Aoki by Annelore Parot
Hardie Grant Egmont, 2011. ISBN 9781742970035.
Aoki is a kokeshi - a little wooden doll from Japan - and she
undertakes a
journey to Tokyo to visit her friend Yoko. Through a richness of
interactive
pages, peepholes and lift-the-flaps we share her journey and are
introduced to a
variety of aspects of life in Japan from helping her to pack her
suitcase to
enjoying the tranquillity of a Zen garden. There are snippets of
language to
learn and opportunities to compare lives and lifestyles which would
spark
further investigations. Why does the bed fold up like a cupboard?
Where
is Mt
Fuji?
On the surface, this looks like a book for little girls, but, in
reality, it is
the ideal foundation for introducing a study of Japan or the
Japanese
language.
It is engaging on so many levels and its unusual cover and glossy
paper
make it
very tactile. A very special book.
Barbara Braxton