From A for Asia to Z for Zen, the alphabet arrangement provides a panoramic introduction to the geography, culture, holidays, traditions, and animals of the area that is home to more than one-half of the world's population. The focus is on the traditional; on villages, rather than cities. There is a paragraph for each letter, not just naming but describing the Hindu Holi festival in India, kite flying in Korea, and yurts, the tentlike homes of the Mongolians. Heo's brightly detailed, pencil, oil, and collage illustrations pick up the extraordinary diversity of the huge area with a wide range of folk-art styles, from delicate batik craft in Indonesia to camel riders racing in Saudi Arabia. The alphabet itself gets attention: the word for each letter is written in an Asian language; for example, lotus is in Hindu, monsoon in Urdu, origami in Japanese. Starting with the map, children will look at the details and ask for more. Hazel Rochman--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.