If the author and publishers designed this book to be read from beginning to end, there are probably more successful ways to organize the information presented. As mentioned earlier, each chapter begins with a festival, and is followed by other information which, at first glance, seems to be chosen at random as, in many cases, there is no connection with the festival for which each chapter is named. In the publicity that accompanied this review copy, we learn that it is arranged historically, beginning with the "first Japanese people living as nomadic tribes and follows developments as Japan becomes a land of settled rice growers and organized by clans and speaking a common language." Therefore, one might assume that the festivals are tied to other historical events described in each chapter. But historical information, such as the dates the festivals started, is not included, nor are dates included in other sections. The chapter that works best is the last chapter on "The Cherry Blossom Festival." (Although it is not completely clear to this reader, it appears that the Cherry Blossom Festival happens only in the U.S.) Following the description of the festival, there is information on the Japanese immigration, the famous cherry trees in Washington D.C., and the Internment during World War II. But the folk tale that is included in this section is one acted out by kamishibaiya-san (paper theatre men) on the streets of Tokyo. The side bar that accompanies this story is about sake.

      In addition to stories (which are all retold well), there are craft activities and recipes for special holiday foods.

      This reviewer is not an expert on Japanese culture and cannot comment on the accuracy of the text. However, at times the writing style is loose and difficult to understand, the structure difficult to comprehend and the index is incomplete. The information on the festivals will probably be of interest, but there have been other books in recent years that cover these topics. For the student who likes nonfiction, this would be a hard sell, and for research projects, inadequate.

Not Recommended.