My First Book of Japanese Words is a beautifully illustrated book
that introduces young children to Japanese language and culture through
everyday words.
The words profiled in this book are all commonly used in the Japanese
language and are both informative and fun for English-speaking children
to learn. The goals of My First Book of Japanese Words are multiple:
to familiarize children with the sounds and structure of Japanese
speech, to introduce core elements of Japanese culture, to illustrate
the ways in which languages differ in their treatment of everyday sounds
and to show how, through cultural importation, a single word can be
shared between languages.
Both teachers and parents will welcome the book's cultural and
linguistic notes and appreciate how the book is organized in a familiar
ABC structure. Each word is presented in Kanji (when applicable), Kana,
and Romanized form (Romaji).
With the help of this book, we hope more children (and adults) will soon
be a part of the 125 million people worldwide that speak Japanese!