A to Zen: A Book of Japanese Culture

Wells puts the alphabet to an unusual use--as a framework for an exploration of Japanese culture. A is for Aikido, the popular martial-arts concept; B for Bunraku, wooden puppets; and so on, through Futon, Origami, Pachinko (a Japanese pinball game) and Workuman (Walkman), with each subject receiving a paragraph of explication. This format is both a strength and a weakness: it permits Wells to cover a wide variety of topics, but information is presented in random, often infelicitous order (``Nippon,'' a thematically logical starting point, comes halfway through), without the narrative connections needed to form a coherent whole. In its brevity the text glances across key points; the country's two main religions, for instance--Zen and Shinto--are dutifully mentioned, but not the more interesting fact that most Japanese embrace elements of both. Yoshi's richly colored, harmonious batiks (the book's strongest aspect) capture the measured grace--the beauty in simplicity--that is an underpinning of much Japanese art and thought. Despite its format, this book is best suited to older children and to those with a basic familiarity with Japan, who will be able to fit its various snippets into a larger context. Ages 3-up. (Nov.)