In the story, Dodsworth in Tokyo, there is a character named the duck. Trouble always seem to find the duck where every he goes. When Dodsworth and the duck first arrive in Tokyo, Dodsworth has to remind the duck to be on his best behavior, and of course the duck agrees. As they both left the airport, the duck is walking outside and bumps into a rickshaw carrying tourists. The driver stopped and yelled something in Japanese at the duck. Dodsworth has to talk to the duck already about being aware of his surroundings. The two go to the park, and see a little girl playing with a kendama. Dodsworth explained to the duck the ball is attached to a string and the goal is to get the ball onto the stick. The duck seemed impressed about the game. Later on they came back through the same spot where the girl was playing with her kendama, and the kendama was still there but girl was not. They decided wait a little bit with the toy to see if she would come back. It was starting to get dark so they agreed to come back tomorrow. They came back to tomorrow and the girl was no where to be found. After a couple of days of searching for her, they went to a Sanja Festival at the temple at Asakusa. Before you know it, trouble found the duck. He is jumping over people, running on top of taiko drums, swinging from a rope, and bumped into a statue. The festival went silent because they were all starring at the duck. The duck took the kendama and handed to the little girl who left it in the park. The little girl was please, and so was the grandfather. The crowd started to cheer and continue with the festival. Turns out the duck can do something good after all. ( )

“Dodsworth in Tokyo” is a great book for several reasons. Dodsworth and his friend, a duck, go on an adventure to the city of Tokyo, Japan. The author, Tim Egan takes these two friends on an adventure through the city, visiting the most common places to visit when in Tokyo. The story is about the obstacles these two friends encounter and the simple solution that happens at the end. Through Tokyo, they explore parks, museums, landmarks, and celebrations that they enjoy together, along with trying to stay out of trouble. Second, Egan’s simple and beautiful illustrations capture the life and color of the city of Tokyo. The colors and drawings combine perfectly to show the easy, happy time they have visiting Tokyo together. Another reason I like the book is that it is in small chapters to attract younger readers. The characters experience some difficulty in each chapter of the book, but have a solution by the end of the chapter. This is a cute and informative book for young people. It is informational because it talks about the main places to visit when going to Tokyo. Some children would be able to relate to this book, since it could be a trip they have taken with their family. Overall, this chapter book contains two friends taking a journey with plenty of bumps in the road, but in the end it is one to remember! ( )

Dodsworth and the duck go to Tokyo. Everything is mysterious and delicious and cleverly fun. The duck has trouble fitting in, as usual, and accidently breaks things and knocks things over, but all is good in the end. I really liked this little trip to Tokyo with Dodsworth and the duck. ( )

Author (Last name first): Egan, Tom
Title of the Book: Dodsworth in Tokyo
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children Date of Publication: 2013
ISBN# 978-0-547-87745-7
Price: $14.99 Grade Level: LowerEl/UpperEl Number of Pages: 45
VOYA Rating: 4Q 4P for Elementary

Highly Recommended

Dodsworth and the duck are on their way to Japan. Dodsworth warns the duck several times to behave. The duck promises, but the reader can tell something is going to happen. Readers will learn the word Arigato (thank you) and the custom of bowing and taking your shoes off in Japanese culture. Dodsworth and the duck take a tour to some famous places in Japan including Tokyo Tower, the Ginza district, Sumida River, Imperial Palace and the lush East Gardens. Along the way there are Koi fish and cherry blossoms. Dodsworth promises the duck wagashi (Japanese desserts) if he behaves and he does try really, really hard. In the end Dodsworth and the duck realize they have had a great time in Tokyo.

Readers will learn a lot about Japanese culture and a few words in this story. It is a great introduction to Tokyo. The watercolor illustrations are cute and convey a lot of emotion. They include a lot of famous Japanese landmarks. It seems like just a fun story about traveling, but readers will be surprised at how much they learn. This would be a great book for an IB Primary Years Programme. It would also make for a good read aloud to elementary students learning about Japan. A great library activity would be to allow students to make sumi-e paintings just like they did in the story. This is a great addition to the other Dodsworth books and perfect for a school library. ( )

An early transitional chapter book with charming illustrations, Dodsworth in Tokyo is the latest of an ongoing series in which the title character and his perennially misbehaving duck visit various countries. Divided into four chapters, readers follow Dodsworth and the duck’s adventure and misadventures during a visit to Tokyo, including a visit to the Imperial Museum and the Senso-ji temple in Asakusa. There is little background to the story, other than Dodworths’ travelling, and little character development, so readers looking for a characters to identify with may be disappointed. However, Egan’s descriptions and illustrations of a visit to Japan are humorous and realistic, albeit populated with anthropomorphic animals. Readers interested in Japan or foreign travel in general may be interested. The Japanese locations mentioned could be used to plan an extension activity to find out more about them. Egan succeeds in including Japanese words and place names in a meaningful way while keeping overall word choice simple. Recommended for readers ready for simple transitional chapter books. ( )