Books published by publisher Kodansha Amer Inc

Instead of an alphabet, Japanese use katakana and hiragana to show the pronunciation of words. It is the purpose of this book to teach you how to read and write hiragana. In all, there are forty-six hiragana characters for forty-six different sounds. This is not as difficult as it seems. With this original picture book, you can learn to read and write hiragana in no time at all, and have fun doing it. Key English words and pictures are linked to all the hiragana characters to help you fix their shapes in your mind. Manga-style illustrations and nearly 100 mini-articles about Japanese society and culture not only help you remember the characters but also add to your knowledge of Japan. Altogether, this makes Hiragana Gambatte! quite an unusual workbook. Hiragana Gambatte! teaches you to: * Understand the differences between hiragana and the alphabet * Understand the systematic nature of hiragana * Use the correct stroke order when writing hiragana * Write hiragana so that each character is consistent in size and shape

Kodansha International is thrilled to introduce an adorable Miffy plush toy in combination with her most popular storybook, Miffy. Miffy is a loveable bunny that has delighted children worldwide for forty-five years. Dick Bruna's books have enchanted millions of young readers of forty languages. Now for the first time in the United States, the introductory Miffy story is being paired with a plush toy that is sure to charm the scores of existing devotees and to win the hearts of new readers.