Ninja Competitions

April 1, 2020

Gr 1-3-Ninja of past and present appear in this series that describes the history of Japanese ninja and current information about those following ninja-style training. Photographs and illustrations, which are credited and mostly captioned, supplement the text and allow readers to visualize some of the intense training, the landscape, and the weapons used by ninja. Their role in popular culture is also addressed. Profiles of three historical ninja (including a woman and one modern ninja), one profile per title, are also included. Some of the content is repeated across titles, particularly ninja clothing, weapons, and training. Readers learn that ninja do not necessarily wear black outfits, yet photographs often show ninja wearing black outfits. Websites, an index, and recommended books (some from this series) are included. VERDICT The discussion of modern ninja training may inspire budding athletes, but these titles are generally unremarkable.

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