This book is a great example to use when teaching about different countries around the world, providing facts and historical stories about Ancient China. ( )

I think this is an interesting book and has a lot of information. I like that there is a lot of information and how it is organized but I did not like that some of the pages I felt like had too much information for one page. One thing I liked about the book is that for each letter of the English alphabet there something from Chinese culture. The way this is organized allows for English speakers to understand more about the Chinese culture. And with each word or phrase there is additional information about it. But one thing I don’t like about this book is that I think there is a lot of extra information put onto one page. The pages typically had a large picture displaying what the topic was but would also have a long paragraph about the topic. I don’t think that most children would read the entire paragraph. The overall purpose of this book is too inform the readers about things that are important or traditional in Chinese culture. ( )

I think that this is a great informational book. I think that 5th and 6th graders could find this helpful if they were doing a project, or just interested in the subject. I don't think that this would be a easy read for younger readers, considering the long paragraphs on the side of each page filled with information. However, I do recommend this book, it was well put together, the pictures were great, it was overall a fun read. They were able to go through the alphabet and put something that would explain part of the culture with each letter. For example, "Z is for the Chinese zodiac. Twelve animals are the signs. The lunar cycles of the moon, a calendar of circular designs". I think it's very helpful and definitely interesting to read. I think that the big picture here is to inform readers about the culture with different fun pictures, and facts to make sure the readers understand the traditions. ( )

I thought this book was interesting because it connected the alphabet to culture. The book travels through the Silk Road, to Beijing, and then Roman Empire. One reason I liked this book is because the author uses letters of the alphabet to connect to words that start with that letter and that the letter can stand for something else in Chinese cultures. This book is great for early kids learning the alphabet. Also, the author also gives lots of description and details of the places in the illustration. For example, “S is for the Silk Road, great for trading for merchants. Another reason I liked this book is because the author can connect to readers that have never been out of the country, a bit of experience on what it would be like to visit and information about the places. For example, there is a huge map of China, other countries around it, the Silk Road and the Roman Empire. The big idea of the story is teaching the reader about Chinese traditions and cultures. This book is great for teachers who are teaching the alphabet to their students. ( )

I liked this book for connecting to one’s culture and the creativity the author brought by using each letter in the alphabet. The book goes through the Silk Road from Beijing to the Roman Empire. One reason I liked this book is because the author uses each letter of the alphabet to show that letter stands for something else in the Chinese culture. In addition, on each page following what the letter stands for, the author also gives an inside about the place drawn on the illustration. For example, “B is for Beijing. Big in size, culture, and history, it is the capital of China. Why visitors love it is no mystery…” Another reason I liked this book is because the author can connect to readers that are interested about visiting this country and places, and also gives little pieces to enhance the book. For example, on the end pages of the book, there is a huge map of China and its surrounding countries. On the end page all the way in the end of the book, it shows the trail from the Silk Road to the Roman Empire. The big idea of the story is teaching the reader about Chinese traditions/cultures and different places in China and its surrounding places. It would be helpful for one that is going to visit China and would like more information about the culture. ( )