Review by Choice Review
This book by technical writer Takahashi and illustrator Azuma offers an unusual approach to teaching relational databases. Manga books have their roots in Japan, but this comics-based literature is experiencing significant growth worldwide. In this case, there are all the makings of a great story: a damsel in distress (Princess Ruruna), her loyal but helpless servant (Cain), and our hero (Tico, the magical database fairy). May the database gods have mercy. The book starts by defining and designing relational bases, with the impish fairy goading the good princess into thinking logically. Things quickly move towards more advanced topics like normalization, transactions, and using SQL commands to generate reports. The last two chapters deal with the structures of databases, and different database applications such as Web-based and distributed types. The text summaries at the end of each chapter were extraordinarily well written and worth the price of the book. Although the use of comics to disseminate information is questionable and although the book seems frivolous in nature, two magical things did happen. This reviewer learned quite a bit about relational bases, and his colleague will be using the book as a supplemental course resource. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates and general readers. M. Connell SUNY College at Cortland
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
