The Year of the Dog by Grace Lin

Bibliography:

Lin, Grace. 2006. THE YEAR OF THE DOG. New York City, NY: Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 0-316-06000-3.

Plot Summary:

Pacy is a young Taiwanese-American girl who learns what the real meaning behind Year of the Dog is and what it means for it to be a year of luck.  Over the course of the year Pacy makes a new friend who she identifies with, she writes a book, enters the science fair and goes to a convention in hopes of connecting with more Taiwanese-American children.  With the help of her new friend and her parents childhood stories she's able to weather disappointment and self-discovery. 

Critical Analysis:

I think the main character Pacy is such a wonderful young girl, she has such a kind spirit and is a good representation of what a young girl should be.  She's close to her family, she has nice friends and she weathers the ups and downs of life with dignity.  I love the relationship Pacy has with her two best friends, she has normal young girl conversations with them, spends the night at each others homes and they rely on one another.  She has a wonderful relationship with her parents who are always telling her stories from their childhood to help keep things in perspective for her.  She goes through a difficult time with mean girls at a Taiwanese-American convention but weathers it fine with the help of her parents. 

There are not any major descriptions of what Pacy looks like in terms of features other than dark hair but since you know she's of Asian decent it's just an understanding that she looks different than Caucasian children.  She does mention seeing another girl at school that is Asian because Pacy is accused of taking a second lunch by the lunch lady but it turns out to be a new girl at school named Melody who is also Taiwanese.

The most emphasis on Pacy's families heritage comes in terms of the food they eat and their celebrations like New Year and the birth of a baby.  I loved the families trip to New York City to go to Chinatown and the Asian Market, I'm very curious about Asian candy now.  I had no idea that eggs can be dyed using red envelopes, again very informative and educational.  I can always appreciate a book that incorporates educational aspects about another culture. 

Grace Lin, the author of The Year of the Dog, did a great job writing this book by sticking to what she knows and that is the life of a Taiwanese child growing up in the United States.  The way Grace Lin wrote on behalf of Pacy was brilliant, you felt like the story was truly being told from a child's perspective.  I didn't feel the story was all that exciting which is a common problem with Asian influenced books but it was fun with little bits of educational information thrown in about Taiwanese traditions.  I also love the little illustrations that Grace Lin included within the story.  There is a picture of a row of grandmothers that is beyond adorable, they are these cute little ladies, exactly as you would picture them, wearing long dresses, hair pulled back in a bun held by chopsticks and their sweet little smiles. 

Review Awards and Excerpts:

Starred Booklist Review

2006 ALA Children's Notable

2006 Asian Pacific American Librarian Association Honor

2006 National Parenting Publications Awards (NAPPA) GOLD Winner

2007-2008 Texas Bluebonnet Award Masterlist

Connections:

• For each year that children were born we'd research that year and see what animal year it is and what it means in the Chinese culture. 

Peach Heaven by Yangsook Choi - Picturebook of Choice

Bibliography:

Yangsook, Choi. 2005. PEACH HEAVEN. New York, NY: Frances Foster Books. ISBN 978-0-374-35761-0.

Plot Summary:

Yangsook is a young girl who lives in a small village in South Korea.  Yangsook dreams of a peach orchard where she can eat all the peaches she wants unlike the one on the mountain behind her small village where she's not allowed to eat the peaches.  One day something very strange happens, there is a huge storm and it starts raining peaches!  Yangsook quickly realizes they are from the peach orchard nearby and decides she and her friends need to get the peaches back to the orchard for the farmers need to be able to sell the peaches.

Critical Analysis:

Peach Heaven is a cute little story that is actually a true story.  One of the heaviest rainfalls hit Puchon, South Korea on August 12, 1976 and it actually rained peaches, all coming from the nearby peach orchards.  I love a simple story that is actually a true story.  There is an author's note at the end of the story that explains what occurred on that fateful day but also how Koreans view the peach as a symbol of peace and a strong defense against evil. 

The illustrations in the book are beautiful and colorful, probably very true to what some of the small villages use to look like.  The homes depicted are traditional Hanoks, while the clothes are traditional clothing.  I love the homes and how the grandmother has a little role in the book, since it's common for generations to live under the same roof this is an accurate depiction.  Yangsook is a sweet little girl who loves the peaches but knows the farmers need the peaches so they can sell them for money so she selflessly comes up with the idea to round up the peaches and take them back. 

Yangsook Choi, the author is from South Korea and remembers the day that it rained peaches so the story and illustrations are true to her memory which is wonderful.  It's a great opportunity for children to see how a Korean family lives and what the village and countryside looks like.

Review Awards and Excerpts:

"The colored pencil artwork, full and double-page spread, has an appealing simplicity." - Booklist

"Yangsook's vision of peace and harmony mirrors Choi's personal experiences, and her thoughtful main character embodies the same pensive tone found in the soft brownish-greenish peachy palate, making the whole experience one tasty bite." - Kirkus Reviews

"Deftly told and gracefully illustrated, Choi's vibrant and appealing childhood recollection is a memorable tale of a young person making a difference." - The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"Colorful illustrations clearly evoke the tale's setting and the emotions of the characters. Told from Yangsook's point of view, the narrative is sweet and direct." - School Library Journal

"Choi's vivid recollection of one extraordinary day takes on the timeless feel of a classic tale." - Publishers Weekly

Connections:

• I like the idea of it raining something that a child loves so they have a lot of it, I'd ask children what they hope it would rain and why.  What could they do with everything?  Could it be of help to someone?  How many uses could they have for that item?



Tea with Milk by Allen Say

Bibliography:

Say, Allen. 1999. TEA WITH MILK. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 0-395-90495-1.

Plot Summary:

Masako or May as she is called by her English speaking friends, is a young girl who's world is turned upside down when her parents move the family back to Japan from San Francisco.  May has always dreamt of going to visit San Francisco with her father, go to college and have her own apartment.  This is not possible in Japan, she is expected to wear kimonos, sit on the floor and marry a man from a good family.  May decides she cannot settle for this type of life so she leaves for the big city without her parents knowing, she gets a job and eventually meets a wonderful man with whom she identifies with. 

Critical Analysis:

This is a wonderful story, it is simple but between the story and the illustrations it just makes it very enjoyable.  May is a wonderful example of a young woman who will not settle but sets out on her own to make her dreams come true.  She has to find a balance between the American life she knew and the Japanese life she's living despite what her parents want for her.  She is a strong woman who does not let what she is supposed to do and be in Japan dictate her life and she ultimately finds a man who seems to be supportive of who she wants to be and the type of life she wants to have.  When Joseph asks May to have tea with him and she says in her best English that she'd love to but then bows as a proper Japanese woman, this embodies how she's found that balance between the two cultures.  I love a female character that shows this strength, it's a great example for young woman and young men to see a strong female character. I love how she wears a bright red dress brought from California as she makes her way to the city in search of a better life for herself, it symbolizes defiance against the life she's supposed to have but strength in finding the life she wants. 

The illustrations in this book are beautiful, I feel like I really get a sense of what Japan looks like, and how people dressed at one point as I'm assuming woman don't wear kimono's on a regular basis today.  The expressions on peoples faces are so realistic, the colors are so soft and lovely it's just a great story.

Allen Say, the author and illustrator, has real life experience with this story as it's his parents story.  There aren't stereotypes or embellishments in the difference between the two cultures, it's a wonderful example of how different Japan and American are.  I love that we find out this story is the story of how his parents met, it's give validity to the story.

Review Awards and Excerpts:

Caldecott Honor Winner

"Elegant is the operative word for this undeniably compelling piece of work." - Booklist

"This exquisitely illustrated story will encourage thoughtful adult child dialogue on the potentially difficult issue." - Publishers Weekly

"A straightforward text and arresting, translucent watercolors dramatically portray how the young artist see her world." - Horn Book

An American Bookseller "Pick of the Lists"

Connections:

• I love how this story shows something as simple as how someone takes their tea to symbolize the differences between cultures.  I would discuss other small differences between cultures, what people eat, how it's eaten, cultural ceremonies and so forth.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Bibliography:

Alexie, Sherman. 2007. THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN. Ill. by Ellen Forney.  New York City, NY: Little Brown and Company. ISBN 978-0-316-01369-7.

Plot Summary:

Junior has lived his whole, poor-ass, life living on Spoken Indian Reservation or as Junior calls it "the rez."  Junior was born with water on the brain and was supposed to have died when he was a baby but he has never allowed his disorder to be an excuse for living life, trying new things and aspiring to be more than what is expected of him.  One day when Junior acts out in math class his teacher sees this as a sign that Junior is not satisfied with what he is being given so he encourages Junior to go to school outside of the reservation to allow himself more opportunities.  When Junior starts school in Reardon he slowly feels like he is half-white in Reardon but half-Indian when he's on "the rez."  During Juniors first year at Reardon he goes through many emotional highs such as being a basketball superstar and having his first girlfriend, to many lows such as feeling like he's betraying his family and friends for leaving the rez to losing his sister, grandmother and a close family friend.  Junior never gives up and continues to realize what is truly important to him.

Critical Analysis:

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian deals with so many incredible and true issues that Native Americans deal with on a daily basis.  Juniors and his family truly represents those struggles, alcoholism, poverty, bullying, lack of solid educations and death.  Sherman Alexie has first hand experience with these issues being that he grew up on the Spokane Indian Reservation just like Junior did.  This story is a semi-autobiographical story so it really sheds light on difficult situations and how a courageous young boy deals with it through the support of his family and his comics.

What I found interesting in some of the comics is the stereotypes of what some people think Indians look like, it made fun of how naive some people are in their beliefs of Indians; long hair with a feather, no shoes, leather pants and no shirt with a very angry facial expression.  This is not a true depiction of an Indian, especially today.  I thought it was a very cleaver way of saying this isn't what we look like, so lets laugh at it.  The way Indians look today was not really discussed in depth in this book but was depicted more in Juniors comics.   I especially love the drawing of Junior where he is half-white and half-Indian to show the stark comparison of what the white kids have versus the Indian kids and the evident monetary difference between the two.  Junior does mention when he first goes to school how incredibly white the kids at Reardon are compared to his darker skin.  He also discusses how he is aware of this and that the Reardon kids look at him. 

I did not find the way Junior, Rowdy, his parents or any of the other rez characters spoke to be very different that how the Reardon characters speak.  I believe Sherman Alexie was very aware of making sure the characters didn't have many differences that way because Indians don't speak differently like they did 150 years ago and learning English. 

Sherman Alexie approached many real topics in this story that statistics show are major issues.  The rampant alcoholism is truly depicted in this story and how innocent people are hurt by this problem.  The extreme poverty and how many children and adults go to bed hungry or go many hours without eating is horrifyingly accurate.  Junior makes a comment about how he's sure that none of the kids at his school in Reardon haven't gone all day and night without a meal.  The anger and bullying that takes place on the rez and how the rez people treat one another is also very different from what Junior sees at Reardon.  Junior decides to physically fight back at Reardon when Roger harasses Junior a bit, Junior is use to unwritten rules of how to deal with someone harassing you and Junior is shocked when Roger doesn't physically fight back but actually walks away from the situation and looks at Junior like he's crazy. 

Ellen Forney did an amazing job illustrating the comics on behalf of Junior, she worked collaboratively with Sherman Elexie and between the two of them they each represented the white characters and the Indian characters.  They were each able to represent the cultures accurately and make sure they are depicted in Juniors comics.  She did an amazing job and they added so much to the storyline.

Review Awards and Excerpts:

NEW YORK TIMES Notable Book of 2007

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY Best Book of the Year

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL Best Book of the Year

The National Book Award Winner

A NAPPA Gold Book

Best Book of the Year by Amazon.com

A BBYA Top 10 Book for Teens

"Heartbreaking, funny and beautifully written" - Association of Booksellers for Children

Connections:

• This book opens all sorts of doors to discuss life lessons such as death and alcoholism as well as excluding someone and stereotyping them.  I would use this book as a way to discuss difficult situations, how best to handle those situations and how to treat people justly.  This book also discuses how difficult friendships can be especially if you are different, I would have the children discuss ways to be a good friend and how they would have helped welcome Junior to his new school.  This book is for older children due to the content so the conversation is going to be of a more mature content.
• I would use Juniors comics as a guide to helping children express themselves through drawings and create their own stories.  Art is a wonderful way to express yourself so I would leave it up to the children to tell whatever story they'd like to share with the group.

Squanto's Journey by Joseph Bruchac - Native American focus

Bibliography:

Bruchac, Joseph. 2000. SQUANTO'S JOURNEY THE STORY OF THE FIRST THANKSGIVING. Ill. by Greg Shed. New York City, NY: Harcourt, INC. ISBN 978-0-15-201817-7.

Plot Summary:

Squanto's Journey is a beautifully written and illustrated story of Squanto and the first Thanksgiving.  Squanto was learning much about the white men who were coming to their land to trade goods. Squanto and John Smith, an English captain, began trusting one another but Squanto unfortunately learned the hard way that not all English captain's can be trusted.  Squanto and more than 20 other Native Americans boarded a ship to share food but the captain set sail and kidnapped the Indians including Squanto and took them to Spain.  Squanto manages to sail back to his home after much hard work.  Even though he discovers many of his people have died, including his family, he continues to work hard to help the Pilgrims survive in their new home.

Critical Analysis:

It's not often that the story of Thanksgiving is told from a Native American Indians perspective.  There is much to be learned about the way some Pilgrims treated Indians as well as how the Indians and Pilgrims came together to share a meal and learn from one another, even if it was for just a short period of time.  This story is eloquently told and based on the author's note at the end of the story much research went into telling this story as accurately as possible.  The  language is written and reminiscent of how we believe the Native Americans spoke, "Befriend the English.  Make them come to understand and support our people."  The author, Joseph Bruchac, also incorporated native words into the story such as, pniese.  I am thankful for the glossary at the end of the story defining the words.

What I love about this story is it shows how the Pilgrims and Indians wanted to help educate one another, the Indians wanted to show the Pilgrims how to grow food and hunt on this new land.  The Pilgrims wanted to bring new goods to the Indians and show them what they had to offer.  The initial intentions of the Pilgrims was to discover a new world, not hurt people.  Even though Squanto was deceived and his family was killed it continued to help the Pilgrims and attempt to keep the peace, this is a powerful lesson to learn. 

The illustrations in this story are what really make the story come alive.  This is such a familiar story it could easily be overlook as just another story of Thanksgiving but the illustrations are just beautiful.  After reading the story and admiring the illustrations the first thing I did was read about the illustrator, I wanted to see if there was any information about the research done to help make sure the illustrations were as accurate as possible.  Thankfully the illustrator posted information about traveling to Plimoth Plantation in Massachusetts where "he studied the landscape, buildings and costumes of the re-created settlement."  This is wonderful to know because the Native Americans are depicted in the illustrations with feathers in their braided hair, beading on their clothes and around their necks and wearing animal pelts.  If this was not well researched and depicted accurately in the illustrations then this would have been a horrible representation of stereotyping Native American Indians.  The Native Americans facial features, dark hair and skin tone are well illustrated too.  The illustrator did a wonderful job depicting the Pilgrims also, sometimes they are depicted as angry, grungy white men  but the truth is many of the Pilgrims were not looking to hurt anyone they were exploring the world.  I like the Pilgrim's facial expressions as they are meeting Squanto, they look pleasant and happy to meet one another. 

The food depicted in this first Thanksgiving illustration seems to consist of what we are taught was at the first Thanksgiving; root vegetables, corn, bread and pitchers of water.  It is not a glorified idea of what Thanksgiving was or how it can be shown very inaccurately in some books. 

Review Awards and Excerpts:

"Told with respect and dignity." - The Horn Book

"History from the Native American viewpoint." - Booklist

Connections:

• This book is a great representation of forgiveness and helping others, I would have a lesson and discussion on that with children.  Squanto was deceived, his family was killed and much of his tribe wiped out from disease brought over by the Pilgrims yet he still helped keep the peace.  This is a story of strength and something for children to understand and admire.

When Turtle Grew Feathers by Tim Tingle - Native American Author of Choice

 

Bibliography:

Tingle, Tim. 2007. WHEN TURTLE GREW FEATHERS. Ill. by Stacey Schuett.  Atlanta, GA: August House. ISBN 978-0-87483-777-3.

Plot Summary:

When Turtle Grew Feathers is a variation of the tortoise and the hare story from the Choctaw perspective.  The story begins with turtle and turkey becoming friends when turkey helps turtle mend his broken shell.  Turtle offers turkey to try his shell on to see what he thinks of turtles home.  Suddenly rabbit comes bounding by and challenges who he thinks is turtle to a race around the lake.  Turtle, without his shell, is hiding while turkey decides to race rabbit even though he's in turtles shell. 

Critical Analysis:

There are many variations to the story of the a hare challenging a tortoise to a race and When Turtle Grew Feathers is a cleaver and amusing variation to the story.  As much as I love this story, if I had not read this book was based on a Choctaw story I do not think I would ever have realized it's a Choctaw Native American story commonly told to children.  There are not any references to it being a Native American story until the second to the last line, "Chata hapitia hoke!" which means "Now the story is yours."  The illustrations do not give any indication either as the illustrations are beautiful and colorful but zero reference to Oklahoma, where the Choctaw nation resides, or anything Native American.  If the sources had not been listed, the synopsis mentioning Choctaw and reading about the author being Choctaw, I would have thought it was just another clever variation of the tortoise and hare story. 

Being that the story is about animals alone there cannot be any reference to Native American people in particular.  I think it would have been wonderful of the illustrator to research the Choctaw people and where they lived and incorporate some of their history into the background illustrations. 

What I do love about this story is that it's a wonderful way to open the lines of communication about bullying which is exactly what rabbit does to "turtle," even though it's really turkey.  Rabbit is not nice at all as he wants to race, "I feel real fast!  I'm ready to race.  Who wants a little mud in his face?"  This kind of talk is not kind, it's a form of bullying and something that can be discussed with children. 

Review Awards and Excerpts:

"Variations of the race between the tortoise and the hare crop up regularly, but this version, retold as a trickster tale, stands out for its humor and expressive illustrations. " - School Library Journal

BOTYA 2007 Finalist

Connections:

• This story is about a rabbit that bullies a turtle into racing him.  The rabbit knows the turtle is slower than he is and takes advantage of that.  This is a wonderful opportunity to discuss with children what being a bully is and when it's wrong to challenge someone to something when you know their weaknesses.  Teaching children to not take advantage of others to make themselves feel better is a valuable lesson that has to be taught and using books such as this one is a great opportunity to do so.