The words profiled in this book are all commonly used in the Japanese language and are both informative and fun for English-speaking children to learn. The goals of My First Book of Japanese Words are multiple: to familiarize children with the sounds and structure of Japanese speech, to introduce core elements of Japanese culture, to illustrate the ways in which languages differ in their treatment of everyday sounds and to show how, through cultural importation, a single word can be shared between languages.

Both teachers and parents will welcome the book's cultural and linguistic notes and appreciate how the book is organized in a familiar ABC structure. Each word is presented in Kanji (when applicable), Kana, and Romanized form (Romaji).

With the help of this book, we hope more children (and adults) will soon be a part of the 125 million people worldwide that speak Japanese!

Aya Padron is a freelance artist who works in many media, among them painting and photography. She is the illustrator of My First Book of Korean Words and My First Book of Chinese Words. She and her husband live in Austin, TX.