Japanese Traditions: Rice Cakes, Cherry Blossoms and Matsuri: A Year of Seasonal Japanese Festivities

Packed with colorful illustrations and fun facts about Japanese culture, celebrations, language and history, this multicultural children's books will delight children and parents alike!

A wonderful look at Japanese culture and family life, Japanese Traditions is an intricately illustrated romp through the childhood reminiscences of author/illustrator Setsu Broderick. Told via a series of short text blocks and lighthearted illustrations based on cats, Japanese Traditions displays seasonal festivals and activities such as O-Bon (Festival of the Souls), O-hanami (cherry blossom viewing) and preparing for the New Year.

While enjoying the charming illustrations of a family of Japanese cats, the author shares her warm childhood memories of many Japanese customs, such as gathering around the kotatsu (heated table) to stay warm, throwing soybeans to keep away ogres and hanging handmade teru-teru-bozu (fine-weather) dolls out the window to stop the rain. There are also many traditional Japanese foods, toys, games and celebrations taught through the illustrations. All in all, Japanese Traditions provides a magical feast for children of all ages.

Grade 2-5 The authors regale readers with memories from Broderick's childhood in rural Japan 50 years ago. Two spreads per month describe activities such as the New Year celebrations in January, and feature felines rather than humans in the illustrations. The picture for November shows how to set up a futon and keep warm while sleeping on it and explains the traditions involved in Inoko Matsuri, a celebration of children's good health and prosperity, and in Shichi-Go-San (7-5-3), a festival celebrating girls who are seven, boys who are five, and boys and girls who are three. While the text includes factual information about customs, food, games, festivals, and other cultural topics, the narrative is conversational. Soft, appealing cartoon illustrations of the cuddly, expressive cats dressed in traditional Japanese clothing are full of detail and humor. Each month is represented by a full-page illustration, with the name of the month written in Japanese characters. The last page gives a list of items to look for in the pictures, and poses related questions. Though this is an enjoyable work, most of the cultural information can be found elsewhere, making it an additional purchase. DeAnn Okamura, San Mateo County Library, CA
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"While the text includes factual information about customs, food, games, festivals, and other cultural topics, the narrative is conversational. Soft, appealing cartoon illustrations of the cuddly, expressive cats dressed in traditional Japanese clothing are full of detail and humor." --School Library Journal

"But the real value of this book is the masterful way it combines loads of vocabulary words and customs with the tenderness of the author's memories and the hilarious and busy drawings, making it a treat for both younger and older kids. And for anyone who wonders how life in Japan used to be when people lived closer to the earth, the seasons and each other, this is a sweet, fun, entertaining primer." --The Japan Times

"Japanese Traditions is completely charming. Children, parents, and teachers will enjoy perusing the playful illustrations and learning about traditional Japanese culture." --Leslie Swartz, Senior VP, Boston Children's Museum and co-author of Moonbeams, Dumplings & Dragon Boats

"Japanese Traditions is exactly the kind of book worth curling up with in a warm place with your child. It's a friendly, nostalgic look at the country, filled with the bustling details of the everyday life of Japanese families in the countryside as they experience it twelve months of the year." --Paper Tigers

"Setsu Broderick's book Japanese Traditions: Rice Cakes, Cherry Blossoms and Matsuri is another one that I would recommend. As may be expected, it focuses on various customs, including those that involve cherry blossoms." --Killeen Gonzalez, Yahoo! Voices

"Told via a series of short text blocks and lighthearted illustrations based on cats, Japanese Traditions displays seasonal festivals and activities such as O-Bon (Festival of the Souls), O-hanami (cherry blossom viewing) and preparing for the New Year." --Starts at Eight blog

"there's a LOT of information contained within the pages of this beautiful hard-cover book. Japanese Traditions is a wonderful resource for any home or school to have. It will teach children about traditions they may not know, and the illustrations are so rich in additional information this book could be used to start conversations between children and/or children and adults to learn more about each other if one is from Japan." --CastleViewAcademy.com

Setsu Broderick grew up in a small country village in Western Japan in the 1950s and attended art college in Japan. She has worked as a designer and illustrator in Los Angeles for over 20 years, and has previously illustrated six books, including Cat Blessings, Cats Rule!, Dog Blessings, Dogs Rule! and The Little Book of All Things Cat.

Willamarie Moore is the Head of School Programs and Resources at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. She previously worked as the Manager of East Asian Programs at the Boston Children's Museum, where she was the lead content developer for the award-winning exhibition Five Friends From Japan: Children in Japan Today. Her other book, All About Japan, is available from Tuttle as well.