Megumi's First Trip to Kyoto Paperback – June 30, 2016

In this child's book, Alexandra Parsons has nicely started to familiarize her readers with Japan: the language and culture and things one would see on a trip there. I would highly recommend this book if your child is of Japanese descent but you aren't living in Japan, if you are planning a trip to Japan, or if your child likes learning about other cultures, also, if you are a teacher of pre-K thru elementary kids or even a Japanese HS teacher. I hope Parsons evolves this concept into a series because it is a charming glimpse at a digestible amount of introductory culture, references, and scenes for a child. I would love to see this same concept for China, France, Korea, Israel, Mexico, Pakistan, South Africa, etc. Surprisingly, a bit of numbers sense comes in during the countdown (10 to 1 instead of 1 to. 10) which fascinates and confuses my son in a good way (who is a bit too young still for this book) because it is his only book that counts down so it's totally new to him -- as new as the Japanese -- and actually fascinates him more right now (go figure!).

Both my niece and I enjoyed reading this delightful book. The book features the adventures of a young girl's journey through Japan.We had fun counting the "sights" together and practicing the Japanese words. I liked that the book was educational-- introducingJapanese culture and language in a fun and engaging way. This charming book is probably best suited for children ages 4-8.

As a Japanophile with two small kids I picked this up as soon as I heard about it. It's a cute counting book as 10-year old Megumi counts off ten things she will see and do in Kyoto. It starts with the uniquely Japanese ritual of passengers being politely pushed into an overcrowded train and continues as Megumi and her grandfather list off what they will see and do in Kyoto, with Japanese phrases and numbers sprinkled in. It's a cute idea but it really needed another round of edits to make for a good children's book.For one thing the language is a bit complex for small children (grandpa's leathery hands) and has no real rhythm to it for weary parents reading it aloud. The plot has some problems, after boarding a train so crowded it requires pushers, Megumi and grandpa have no trouble finding two seats, there's even an empty one for another character to join them. And the list that makes up most of the book is just Megumi's grandfather describing what they will see. The author could have easily fast forwarded and had them seeing the things but for some reason chose to have them talk about what they will see. And finally the list itself is odd, for example they will see three great temples, and the art shows them, but the temples are not actually named.Really it's a nice idea for a children's book, a cute way to introduce culture and history and some language, but it needs work to be a good one.The cover shows Megumi shying away from the trip and honestly I recommend you do the same.

Megumi's First Trip to Kyoto by Alexandra Parsons is an entertaining and educational book about Japanese culture and counting numbers from one to ten. It's Megumi's 10th birthday and to celebrate her grandfather has planned a trip to Kyoto. They begin their journey on a crowded, fast-moving train where her grandfather engages Megumi's imagination with ten fascinating things she will see in Kyoto. Her grandfather starts by counting down from ten to one while painting exquisite imagery in Megumi’s mind. He uses a delicate, soothing, and anticipatory tone as he delineates the ten wonderful things she will enjoy in Kyoto. When they finally reach the Kyoto Train Station, Megumi is brimming with excitement to begin the special day her grandfather has planned for her. The author has tastefully infused the story with Japanese words throughout the story. Numbers one to ten in Japanese are also included so children can practice counting in Japanese as well as a map of Kyoto in the back of the book. I recommend this book for teachers, children of all ages, or adults planning a trip to Japan. Beautiful illustrations capture the natural essence of Japanese culture. 5 stars for Megumi's First Trip to Kyoto.

This book is not only well-written, but educational and engaging for children and adults alike. I highly recommend it for anyone who would like to take their little ones on a journey to Japan to experience the culture, the food, the language, and the geography.