First Book of Sushi

by Amy Wilson Sanger

Miso in my sippy cup, tofu in my bowl! From tekka maki to wasabi, tasty treats await young readers in this colorful, rhyming ode to Japanese cuisine. With pages full of tummy-tempting foods, the books in the World Snacks series are a delicious way to introduce even the littlest eaters to cuisines from all around the globe.

Genres: Childrens, Picture Books, Food, Japan, Nonfiction

22 pages, Board Book

First published June 15, 2001

Reviews

[Josiah]

Amy Wilson Sanger's First Book of Sushi, though still a "World Snacks Book", differs in some ways from another of the author's board books on the subject of foreign cuisine, Yum Yum Dim Sum. Unlike that book, First Book of Sushi has no glossary of terms on the back page; which, while it would have been helpful for the uninitiated in Japanese culinary wares (such as myself, for the most part), is still a highly unusual feature for a board book. First Book of Sushi also differs in that the foods chosen for presentation are even less mainstream to the U.S. Japanese restaurant scene than in Yum Yum Dim Sum. I have to admit, I'd never heard of the majority of the foods mentioned in this book.

Similar to Yum Yum Dim Sum, I believe First Book of Sushi may find its main audience with Japanese immigrants who wish to give their babies a small piece of Japanese culture to grow up with even as they are immersed in the culture of the land where they live. Overall, this book has nice color combinations and some fun rhyming, but it is mainly as a mode of passing on Japanese culture to new generations of babies living away from the motherland that I see it having an impact. Nonetheless, I did enjoy reading it.

[Julia Smith]

I got this months ago for a dollar on a whim at the Open Books warehouse. I have now memorized it, recited it by heart in standstill airport traffic, and can command my toddler "Go find the sushi book!" when I need to distract her from the shiny insides of the dishwasher and other stuff I don't want her touching. The illustrations are a little busy so I wasn't sure A would get into it, especially when she was little, but she took an immediate shine to the rhymes and rhythm. And I like sushi but I'm no expert, so I learned some vocab this way! Hopefully this will set the foundation for some even more fun sushi restaurant trips when she's old enough to appreciate them.

Apparently this author has a whole line of "World Snacks" books. I'll research further to see if she falls into the Appreciation vs. Appropriation camp: https://greenheart.org/blog/greenhear...

[K]

The whole World Snacks food series of Board Books is so charming, witty, and clever. I salute the author for her series. I was however so astonished to see eating blue fin tuna (a critically endangered species) advocated in the book. I literally gasped when I came across it. I think kids who have this book will be sad to know they were taught to eat that fish before they, as children, knew any better.
Five stars for the whole series, taking three stars off though for the advocacy of eating endangered species from our oceans. Blue fin tuna need all of the human help they can get.

[Laura]

I really like this book, and though the food it describes is unfamiliar to my kids at the moment, I hope they will be adventurous eaters who are always willing to try new things. Plus, I love introducing them to cultural differences from around the world. Finally, it is fairly impressive that an entire book can be written about sushi in rhyme.

[Erin]

I bought this book for myself when I moved back from Japan, because it was just so cute. I also bought it again for a friend when she actually had a baby. The illustrations are beautiful and look cut and layered from different papers, and the rhymes are cute and fun. I recommend this as a board book, but also as a fun bookshelf book.

[Amanda]

This book is so cute! It rhymes and teaches about sushi. It uses some Japanese words for the ingredients, but that’s not too unusual to see them on a sushi menu. They can also be sounded out fairly easily for second graders. This is a great way to bring some Japanese culture into the classroom.

[Kelly Anderson]

This "My First Book of..." series is incredible. Our copy has some bites taken out of the corners, which is fitting, since we're all big fans of sushi. The colors are amazing, and I love the vocabulary that it has provided.

[Ruth]

For all my sushi lovers! This is an introduction book to teaching your kids the different types of sushi rolls. I do wish they used real pictures instead of cartoon cut out/drawings to depict the food.

[Sivyu]

Super cute little kid's board book on sushi. The pictures are mainly paper cut outs.

[Bridgette Elston]

For a first book I would have listed a pronunciation guide and a little list of what is in each item.

[KaitandMaddie]

Kait says we can never get rid of this. It is a fun book.

[Emily]

Read to Charlotte. Perhaps was a mistake to do this right before my own lunch… It made me hungry!

[Christine Joy]

It was okay. I disliked it for the writing. It just didn't sound nice in my head when I read it. I liked the illustrations though!

[zunggg]

Superbly-decorated board book. Short and very sweet poem (which scans perfectly!) in praise of all things sushi from a toddler's eye view.

[Amber]

"First Book of Sushi" is a picture book by Amy Wilson Sanger. It is intended for children from birth to 2 years (N). The book is short and sweet and to the point. It is a simple book about sushi that teaches the reader what kinds of sushi there are and what kinds of fish are in the sushi. I gave “First Book of Sushi” 5 stars for quite a few reasons. First, the book is interesting. You don’t find too many books on sushi for toddlers. I love sushi and this book was a good way to teach my son about sushi and introduce him to food of a different culture. The colors used in the book are vibrant yet subdued to an extent. The color stays real to the food. The illustrations are creative. The book is actually a series of pictures created by use of all kinds of different materials like beads, construction paper and tissue paper. I think this book would certainly appeal to young readers. It’s catchy, it teaches new and exciting terms and words. I would use this book to teach children the importance of trying new things. I would also incorporate this book into a lesson about different cultures and their foods. I think “First Book of Sushi” is a great way to teach children respect for another culture as well as respect and thanks for food!

[Savanah]

Reading level: K-1st grade
Interest Level: Early Childhood/Preschool
Genre:Picture Book
Themes/Subjects: Japanese culture and/or food
Main characters: NA
Setting: NA
POV: Narrator

This is a fantastic board book for Early childhood or preschool aged children. There are very vibrant colored pictures of different types of sushi. The book is full of rhyming text that would be suitable for young children. The story definitely uses Japanese words that some may not be so familiar with like "hamachi, maguro slice, futomaki, Ikura, tamago, shrimp ebi, and tobiko". However, they are all Japanese words for different types of ingredients you may find in different sushi's with great pictures to go along with them.

I would definitely use this book in my classroom just because I am very familiar with Japanese food, especially sushi and the meaning of the words. I also really like the rhyming of the sentences. I think this would be a great opportunity for young students to even become familiar with different cultures and the different foods that they may eat. There is also a somewhat personal connection for me because I was raised around the Japanese culture and ate a lot of sushi when I was a young kid myself.

[Heidi-Marie]

Going through donations. I couldn't pass up a board book about sushi! Interesting. Having eaten a lot of Japanese food in the last year+, I was much more familiar with some of the terms than I would have been before. I was surprised at the use of rhyme in the book. The illustrations were interesting. I'm not sure how a child would relate to the book, unless sushi is something they're already familiar with.

[Valerie]

This is a cute board book which can introduce children to Sushi and other Japanese foods. It had paper collage style pictures which are large and visually appealing. Although the text rhymes, the rhymes sometimes cross pages and aren't always obvious. My favorite thing about the copy of the book I have is that the corner of the book has teeth marks. A great toddlers recommendation for a book about food.

[Dolly]

This book has great pictures and a fun, rhyming narrative. I bought this right away when I had our first baby. I thought it was quite appropriate since we lived in Japan!

We read this one over and over again until I had the narrative memorized and the book started falling apart. Such good memories!

[Bailey Jane]

Just ordered this on Amazon today (02/29/10))! My first baby purchase!

06/21/10 - I can't wait to read this to baby Piper when she gets here!The colors are so bright and eye-catching and the book actually taught me a thing or two about sushi that I didn't know! What a fun series. I totally plan on ordering the other books in the series as well.

[Lisa]

I find this book funny, and it's certainly a hit with the hipper parents I know, especially those who dine a sushi bars frequently since it acquaints little ones with the cuisine they'll see there. However, this one has not been that popular with my toddler and gets requested only infrequently.

[Marie]

This board-book series introduces world food with words from the appropriate language in a rollicking, rhyming text. Pictures are paper collages. Nice intro to sounds of other languages and foods from other cultures.

[Mary]

Quite perfect for our restaurant play, particularly with our newly added wooden sushi set. A good intro which resonated with several students and stirred interest in a possible asian food day in the future. Not to mention pictures full of texture, depth and bright color.

[Katy Jean Vance]

I LOVED it! I gave this as a present to a friend at a baby shower with the "Stock the Baby's Library" theme. It has beautiful pictures, and wonderful rhyming text. It is a nice change to the usual baby books given at parties.

[Meredith]

This board book introduces Japanese cuisine to young readers.

Collage style illustrations accompany rhyming text. As someone who doesn't often eat Japanese food, I stumbled over many of the words. A glossary is included on the next to last page.

[Mort's Kids]

The art is creative and unusual, which I appreciate. More generally, I love the concept of a sushi themed children's book. But some of the rhymes feel a bit awkward and forced, and it just doesn't flow as nicely as it could.

[Jude Gravois]

I love this book and so does Jude. It has great art and a fun rhyme. Jude's a big fan of sushi.

[Annchan Maulana]

sushi lover guide book nie ^^

[Dena]

This and the Sandra Boynton books were among Alex's first memorized lines. It's no wonder sushi is still his favorite food!

[Sarah]

This whole series is so funny.