Review by Booklist Review
Ages 5-9. From A for Asia to Z for Zen, the alphabet arrangement provides a panoramic introduction to the geography, culture, holidays, traditions, and animals of the area that is home to more than one-half of the world's population. The focus is on the traditional; on villages, rather than cities. There is a paragraph for each letter, not just naming but describing the Hindu Holi festival in India, kite flying in Korea, and yurts, the tentlike homes of the Mongolians. Heo's brightly detailed, pencil, oil, and collage illustrations pick up the extraordinary diversity of the huge area with a wide range of folk-art styles, from delicate batik craft in Indonesia to camel riders racing in Saudi Arabia. The alphabet itself gets attention: the word for each letter is written in an Asian language; for example, lotus is in Hindu, monsoon in Urdu, origami in Japanese. Starting with the map, children will look at the details and ask for more. (Reviewed March 1, 1997)0531300110Hazel Rochman
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
"A is for Asia, one-third of the earth," begins this fact-filled, fun alphabet book, which introduces readers to the vast and varied cultures of that continent-Chinese, Japanese, Tibetan, Indian, Mongolian and more. Author and illustrator cover a lot of ground in portraying Asian peoples' day-to-day lives as well as the special occasions and arts that are unique to a particular country. Readers will delight in Heo's (The Green Frogs) paintings, jam-packed with quirky depictions of smiling children, animals, dancers, bowls of food, boats, kites, etc. Known for breaking with formal composition and color combinations, Heo also pays homage to traditional Asian artistic styles (lettering, one-dimensional picture planes). The predominance of yellow and gold tones gives the whole book a sunny, energetic feel. Together with Chin-Lee's graceful language and descriptions, Heo's illustrations make turning every page an adventure into contemporary and historical Asia. Each alphabet item is shown in context, helping to make unusual details and activities accessible for children. Information about different religious observances gives the book added value in the classroom. Key words are also spelled out in one of Asia's many languages, and a brief note on Asian languages is included. Ages 5-10. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3From the Middle East to northern Siberia, to China, Japan, and the Pacific Islands, the diversity of this vast continent is captured in childlike, stylized illustrations and 26 well-chosen words. Jade, kites, the monsoon, pandas, the Qur'an, water buffalo, and Zen are among the terms described in a decorative calligraphic type and pictured in gaily colored, naive, nonperspective drawings. Author and illustrator have created an attractive alphabet book that is useful for introducing Asia as a place of many different cultures, customs, languages, and climates.Shirley Wilton, Ocean County College, Toms River, NJ (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Covering subjects from batik, camels, and dragon boats to 'xiang qi' (Chinese chess), yurts, and Zen, this alphabet book contains succinct but lively descriptions of each topic followed by the featured word printed in one of fifteen Asian languages. Heo's flat, playful panoramic scenes are well-suited to Chin-Lee's quick spin around the continent, the Soviet Union, the Middle East, and the Pacific Islands. From HORN BOOK 1997, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Chin-Lee combines facts about the vast continent of Asia with the ABC format in a book admirable for its ambitions. The 26 short paragraphs offer scattered information on festivals, cultures, food, flora and fauna, beliefs, and more under headings such as ``A is for Asia,'' ``B is for batik,'' ``C is for camels,'' ``D is for dragon boats,'' etc., with the word for the main topic appearing in an appropriate language, either in a pictograph or in script (Asia is written in Tibetan, batik appears in Indonesian, etc.). The countries, many of which are mentioned throughout the book, appear on a map under ``A is for Asia'' that may be the best example of the continent's diversity (although it won't help children unearth the location of the Persian New Year celebration found under ``I is for Id al- Noruz''). Heo's primitive art, alternating between gleefully folkloric large paintings and modestly informational spot illustrations, rounds out this jumping-off point for further study into an inexhaustible, riveting topic. (Picture book. 5-9)
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
