My First Book of Japanese

Gr 2-4–Despite page after page of charming Shutterstock illustrations, these flawed attempts at language-learning books are weighed down by inconsistencies, illogical order, and in some cases, mistakes. Each book begins with an introduction to the language, a pronunciation guide, and, in the case of the Japanese edition, an extensive explanation and tables of its three forms of writing/alphabets. The body of each book is a combination of picture dictionary and culture guide, with occasional phrases scattered about. Learning a language from a book without a pronunciation guide for each word is problematic at best. Add to this the fact that Japanese uses three distinct alphabets, and it is nigh on impossible. Nevertheless, these could function as supplementary texts for those learning the language elsewhere. Unfortunately, the books are additionally plagued with inconsistencies (the phrases sometimes put the English first, and other times put the titular language first) and poor organization. Putting calendars and clocks before the section on numbers and counting, for instance, makes little sense. Additionally, the French edition includes several errors or odd choices, ranging from sporadically leaving off the article (l’, le, or la), using the wrong article (le for l’) and in at least one case simply using the wrong word. It also fails to explain the concept of a 24-hour clock.