Let's Learn Kanji: An Introduction to Radicals, Components, and 250 Very Basic Kanji

Rating:
Summary: Good but not for beginners.
Review: I agree with the previous authors, that it's a very helpful and thorough book that gives you loads of opportunity to see the kanji in context and to practise writing it.
However, this is not a book for beginners, despite the very friendly name! I got demotivated because of the lack of reward of learning radical after radical but having little Japanese to attach it to.
Now that I know 3-400 kanji, I can see the value of the book.

Rating:
Summary: BEAUTIFUL!
Review: I have been writing Japanese for years, and I started with the author's "Let's Learn Hiragana" and "Let's Learn Katakana." I loved both books, especially the Hiragana. I learned Kanji from various sources, spent hundreds of dollars on books (literally), yet none of them were as beautifully written as this one. If you want to learn the characters in depth, and want to really enjoy writing them (yes, it is artistic and even fun to do) and not just be flabbergasted and frustrated, this is the book to start with (or even switch over to). I might get this book just to improve my handwriting!

Rating:
Summary: BEAUTIFUL!
Review: I have been writing Japanese for years, and I started with the author's "Let's Learn Hiragana" and "Let's Learn Katakana." I loved both books, especially the Hiragana. I learned Kanji from various sources, spent hundreds of dollars on books (literally), yet none of them were as beautifully written as this one. If you want to learn the characters in depth, and want to really enjoy writing them (yes, it is artistic and even fun to do) and not just be flabbergasted and frustrated, this is the book to start with (or even switch over to). I might get this book just to improve my handwriting!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent textbook and workbook in one!
Review: Let's Learn Kanji is systematic, it gives you a wealth of basic kanji knowledge (including stroke order and radicals) as well as providing space to practice AND regular worksheets/mini tests so you can monitor your progress! Often kanji books offer only examples and written explanations, or focus soley on repeated written practice. The addition of the mini tests for consolidating your learning makes this book a must have. I studied some kanji previously but found my self directed study slow. While I agree with the other reviewer that the pace seem stedious at first, I after a month I can claim some serious progress! My only concern with this text is that from time to time the mini tests do not have an answer key. All in all an excellent book for self study by motivated beginners!

Rating:
Summary: Beginner
Review: This is a good book for beginning students of Japanese. This book walks you through the basics of kanji: stroke order, style, radicals, readings, and compounds. It starts out a little slow because it teaches you all the basic radicals before moving to real kanji. However, I feel that learning the radicals first is a good thing and the book is right in doing so, but nevertheless for the impatient student this book may seem slow. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who has just started to learn kanji.