SAN FRANCISCO — Christine Kawabata is a fourth-generation Japanese American, living in San Francisco with her husband and three children. Through the experiences of looking for resources to teach her kids at home during COVID, she created her first book, “Learning Colors in Japanese.”
The author and illustrator hopes to help others strengthen their Japanese-language development in a fun way.
Kawabata will be reading her debut book in partnership with the Contra Costa County Library. The live Zoom reading will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 26, from 4 to 4:45 p.m. Registration is recommended; however, you do not need to be a Contra Costa County Library card-holder to attend. All are welcome to join this fun event.
A Japanese lesson in colors of the rainbow will take place after the reading. You will receive activity sheets so you can follow along with the lesson and continue learning at home.
“Learning Colors in Japanese” is a book filled with colorful textures and playful characters to keep young readers engaged. Each color is introduced with a new ice cream cone and supports language development in English, hiragana or katakana, and romaji.
Amazon ranked “Learning Colors in Japanese” as #1 New Release in Children’s Japanese Books.
Lauren, a California mother, says, “‘Learning Colors in Japanese’ teaches my daughters Japanese with one of their favorite sweets — ice cream! It teaches colors, which are a relatable way for children to describe their world while teaching Japanese language and culture.
“I love being able to read in **romaji** and learn **hiragana** along with my kids. The simplicity of the book and characters, Taiyo and Kumo, make it engaging for both my 1- and 5-year-old children.
“As a Japanese American mom, I feel that Japanese language and culture are so often forgotten as each generation passes.”
“Learning Colors in Japanese” is available for purchase at barnesandnoble.com, usa.kinokuniya.com, amazon.com, target.com, on Apple Books, Google Books, Kindle, and everywhere books are sold online.
Visit the author’s website at: www.taiyokumo.com Register for the live Zoom reading at: https://ccclib.bibliocommons.com/events/614a7305c16edc3700b21818?_ga=2.79985502.8391744.1632959222-1528888656.1631484227