PICKED AS ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF 2013 BY THE ASSOCIATION OF BOOKSELLERS FOR CHILDREN! A perfect introduction to Japanese culture for kids, My Awesome Japan Adventure is the diary of an American fifth grader who travels to Japan to spend four exciting months with a Japanese family as an exchange student. He records all his adventures in this diary so that he can tell his friends back home about what he did and saw during his time in Japan. With the help of a Japanese foster brother and sister he visits a Ninja village, tries new foods, learns brush painting, and gets the inside scoop on daily life in a Japanese school. Readers of all ages will love experiencing life in Japan from a kid's point of view! Dan's adventures include: My First Week of School, Visiting a Ninja Village, Fun with Origami, Practicing Aikido, Making Mochi, and much more… As a multicultural children's book, My Awesome Japan Adventure is perfect for kids who want to explore another culture and have fun in the process!

A country of contradictions, Japan is a modern nation with an ancient soul. Find out what life is like in Japan. Discover how Japanese people live, work and play. Learn about the events that shaped this fascinating country. Learn all about Japan including: - Government - History - Ethnic diversity - Landscape and climate - Religions and festivals - Cultural traditions - Transport systems - Languages - Cuisine And find out more about Japan’s relationship with Australia.

In many ways, the culture and traditions of Japan are very different from our own. Just by looking at the detailed photographs in this book, readers will see that the Japanese have unique and beautiful architecture, clothing, festivals, and more. The same can be said for Japanese crafts. Readers will likely be familiar with origami, but this book also contains step-by-step instructions for making nengaj? (New Year’s) cards and a Samurai hat. Readers are sure to love learning about Japan and its many wonderful customs and traditions from this curriculum-based, high-interest text.

Japanese food reflects much about the country of Japan and its culture, and in this impressive book, readers are invited to learn as much as possible about the island nation as they don their aprons. Easy Japanese recipes such as shrimp tempura, vegetarian sushi, and green tea ice cream encourage young chefs to explore the delicacies of Japan with their taste buds, while interesting information is offered about what it’s like to live there, including its geography and cultural traditions. If an excursion to Japan isn’t possible, this fun book is the next best thing!

This title has been endorsed by Cambridge Assessment International Education Inspire learners to build, strengthen and extend their skills. Written by experienced authors and primary practitioners, Cambridge Primary English offers full coverage of the new Cambridge Primary English curriculum framework (0058). - Boost confidence and extend understanding: Tasks built in a three-step approach with 'Learn', 'Get started!' and 'Go further' plus 'Challenge yourself' activities to support differentiation and higher order thinking skills. - Revisit, practice and build on previous learning: Let learners see how their skills are developing with 'What can you remember?' checklists at the end of each unit and self-check practice quizzes. - Develop key concepts and skills: A variety of practice material throughout to build Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening skills. - Motivate learners with an international approach: The learner's books provide a variety of engaging extracts from diverse international authors covering fiction genres, non-fiction text types, poetry and plays.

"Otowa has woven a series of delightful vignettes of life in Japan, from a true historical story of feuding villages to a man who steals shoes at temples…and some highlighting the cultural differences between Japanese and American sensibilities, especially for women." -- Ginny Tapley-Takemori, translator of Convenience Store Woman From the unique standpoint of an American woman who married into a Japanese family and has lived in Japan for more than thirty years, Rebecca Otowa weaves enchanting tales of her adopted home that portray the perspective of both the Japanese and the foreigner on the universal issues that face us all--love, work, marriage, death, and family conflict. The collection includes: A Year of Coffee and Cake--A young American wife in the Tokyo suburbs suspects her next-door neighbor of murdering an elderly relative. Rhododendron Valley--An elderly man decides to commit suicide to deal with his terminal illness and to spare his family pain. The Mad Kyoto Shoe Swapper--A reclusive young Japanese man enjoys the strange hobby of stealing shoes from temples, but it gradually consumes him. Genbei's Curse--A downtrodden woman loses her temper with her demanding, sick father-in-law. Years later, old and sick herself, she can now empathize with him. Trial by Fire--A true story passed down through the author's family of a gruesome trial to settle a land dispute in 1619. Love and Duty--The Japanese custom of "duty chocolates" (chocolates gifted by women to men on Valentine's Day) has repercussions for an American and a Japanese woman. Uncle Trash--Told in the form of newspaper articles, this is the story of an old man, his hoarding addiction, the annoyance it brings his family, and his eventual revenge. Watch Again--A man starts stalking his ex-wife and learns something about himself in the process. Three Village Stories--A tea ceremony teacher, a vengeful son, and an old man ostracized by his community are the protagonists in three vignettes of village life. The Rescuer--After meeting his death in a train accident, a young man finds himself in the position of rescuing others from the same fate. Showa Girl--Based on a true story from the author's family, a girl of fifteen has an arranged marriage with an older man just back from a POW camp in Russia in 1948. Rachel and Leah--An older American woman reflects on her long and not always happy marriage to a Japanese man. The Turtle Stone--Going from the 1950s to the present, this is the story of one man's efforts to keep the family cake shop alive in a Kyoto that is constantly modernizing. Illustrated throughout with the author's own black-and-white drawings, this captivating volume offers a unique and lovingly rendered insight into everyday life in modern Japan.

A comprehensive guide to designing homeschool curriculum, from one of the country’s foremost homeschooling experts—now revised and updated! Homeschooling can be a tremendous gift to your children—a personalized educational experience tailored to each kid’s interests, abilities, and learning styles. But what to teach, and when, and how? Especially for first-time homeschoolers, the prospect of tackling an annual curriculum can be daunting. In Home Learning Year by Year, Rebecca Rupp presents comprehensive plans from preschool through high school, covering integral subjects for each grade, with lists of topics commonly presented at each level, recommended resource and reading lists, and suggestions for creative alternative options and approaches. Included, along with all the educational basics, are techniques and resources for teaching everything from philosophy to engineering, as well as suggestions for dealing with such sensitive topics as sex education. Now revised throughout with all-new updates featuring the most effective and up-to-date methods and reading guides to homeschool your child at all ages, Home Learning Year by Year continues to be the definitive book for the homeschooling parent.

Your gifts connect you to a world of giving Americans are generous with their pocketbooks, but trying to make a difference and actually making a difference are two different things. Where Am I Giving? by New York Times bestselling author Kelsey Timmerman takes you on a journey to meet people who will inspire you to live a purpose-filled, generous life and make the greatest impact you can through your career, time, consumer dollars, and donations. Starting in his hometown of Muncie, Indiana, and then traveling all over the world (Myanmar, Kenya, India, Nepal, and more), Kelsey explores not only different ways of giving—as a worker, consumer, volunteer, giver, local and global citizen—but also the benefits and effectiveness of these methods. He spends time with monks, students, a refugee, a Marine, a former Hollywood executive, Peace Corps Volunteers, and seasoned aid workers to explore how they give, as well as with the people on the receiving end of their giving. Along the way he struggles to be a more informed giver as he becomes a "voluntourist,” starts his own local non-profit, and searches for a balance between rationality and passion in how he gives. This book will help you: Reveal the amazing opportunities you have to make an impact using your own gifts—and it doesn't have to be money Understand the sociology, philosophy, anthropology, and neuroscience of giving See how giving can make you more connected and happier Examine types of giving, including microlending, volunteering, donating, ethical consumption, mission trips, voluntourism, child sponsorship, etc. Dive into a nuanced view of effectiveness of international aid and its intersection with development, politics, and culture Where Am I Giving? is a fast-paced narrative combining compelling stories collected over 15 years of travel to 90+ countries, mixed with practical advice on how to make giving a part of our everyday lives.

Snow Tales and Powder Trails is a collection of short stories and photographs, telling of a lifetime journey through snowy lands and mountains, using skis as a mode of transport and artistic medium. The experiences of the author come to life on the page, mirrored by images of stunning snow-covered peaks and landscapes. Using vast untracked snowfields as a blank canvas, the author draws line after line with his skis, etching his signature temporarily into the earth's surface, only for the next snowstorm to come in and cover any trace of human existence. The book explores some of the different aspects of skiing, mostly in deep fresh powder, and illustrates the adventures and elation that the mountains in winter can offer.

When iCarly is nominated for a Web award, the team heads off to Japan for the awards ceremony. But will the competition succeed in sabotaging their chance to win? Based on the iCarly full-length TV movie, this chapter book is a must for every iCarly fan!