Asian Pacific American Book Reviews

 

Choi, Yangsook. 2001. THE NAME JAR. New York: Dragonfly Books. ISBN: 9780440417996

Plot Summary: THE NAME JAR tells the story of a young Korean girl who moves to American and attends school there.  When she first tells other students her name, they make fun of her and can’t pronounce it correctly.  She tells her classmates she hasn’t picked a name yet, so the kids create a jar that they fill with name suggestions.  By the end of the story, Unhei not only makes a very special friend, but decides her Korean name is the best name for her.

Critical Analysis:

          Choi does a great job of using her personal experience to tell a story of a young Korean girl immigrating to America.  Facing hardships when arriving is a story shared in multiple pieces of multicultural literature, but Choi focuses on a simple memory of a name.  Choi shares how Unhei is afraid at first and nervous about American children trying to pronounce her name correctly, but she quickly learns about friendship and taking pride in her family and the country in which she originates.

          The illustrations are beautifully done in oils showing a variety of ethnicities in the classroom and town Unhei lives.  The illustrations show some Korean décor in their home to show the reader that even though this family has moved to America, they are keeping ties to their home country.

Review Excerpts:  

Kirkus Review: “Choi draws from her own experience, interweaving several issues into this touching account and delicately addressing the challenges of assimilation. The paintings are done in creamy, earth-tone oils and augment the story nicely.” 

Amazon Review: “A heartwarming story about the new girl in school, and how she learns to appreciate her Korean name.”

 Connections:

          This story would be a great introduction to a “Name” project.  Students could research with their families the origins of their names.  Students could showcase name meanings, relatives, or friends in which they are named for, and how their name is important in their families’ cultures. 

          This book and project could be completed at the beginning of the year when students are learning each other’s names. 

Say, Allen. 1999. TEA WITH MILK. New York, New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 9780547237473

 

Plot Summary: Say tells the shares the story of his mother, May, who is a young girl living in San Francisco where she speaks Japanese and eats Japanese food at home. When she visits with her friends, she eats pancakes and muffins.  Her family decides to return to Japan where she must repeat high school to learn English.  There she meets her future husband and finds work as a translator. 

Critical Analysis: This book shares some great examples of expectations and stereotypes of both women, and specifically, Japanese women.  They are expected to wear kimonos, sit on the floor for a long time, and act like a proper lady.  The main character, May, fights her family’s culture and traditions because she’s uprooted from the life that she knows.  However, she finds value in living in Japan and eventually blending the American and Japanese cultures.

          Say also illustrates the book traditional Japanese clothing and customs such as the kimonos and learning about a tea ceremony.  By the end of the story, Say illustrates the married couple in clothes that would be considered “modern.” The change in clothing shows the reader that the couple have blended both their Japanese heritage with their new American traditions. 

Review Excerpts:

Kirkus Review: “Painted with characteristic control and restraint, Say’s illustrations, largely portraits, begin with a sepia view of a sullen child in a kimono, gradually take on distinct, subdued color, and end with a formal shot of the smiling young couple in Western dress.”

 Publishers Weekly Starred Review: “Say's masterfully executed watercolors tell as much of this story about a young woman's challenging transition from America to Japan as his eloquent, economical prose.”

 Connections: Students could research clothing across a variety of cultures.  Students may have a specific clothing tradition from their family, or they could choose a new cultural clothing to research and present to classmates.

          Students could also interview parents or grandparents to find out the stories of how they met and decided to start a family.  Students could focus on any family traditions that may have made these connections possible.

          Teachers could also share Allen Say’s Caldecott winning book GRANDFATHER’S JOURNEY.  Students could compare the stories and make connections to the two plots.

Lin, Grace. 2009. WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON. New York, Boston: Little, Brown Company. ISBN: 9780316038638

Plot Summary: This book tells the story of Minli, a poor Chinese girl, who decides to leave her parents and set out on an adventure to meet the Old Man of the Moon to bring good fortune to her family.  Along the way, she meets some interesting characters including a talking goldfish, a dragon, an evil tiger, and some friendly twins.  What she discovers along the way is something that most people only hope to realize- your good fortune is already found in the family and things you have.

Critical Analysis: Lin is able to include not only Chinese traditions such as the food Minli eats (her rice and tea), but also shares the loyalty to family and friends.  Chinese folktales to explain how things came to be are interlaced throughout the story so the reader feels like they are immersed in these Chinese characters. 

          Lin adds to the readers’ experiences with colorful Chinese illustrations throughout the book to add more detail of Minli’s travels and the characters she meets.  The illustrations are very simple and vibrant, which I think adds to the authenticity of the culture presented.

Review Excerpts:

Newbery Honor Book

Kirkus Starred Review: “With her “lively and impulsive spirit,” Minli emerges a stalwart female role model who learns the importance of family, friendship and faith during her amazing journey.”

Amazon: “Grace Lin, author of the beloved Year of the Dog and Year of the Rat returns with a wondrous story of adventure, faith, and friendship. A fantasy crossed with Chinese folklore, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is a timeless story reminiscent of The Wizard of Oz and Kelly Barnhill's The Girl Who Drank the Moon. Her beautiful illustrations, printed in full-color, accompany the text throughout. Once again, she has created a charming, engaging book for young readers.”

Connections: This book could be used for upper grades when introducing a unit on Folklore, or Folktales.  Students could use the library to locate Folktales across a variety of cultures and compare the different stories.

          Teachers will also want to share other books by this amazing author including WHEN THE SEA TURNED TO SILVER, STARRY RIVER OF THE SKY, and DIM SUM FOR EVERYONE. Students will enjoy looking at more aspects of the Chinese culture presented in these books.

Oh, Ellen. 2020. THE DRAGON EGG PRINCESS. New York: HarperCollins Children’s Books. ISBN: 9780062875808

Plot Summary: Jiho Park lives in a magical kingdom, yet his family is unaffected by magic.  Jiho comes from a family of rangers and struggles with the expectancy of following in his family’s footsteps.  Jiho embarks on a journey as a guide to do what is expected of him, even though his father disappeared inside the forest years ago.  Jiho encounters special characters on his adventure including a princess, but must figure it if he can be successful even though he is magicless.   

Critical Analysis: Although Oh wanted to share a Korean inspired mythological tale that would excited fantasy readers, I had trouble enjoying the characters.  As each character is introduced, there were too many underlying or secondary characters for each of their stories that it got confusing at times.  Not all the main characters were fully developed. 

          Since the book was meant to be more of a Korean mythology, I didn’t really feel a tie to the Korean culture that I feel could have been presented.

          I also know not to judge a book by the cover or the title, but I was hoping for more dragons to be a part of this adventurous tale.  Once the reader gets through the first few chapters, there is enough action to entice the reader to continue and see what happens at the end of the adventure. 

Review Excerpts:

Publishers Weekly: “Slight characterization and inconsistent pacing lead to a hasty climax and abrupt conclusion. Nevertheless, this enjoyable read should appeal to fantasy fans.”

Kirkus Review: “With its quick pace, modern heroes, and choreographed action, this is a strong fantasy title with K-pop undertones.”

Connections: Young adults who enjoy this book might enjoy other adventure and magical stories like the Harry Potter Series or the Wings of Fire Series. 

          Students will also want to check out Ellen Oh’s Prophecy trilogy which includes PROPHECY, WARRIOR, and KING.