Holiday Gift Ideas: Books to Learn & Create with a Japanese Spin

 

Disclosure: I was sent copies of these books in order to provide an honest review. All opinions are my own.

For those who celebrate, did you enjoy your Thanksgiving? We had a nice time with my family. Yesterday was Black Friday which is of course the kickoff to holiday shopping. Did you get any deals? Today I thought I would share some gift ideas for kids. I love gifting books especially ones they can use to create or keep themselves busy. Today I have three great books for you and all three have a Japanese spin to them. We will start with the first one that is truly one that is meant for creating. It is Hokusai Dot-to-Dot Puzzle Book from Tuttle Publishing. I would say this is for upper elementary and older. My middle school and high school students love this book!

About the Book:

Discover the Timeless Beauty of Hokusai—One Dot at a Time!
A relaxing, brain-boosting puzzle experience for art lovers and mindful hobbyists.

The Hokusai Dot-to-Dot Puzzle Book is a unique activity book for adults that blends the calming power of dot-to-dot puzzles with the breathtaking artistry of Katsushika Hokusai (1760 - 1849), Japan's most iconic woodblock printmaker. Featuring 30 intricate puzzles based on Hokusai's celebrated Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji series, each page invites you to reconnect with your creativity and focus.

From the legendary "Great Wave off Kanagawa" to peaceful village scenes beneath snow-covered peaks, each puzzle is paired with a full-color reproduction of the original artwork and a brief description that brings the image to life. Whether you're looking for a thoughtful gift or a meditative way to unwind, this book offers a perfect blend of beauty, brain health, and art history.

Inside this unique activity book:

• 30 advanced dot-to-dot puzzles—each based on Hokusai's iconic Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji series, with an average of over 800 dots per puzzle
• Includes "The Great Wave off Kanagawa", the most famous work in all of Japanese art
• Full-color reproductions of the original Hokusai prints accompany each puzzle, along with insightful descriptions
• Printed on high-quality, bleed-resistant paper—ideal for pens or pencils
• Designed to improve focus, reduce stress, and support brain health through mindful engagement

Perfect for art lovers, puzzle fans, mindfulness seekers, or anyone looking for a meaningful and beautiful activity—this book makes an ideal gift for birthdays, holidays, or quiet evenings at home.

From Me:

Now I have shared many dot-to-dot books previously. Hazel loved them when she was young! The suggested age for them is 8 and up and many of the ones I have shared are no longer available but there are some still available here. I have also shared quite a few products and posts on Hokusai and his art. I love this book because it shares the photograph of the artwork with information about it and then on the back side it has the dot-to-dot for the reader to connect the artwork. The pages are perforated as well so they can be taken out. My students love this book. I asked a couple of my students to try out the book. One student (a high school senior) chose the famous wave picture and finished in about two hours. She chose not to color it. 

I have a seventh grader who loves dot-to-dot. I discovered this in pre-algebra class when we were learning plotting points. I gave them picture puzzles to plot the points and connect the dots to make pictures, and he asked for more. He was so excited when I showed him the book and told him to choose a page to work on after he finished his test. He now comes to get it any time he has down time in class. He chose "Under the Mannen Bridge at Fukagawa."

If he hasn't finished by the holiday break, I'll let him take it home. I started working on "Honganji at Asakusa in Edo" last week.

    One of the things I like about this book besides being famous paintings is that it tells the number of dots for each piece. The reader can choose a longer or shorter one depending on the time they have. The pages are high quality, and it is really a fun book. Connecting dots is a relaxing thing for the brain and I love offering it to kids because it gives them mental breaks while still working on numbers and visual skills. This book is perfect for anyone eight and over who loves connect the dots, loves art or loves puzzles. 

Our next two books are food related. The first is a wonderful picture book that shares the origin of fortune cookies. It also shares a bit of the Japanese American history. It is Fortune Cookies for Everyone! by Mia Wenjen and illustrated by Colleen Kong Savage. It is recommended for ages 4 to 7, but I would say even older because of the interesting story! If you haven't checked out Mia Wenjen's other books, be sure to check our reviews!

About the Book:

• California Reading Association Gold Award Winner
• A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

An investigative picture book which cracks the cookie open to discover what is known about the origins of everyone's favorite crunchy after-dinner treat - a collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution.

Grandma Miyako hosts her grandchildren for a takeout meal. Of course, at the end of the meal, she hands out the fortune cookies and begins to share the story of this popular treat with the attentive children as they munch on them. She claims she knew the true inventor of the fortune cookie, but the history is not so clear. Using fortunes as headings, each section of the book delivers an episode in the unusual history of the fortune cookie and lays out the great debate about where and when they were first made. California was certainly the location, but in which city was the original baker located? This picture book looks inside these crunchy, biscuity treats to reveal the cultural origins and locations of the creators. Along the way, we discover some surprising history regarding this delicious edible delight, including a rivalry between bakers that remains somewhat unresolved today. Fortune Cookies for All is a compelling mystery containing US history; the good, the bad, and the ugly, in a single bite. But most of all, it celebrates immigrants and their pursuit of the American dream.

From Me:

Fortune cookies? I said these were books with a Japanese spin. Yup, just like in The Traveling Taco, Mia Wenjen investigated the origin of our favorite fortune cookies and discovered they actually have Japanese roots! A Japanese American grandmother shares a meal and a story with her grandchildren. She tells about the first fortune cookies which were made by her friend's father. They were miso flavored! Japanese restaurants started giving them out as they gained popularity but then World War II began, and the Japanese Americans were sent to concentration camps. The Chinese restaurants began making them instead. By this time the flavor had changed to the sweeter version we know. When the Japanese families returned their cookies were being made by the Chinese and many of their restaurants had been closed and looted. 

The book goes into different history with the history of the war as well as the fight as to which city, Los Angeles or San Francisco, invented the fortune cookie. It also explains how the fortune cookie and the expectation of getting them with Chinese food came about. In the Author's Note Mia shares a bit of her own family history (Chinese father and Japanese mother). In the Illustrator's Note Colleen shares how she tried to work in some Japanese design motifs. There is also a list of words for kids to understand (some Japanese and some locations or people). 

I find this book so interesting and fun. It shares a great deal of history of the United States as well as a look at immigrants and the life they have had. Some of it is the American dream and some is rather ugly, but all of it is true. This book is wonderful for children who love fortune cookies, love food and love history. It is a great book for a classroom or story time and is a great book for Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month (in May). It is also a great gift for a foodie. The history of the fortune cookie is long and twisted and Mia had to truly dig to discover it. The book is a perfect gift for a Japanese American child as well. It may give them someone to look up to and be proud of. I know I loved reading it! I would say to go with the book one should make fortune cookies. For more about the treatment of Japanese Americans during World War II check out A Place Where Sunflowers Grow. 

Our final book is a cookbook for kids. Hazel always loved these books when she was young and loved to try the recipes. We did a lot of cooking when she was little and now, she knows her way around a kitchen even though she doesn't cook that much. This book is Japanese Cooking with Kids by Debra Samuels and Mayumi Uejima-Carr. It is recommended for ages 8 to 14. Of course, older cooks might enjoy it as well. 

About the Book:

Kid-friendly Japanese meals you can make together and get everyone to enjoy eating healthier!

Japanese Cooking with Kids is the perfect way for you and your kids to learn about Japanese cooking while having fun in the kitchen — and to get them excited about eating healthy meals. Some of these dishes may even become their new favorites!

These 50 kid-tested recipes for ages 8 to 14 get "two thumbs up" and empty plates every time. They include:

• Ever-popular Rice Dishes like Onigiri Rice Balls, Sushi Rice in Tofu Pockets and Chicken and Egg Rice Bowls
• Flavors from the Sea including Japanese Seaweed Sprinkles on Popcorn and Tuna Salad Sushi Rolls
• Classic Japanese Favorites like steamed Gyoza Potstickers and Miso Ramen Noodle Soup
• Cute Bento Lunch Boxes with Octopus-shaped Hot Dogs and delicious Japanese-style Fried Chicken
• Delicious Desserts and Drinks like Strawberry Soy Milk, Glazed Mochi Balls and Green Tea Matcha Tea Cakes
• And so much more!

Each chapter in this book contains a fun, hands-on activity like counting to ten in Japanese while washing your hands, growing your own green onions or making your own chopstick rests! In addition to preparing delicious Japanese recipes, kids will learn the basic principles of Japanese cuisine — eating foods that are in season, and only eating until you feel 80% full—to help you live a healthier life.

Japanese Cooking with Kids will give you and your family a whole new perspective on food and eating—the Japanese way!

From Me:

This book is full of fun recipes and information about Japanese food as well as nutrition! It has information about cooking including instructions on how to measure and cut food. It also has some Japanese phrased mixed in. The authors also share the spotlight with some kids from Table for Two. Both authors are also part of the Table for Two USA organization. 

This book has some great and easy to follow recipes for all sorts of meals. It starts with Japanese rice then has food from the sea, soy, vegetables and fruit, favorites, school lunches and Bento box lunches as well as dessert and drinks. The beginning of the book has the introductions as well as a note to the adults. Then it goes through the important elements of Japanese cuisine--one of which is family together time!! Does your family eat a meal together? It is important to have meals as a family every day!! It goes into eating healthy and what the different types of food help with like carbohydrates give energy. Then it shares about the basic Japanese ingredients and basic equipment. It has the kitchen safety and good practices as well as learning to count to ten in Japanese while you wash your hands. After lessons on measuring (including which type of measuring cup to use when) and cutting various foods and cutting terms, the chapter begin. It of course begins with making Japanese rice. It offers instructions for both stove top and using a rice cooker. Next come some fun rice ball recipes and other rice recipes. 

Then the second chapter begins with a craft. It teaches how to make a chopstick rest using paper and tying a Japanese knot. There are photo instructions! The third chapter begins with a chopsticks challenge for a group to try. It would be fun for a family with kids! The third chapter teaches kids how to save and use some of the parts of foods we normally waste. There are lessons on drying orange peels and growing green onions from the bulb. 

The recipes have colorful photographs and easy to follow instructions. There are tips throughout as well as information about each recipe. The book even teaches a bit about the Japanese culture with the various lunches and more. There are the Okosama Lunch and School Lunch as well as the Bento Box Lunches. Each explain about what they are and where kids would have them. Looking at the photographs makes one realize the Japanese have fun with food! The plates look beautiful and often have some fun decorative food. 

I also LOVE that it has a page on how to read a nutritional label!! This is a life skill everyone needs!! This book is full of fun recipes, educational activities and more. It is also a perfect book for families to come together and cook and eat together. Teaching kids to cook and eat various types of food is so important. A way to make it fun is by books like this one. Get into the kitchen with your kids and start cooking some Japanese cuisine! This book is a perfect gift for a family with 8- to 14-year-olds. It is also perfect for any child who loves to cook, wants to learn to cook, loves Japanese food or wants to try it. We have shared many different types of cookbooks over the years. Be sure to check them out as well.