, and traditions!
Brief description: Cheryl Kim is a second-grade teacher from California and the recipient of the 2020 SCBWI Kate Dopirak Craft and Community Award. Her debut nonfiction picture book, UP IN THE CLOUDS: THE KATHERINE SUI-FUN CHEUNG STORY, is forthcoming from Lee and Low Books, and she is also a writer for Capstone's Sports Illustrated for Kids Stars of Sports biography series.
Review Quotes: Four countries-Egypt, Italy, Japan, and Mexico-are given deep coverage in this series. Each volume is divided into six chapters that provide overviews of the country's history, geography, daily contemporary life, and sports and recreation. Within each chapter topic, subsections highlight areas naturales (natural areas) and días festivos (holidays), alongside contemporary and historical photos. The thoughtfully assembled layout uses text boxes, maps, timelines, recipes, and captions to provide additional context and information. The Japan volume has a repeated sentence. As the series name implies, these titles may be of interest for travelers looking to learn more about a country they may be visiting or for assignments or programs focusing on any of these nations. VERDICT Thorough and informative, with an accessible layout.--Jessica Agudelo, BookOps: NYPL and Brooklyn Public "School Library Journal"