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First grader Suki had an incredibly wonderful time with her obachan over the summer at a street festival. The experience was so memorable that she decided to wear her Japanese grandmother's present, a komono and geta, on her first day of school. Her sisters, however, were embarrassed by her outfit as they thought it wasn't "new" or "cool". But Suki didn't seem to care in the slightest about what they thought and kept her outfit on anyway. At school, Suki was teased and stared at by the other students. But she remained unfazed and ignored them. Then, in class, when the teacher asked her what she did over the summer, Suki not only vividly described the festival but also showed the class the special dance she learned and hummed the song that went with it. In the end, Suki received a well-deserved standing ovation. This version of the book, which was listened to on Tumblebooks.com, has many great features. It reads the book aloud to you and alters the original version so that the characters can move slightly. The beautiful watercolor and ink pictures truly showcase the beauty of the Japanese culture. They are soft and graceful, just like Suki's dancing. Tumblebooks did an excellent job of adding various sounds and music to the book, which really puts the reader right next to Suki, allowing them to see, listen, and feel the same things she did. I was very thankful to be able to listen to the narrator say the unfamiliar Japanese words aloud. This way, I wouldn't have pronounced them incorrectly had I been reading this to my students. This book would be a great choice for a read aloud to early elementary students who are learning about cultural differences. It does a wonderful job of explaining the meanings of the Japanese words through context and the pictures. It would be a great idea to pair this book with a nonfiction book on Japan, like "A Look at Japan" by Helen Frost. This would provide students with a more comprehensive understanding of the country and its culture.
