A fairly dry and more-than-fairly racially dated account of Perry's interactions with the Japanese. For kids. Really not sure how this won a Newbery Honor. Yoicks. ( )

Japan's long period of strict isolationism and how it ended is another of the many blank spaces from my own education that has been filled in by homeschooling my children. This book includes illustrations made at the time by both Japanese and American artists, as well as primary sources in the appendices. Some bits were a little confusing and/or a little boring for my son, but the fact that my eight-year-old paid attention to an entire sixteen-chapter book about nineteenth-century diplomacy means Blumberg was doing some pretty solid authoring with this one. ( )

The telling of relations between North America and Japan following the arrival of Commodore Perry. The accounts and art are depicted from Japan's perspective.

Quick easy read with lots of photographs. I recommend it. ( )

I was pleasantly surprised with this book. I wasn't expecting to enjoy it so much. The book is relatively quick as a reading experience and presents well -without endless details, names, and dates- the efforts of Perry and his men to form a treaty with the Japanese people during a time of extreme isolationism. The manner in which the two sides keep each other at length and also cross over to learn about one another is entertaining. ( )