Thursday, July 31, 2008
Picture Book Review Discussion D: Portrayal of Asian/Asian Americans
Each member of the group must bring a picture book to share that will add to the conversation on the issues related to the article(s) to be discussed. Please post your review of your book in class. Indicate complete bibliographic information (title, date, author, publisher, genre) Give a brief, but engaging summary, provide an anlysis of the book as it relates to the discussion topic and as a piece of quality children's literature. Discuss the audience for whom it is attended and how it lends itself to the classroom.
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Ruby’s Wish
Shirin Yim Bridges
Illustrated by Sophie Blackall
Bridges, S.Y. (2002). Ruby’s Wish. New York: Scholastic. ISBN: 043970958X
ISBN: 0439699908
Genre: Fiction - Picture Book
Through the character of Ruby, nicknamed for her love of the color red, readers get a glimpse of some of the customs of Chinese culture at the turn of the nineteenth century. We learn about some of the traditions associated with the Moon Festival, Lantern Festival and Chinese New Year, as well as some of the gender and class inequities that existed during this story’s setting. Ruby is an endearing character who demonstrates her love for learning and her determination to be a unique individual as she overcomes some of the limitations
for females living in China during this time period. Being the granddaughter of a man who earned his riches during California’s Gold Rush and returned to China to marry and raise his family had its advantages. Her grandfather was able to hire a teacher to come to the family’s large home and teach any of his grandchildren who wished to learn. As the young girls grew older, they were expected to learn about household duties and embroidery, making it more difficult to have the time to continue with their education. Ruby managed to keep up with her education and duties by staying up late and sacrificing play time, but she knew her educational opportunities would end before she desired because most girls were expected to be married instead of attending university. Ruby’s grandfather learned of her dreams through a poem she wrote and later demonstrated his compassion and love for her by forsaking tradition and enabling her to attain her wish. I would recommend this story for students in kindergarten through third grade.
According to a Publisher’s Weekly online article, Shirin Yim Bridges, the author, is of Chinese ancestry. She was brought up in California in a Chinese-speaking family and spent some time traveling around the world to other countries. The character of Ruby is actually based on the life of her own grandmother who grew up in China from the time she was a young girl through young adulthood. She told Bridges her story of how she wanted to continue her education and study at the university level while most women during that era were married and did not have the opportunity to continue their education, if they were even fortunate enough to receive an education at all. The fact that Bridges is of Chinese ancestry and the story is based on events from her own grandmother’s life while living in China gives this book containing Chinese characters and situations credibility. This book won many awards including the 2003 Ezra Jack Keats Award, which is given to new authors who portray the universal qualities of childhood, a strong and supportive family, and the world’s multicultural nature in their books.
Sophie Blackall, the illustrator, grew up in Sydney, Australia and now lives in Brooklyn, New York with her family. According to the Chronicle website, Blackall visited China for two months a few years before illustrating this book. She said she found China “visually interesting” and saved some of the paper from her trip, including tea, and soap wrappers covered with butterflies, dragons and rabbits which she used to help her with the illustrations for this book. She used a gouache painting technique, which is a painting method in which opaque watercolors are mixed with gum. Some of the illustrations are surrounded by beautiful borders that resemble designs on rice paper, and the textiles and architectural designs reflect an Asian influence. According to Blackall, her proximity to New York City’s Chinatown and her frequent visits there also gave her inspiration for the illustrations used in this book. Blackall won the 2003 Ezra Jack Keats Award for her illustrations in this book. Jianwel Fong did the calligraphy found throughout the illustrations in this story.
Kincake & Pruittin state, as cited in McCarty’s (2007) article regarding using notable books in the elementary classroom, “Getting students to know their neighbors, regardless of where they live, is an important part of raising children in a global society” (41). Even though the story of Ruby occurs during the late eighteen hundreds, the reader learns about some of the traditions and celebrations that people of Chinese heritage still follow and celebrate today. Learning about the history of educational opportunities in one country may help children appreciate their ability to access a free public education in the United States of America regardless of social class or gender. The way Bridges portrays her grandmother, Ruby, as a determined young lady who makes her concerns heard through her poetry and voice to attain her own needs and desires, enables all students to see someone of Chinese heritage portrayed in a positive way. The beautiful illustrations enable the reader to become aware of some of the textiles, writing and architecture of China during the time period the story reflects. In her article, Fox (2007) refers to the National Council of Social Studies (NCSS) thematic strand number six which begins, “Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of how people create and change structures of power, authority and governance.” Ruby, with the help of her grandfather, was one of the first females to attend university in China because she worked hard, demonstrated her ability to keep up academically with her male cousins and spoke up for herself and her desires. She pointed out the inequitable treatment of females compared to males in her large family that reflected the treatment of males and females in the Chinese urban society of the time. Her voice, both written and oral, and the way she reasonably delineated the factual evidence to support her case of inequitable treatment portrayed a female of Chinese heritage in a positive light with the ability to take control of her own destiny.
This book is an excellent story to read aloud to my second grade students for our reading unit on character study. Some young students might be empowered by Ruby’s story. It can also be used as a springboard to get children interested in interviewing their own grandparents to learn about their childhoods and opportunities for males and females during their youth. In addition, this would be a good book for the third grade students to read when comparing China today with China of yesterday. Following is a site containing reading, writing, social studies and art activities to accompany this story for students in second through fourth grade. http://www.chroniclebooks.com/pdfs/Ruby_wish.pdf (Retrieved November 1, 2008).
Chronicle Books, Retrieved November, 1, 2008, from http://www.chroniclebooks.com/Chronicle/excerpt/0811834905-e0.html
Fox, K.R. (2006). Using author studies in children’s literature to explore social justice issues. The Social Studies, November/December, 251-256.
McCarty, D. (2007). Using multicultural national council for the social studies notable books in the elementary classroom. The Social Studies, March/April, 49-53.
Publishers Weekly, Retrieved November 1, 2008, from http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA267403.html
Williams, L. (2006). The best winds. Ill. E. Kim Neilan. Honesdale, PA:Boyds
Mills Press. ISBN:1590782747
Connecticut native, Laura Williams, takes us on a journey of respect and discovery. The Best Winds is about Jinho and his grandfather who comes to live with Jinho’s family after the death of the grandfather’s wife. Jinho’s grandfather wears the traditional hanboks and attempts to teach Jinho the ancient craft of kite making. Every time Grandfather asks Jinho to help him, the young boy would rather be doing something else. He never really pays attention to the stories his grandfather tells him. As the kite takes shape, the two begin to form a relationship. It is only after an unfortunate choice that Jinho and his grandfather truly appreciate one anther and the many gifts each has to offer. The best winds is a timeless tale of intergenerational disconnect and the role that tradition plays in bridging that gap. Both the text and the illustrations evoke a sense of calm and beauty that the author and illustrator have worked hard to portray. Both women are Korean so the level of credibility is high. I looked up some information on kite making as I thought it was a Japanese art form. Please visit http://www.csun.edu/~ghsiung/fighters4.html for more information. I enjoyed the message behind the story and that is the growing respect of Jinho for his grandfather. As stated above, it is a timeless tale that has been shared via many versions of this same story but in different settings. Reading this in my classroom would benefit my children and give them an opportunity to illustrate for them the many wonderful connections between Jinho and his grandfather and my children and their family members. It is a story of peace, respect and love and those are some important values our students should be able to take with them everywhere.
A Song For Ba
Paul Yee
Illustrated by Jan Peng Wang
Yee, P. (2004). A Song For Ba. Toronto, Ontario: Groundwood Books. ISBN: 0-88899-492-3
Genre: Fiction- Picture Book
Hailing from Vancouver's Chinatown, Paul Yee tells the story of young Wei, who wished to be part of the Chinese Opera, like his father, Ba, and his Grandfather. Ba does not wish Wei to learn the Opera because he tells him that it is phasing out, all of the elders are returning to the homeland, and the young Chinese are prefering to attend picture shows. Bas wishes for Wei to get an education instead. Grandfather, however, teaches Wei the songs in secret. Because women do not perform in these Operas, men have to learn male and female roles. Grandfather usually plays the femal roles, due to his high voice, which is what he teaches young Wei. Ba, Wei's father, usually plays the very masculine role of the General in these operas.
When Grandfather returns to his homeland of China, Wei is alone with his father, whom he is convinced doesn't love him or care about him. When Ba's show troupe left left for tour, Wei stayed behind with the wardrobe master, and went to school and studied hard, hoping that the high marks would please his father.
When the troupe retured, most of the singers left to go back to the homeland, and Ba is very sick and worn down. The opera company fights to stay alive, now that the government had stopped Chinese immigration and audiences were shrinking, and actors had to sing more than one role. Wei saves his father's humility in the end when Ba has to sing a masucline role, and a feminine role. Wei teaches Ba Grandfather's secrets to singing the high pitched songs, and Ba is able to perform with dignity. Wei had earned approval and respect from his father.
The author, Paul Yee is from Vancouver's Chinatown, and other picture books he authored include Ghost Train, and Tales from Gold Mountain. His stories tell of hardhips, struggles, and obstacles that accompany Chinese immigration. Paul Yee's characters are constructed from his youth.
The illustrator, Jan Peng Wang is from Guangzhou, China, and attended Art College in South China and Japan. Currently, living in Canada, like Yee, his paintings and art reflect Chinese life and culture and have been showcased throughout Canada, the United States, and Asia.
This book is recommended for intermediate elementary grade levels, and is a wonderful story to use for character study. I recommend the use of this book in that way and would make a wonderful addition to any classroom library.
Behind The Mask
wiritten and illustrated by Yangsook Choi
Choi, Y. (2006). Behind The Mask. New Your: Frances Foster Books. ISBN: 978-0-374-30522-2
Genre: Picture Books, Fiction
Yangsook Choi's story about a Korean boy on Halloween combined Korean and American folk traditions in this story. The story is about a boy who learns more about his grandfather and his Korean background.
The illustrations of Choi seem authentic, and a realistic portrayal in a childlike way. We know that she is a credible author and illustrator for Korean children's literature, because Choi grew up in Korea herself.
The illustrations throughout this story show Korean masks, based on Korean folktales. The story is realistic, and one that young children can relate to because it ties in Halloween with a boy that learns more about his elderly grandfather.
Kimin is a young boy who enjoyed visiting his aging grandfather, even though Kimin spoke English and his grandfather spoke Korean. They understood each other through smiles. One night, however,when Kimin wss sleeping at his Grandfather's, he awoke to his Grandfather wearing a mask that scared Kimin. Kimin was too scard to spend time alone with Grandfather, then he died.
Through learning about his grandfather after his death, Kimin learned that his grandfather was a Korean Mask Dancer, and was impressed. On Halloween night, Kimin wore out his grandfather's dance costume, a family treasure. He tripped and fell and lightly damaged the mask, but because of the mask his face was protected. When he gets home, he must explain to his mother that he took the treasured clothing, but then finds a note that was behind the mask written by Grandfather to Kimin, telling him tha his spirit would be alive and would be with him always. In the end, Kimin learned all about Grandfather's love of Talchum, or mask dance, which is a traditional Korean folk dance. Kimin shares masks and old photographs of his grandfather with friends and family.
The author in the end of the story provides an author's note about Talchum, explaining its origins. This Korean children's literature is very appropriate for all grade levels, and can easily be incorporated into units about family, cultures, and character. It can be shared at Halloween time, because of the story's plot. however I would like it at any time of the year, especially when discussing different cultures and tradions.
When My Name was Keoko
Linda Sue Parks
Park, Linda Sue, 2002. When My Name was Keoko. New York:
Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0618133356
Genre: Young Adult Literature
When My Name was Keoko
Linda Sue Park takes the reader to 1940 Korea as we are introduced to a family of five, Father-Abuji, mother-Omoni, older brother-Tae-yul, younger sister Sun-hee, and uncle-Ajushi. The book is beautifully written –the thoughts, words , and actions of the characters flow like a river whose surface is smooth and clear. Yet no one sees beneath the surface where currents, like emotions, can stir, belying the outward calm. The story is told by Sun-hee and Tae-yul, two Korean children who live in a country ruled by Japan. While Korea was ruled by Japan since 1910, the Imperialistic Japanese war effort of World War II caused Japan to use Korea’s resources both natural and human to help them in their quest. Sun-hee and Tae-yul tell us their stories of increasing Japanese oppression from changing their Korean names to Japanese ones, learning to speak and read Japanese, the banning of Korean traditions, and the increasing poverty as valuables, metals, and food are taken away to help in the Japanese war effort. Uncle, who is father’s brother, lives with their family. He shares a room with Tae-yul and runs a printing shop. Father is the vice-principal of the school. He cannot be the principal because he is Korean and only a Japanese person can be in charge of things. While outwardly accepting the Japanese as their rulers both father and uncle go about resisting the oppression, each in their own way, especially when the Japanese step into the 2nd World War arena. Both men feel there is a bigger chance for their country to become free as the war presses on. However, uncle’s activities are very dangerous because he is able to create an underground Korean newspaper so he must leave and go into hiding. Sun-hee tells us about the Koreans who work for and help out the Japanese and how they are viewed by their fellow countrymen as traitors and are not to be trusted. Both children are growing up and as the war progresses everything begins to be in short supply. This is when Tae-Yul begins working for the Japanese which allows the family to live more comfortably but more shamefully in them and their neighbors’ eyes. Tae-yul decides to help his family by volunteering for the Imperial Japanese army and goes to train in Japan to be a kamikaze pilot. Linda Sue Park tells each of the stories with a sparseness of words and every single word holds great value in the telling. This simplicity creates a memorable story.
Linda Sue Parks’ story is rich in cultural details from the use of Korean words to name mother , father , older brother, and younger sister to the use of the children’s Korean names for chapter titles. Both children tell their story as if they were writing in a journal, and as one reads the story, they know which child is speaking. The reader discovers that the official tree of Korea is the rose of Sharon when the Japanese make the Koreans dig up all their plants and burn them and discovers the difference between Korean and Japanese names. The reader finds that Korean children like popcorn and take their unpopped kernals to a little old man in town with a machine, who pops the corn. The reader learns that Sun-hee has a fold in her eyelid like her mother and this is considered a sign of beauty and that, while Japanese names are always short, Korean names almost always have two syllables. Linda Sue Parks has taken actual facts that can be documented from the following websites: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korea_under_Japanese_rule, www.bartleyby.com/67/2493.html and put them into human words, thoughts, and actions through her characters, allowing us to share their lives. Researching these websites gives the reader background information but also discusses, in academic terms, such as forced assimilation, conscription, and colonialism, the trials that Sun-hee’s family lived through.
In discussing appropriate use I must first say that I learned some history in reading this book that I never knew before. It inspired me to research, a bit, some of Korea’s history, giving me some insight into the war that was in existence when I was born-the Korean War. So aside from becoming a friend of Sun-Hee’s family, seeing their suffering, learning about their bravery, I also used their story to get a bigger picture of what was going on in the world at the same time. In determining where and how this book could be implemented with students I first went to the Lexile website and discovered it had a lexile of 610. I then used the lexile calculator and calculated a50% as my lower level of understanding and my ceiling limit of 75% understanding. This told me the book could be used in middle school, and, therefore, high school if students were to read on an independent level. However, the book could also be used as a read aloud and then discussed as a group in the middle school and high school but certainly it could be used in this manner in fourth and fifth grade. I think it would make a great addition in social studies if there was a unit or theme surrounding social justice, as guideline #6 of the NCSS calls for more explicit teaching of social justice issues or in a unit about the cultures of that portion of the Asian continent. The book would make a very good addition in this manner, as long as the reading is guided by thoughtful and thought provoking questions asked by the instructor.
Look, L. (2006). Uncle Peter's Amazing Chinese Wedding. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers. ISBN-13: 978-0-689-84458-4
Uncle Peter's Amazing Chinese Wedding by Lenore Cook is a story about Jenny and her special uncle. He is getting married and Jenny worries that she will no longer be his special girl. As the family prepares for the traditional Chinese Wedding, Jenny tries to spoil the event by pouring out the tea she is to serve to the people symbolic of her entering into the family. In the end Peter's uncle Stella reassures her that she is special to her and tells her how much she loves her. Stella gives Jenny an important role to play in the wedding ritual. Jenny accepts Stella into the family and into her heart.
In Uncle Peter's Amazing Chinese Wedding, the author incorporates the Chinese culture through the wedding ritual, a ritual that is performed in many cultures and has been for hundreds of years. The author nicely compares the old Chinese tradition to the new when she writes about the dress Stella is wearing to her wedding and what she would have been wearing had it been one to two hundred years ago. The characters are brightly illustrated with many details. One such detail is how the eyes are portrayed. This may be viewed as stereotypical however the illustrator Yumi Heo was born and raised in Korea. The illustrations are culturally accurate in that individuals from Asian decent have a distinctive eye shape.
Reading Uncle Peter's Amazing Chinese Wedding allowed me the reader to reflect about my cultural practices past and present. Unfortunately I like many others have lost much of my culture so I decided to google this topic. While I am familiar with the Quinceaneros, a social ritual in which girls participate in when they turn sixteen, I was unfamiliar with the wedding ritual in which a doll erected in the image of the bride is placed at the head table. This bride and groom then go and thank their guests for coming and give them a souvenir. In return the guests pin dollars to the dress of the doll.
Uncle Peter's Amazing Chinese Wedding would be an appropriate book to use with any age group. At the elementary level this would be a great picture book to use when discussing cultures with students; and since almost all children are knowledgeable about weddings it provides students an opportunity to tap into prior knowledge to enhance their comprehension of the book. This text would also be appropriate to use with older elementary, middle and high school students. This text can be used to enhance themes within the social studies curriculum.
Look, L. (2006). Uncle Peter's Amazing Chinese Wedding. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers. ISBN-13: 978-0-689-84458-4
Henry and the Kite Dragon
Written by Bruce Edward Hall
Illustrated by William Low
Henry and the Kite Dragon, a Jane Addams Awards winning picture book, is a story about a young Asian American boy living in the Chinatown section of Manhattan in the early 1920’s. The son of Chinese immigrants, Henry’s Chinese culture is an important part of his life, from the pork dumplings served on the streets to the kite making and flying he enjoys with his grandfather. Unfortunately, these life pleasures are disrupted regularly by the Italian American boys, particularly Tony Guglione, living in the adjacent section of Manhattan, Little Italy. They bully Henry and his friends from enjoying the neighborhood park, but mostly, they destroy the beautiful kites that grandfather and Henry make dance in the sky. After destroying their prized dragon kite, created by many children in the Chinatown neighborhood, Henry is angry enough to confront the boys from Little Italy. It is then he discovers that their kites had been terrorizing the Italian American’s pet pigeons, and they destroyed the kites to protect their birds. This realization offers an opportunity for two cultures to gain a new perspective and understanding of each other, and thus a newfound respect and appreciation. A compromise is reached, and there is peace among the boys of Little Italy and the boys of Chinatown.
Henry and the Kite Dragon is an authentic glimpse of both the Asian American experience of the 1920’s. The late author, Bruce Hall, is an Asian American whose ancestors helped found Manhattan’s Chinatown. His grandfather emigrated from China in 1873 and became involved, and quite influential, in Chinatown politics. Although Hall was raised in the suburbs, not Chinatown, his heritage and knowledge of its history lends this story authenticity, intimacy and credibility. Hall shares an intimate knowledge and understanding of the Chinatown culture when he describes the foods sold on the street and when he reveals his values of the importance of the elders, tenderly depicting the bond between Henry and his grandfather. Hall also conveys through the experience of the Henry’s neighborhood the need for Asian immigrants in essence to maintain their culture, to surround themselves in the familiar, even in the middle of Manhattan.
The illustrator of Henry and the Kite Dragon, William Low, comes to this project with serious credentials. In addition to receiving numerous awards, he has illustrated several children's books including Lily, by Abigail Thomas, Chinatown (which he also wrote) and The Days of Summer by Eve Bunting. His careful and meticulous examination of his subjects is clear in the vivid watercolors of Henry’s 1920’s Chinatown neighborhood, giving this book distinct time and place.
I was drawn to this book because of both my specific fascination with the cultural mix of Manhattan in the 1920’s as well as the nostalgia of my childhood experiences in Little Italy and Chinatown. On weekends, my father often would take my brother and me to the Little Italy/Chinatown section of the city, and we would wander through the streets looking into shops, smelling the smells, and eating, eating, eating! We experienced authentic Dim Sum and the best spaghetti sauce in town. Yet I was always “looking in” as an outsider. In Henry and the Kite Dragon, I was offered a new vantage point through Henry. He brings readers into his world, with the help of the illustrations that are so vivid and alive. I also enjoyed learning more about my childhood haunt, like learning of “the littlest post office in New York.”
In the classroom, the teacher might use Henry and the Kite Dragon as a springboard for more in-depth studies on the Chinese immigration experience. The picture book Coming To America: The Story Of Immigration by Betsy Maestro, author, and Susannah Ryan, illustrator, gives a quick overview of the history of Ellis Island. The graphic picture book The Arrival by Shaun Tan, with its Asian flavor, offers a surreal version of immigrating to a foreign land.The website http://www.pbs.org/ancestorsintheamericas/ offers an exploration of stories and history of Asian American immigrants. The website http://www.ellisisland.org/immexp/wseix_4_3.asp? discusses “The Peopling of America,” and reveals a timeline with specific information about the immigration of Chinese through Ellis Island.
Teachers might want to instead focus on the importance of kite-making to the Chinese culture. Several picture books compliment this aspect of Henry and the Kite Dragon, such as The Emperor and the Kite by Jane Yolen, or Kites by Hitz Demi. For an extension hands-on activity, student might visit the website http://www.ehow.com/how_2056841_make-chinese-kite.html
for specific instructions on how to make a Chinese kite.
Hall B. E. (2004). Henry and the Kite Dragon. New York. Philomel Books. ISBN: 0399237275.
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