Asian Pacific American Lit- THE YEAR OF THE DOG

Bibliographic Data

Lin, Grace. 2006. The Year of the Dog. New York: Little, Brown. ISBN: 9780316060004

Brief Plot Summary

Grace “Pacy” Lin is the second of three sisters. As they celebrate Chinese New Year, she revels in the meaning of the year of the dog. It is supposed to be her lucky year and the year she finds out her identity- what she wants to be when she grows up. Her family seems to be the only Taiwanese-Americans where she lives until she meets Melody. They are instant friends. Readers follow them on their journey of self-discovery through the school play, the science project, the book project, and more.

Critical Analysis

The authors of the article “Beyond Chopsticks and Dragons” tell us to seek books about Asian Americans that take place in the U.S. Pacy and her family indeed live in the U.S. Although her parents speak Taiwanese and Chinese and she speaks only English. Her family celebrates American holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas, but they have their own cultural spins on the holidays, like including Chinese food. Pacy reads the same books her classmates enjoy and take part in the same daily life most Americans do.

The characters defy stereotypes. Although her mother frequently tells her that she is smart although she does not always get the best grade. She does not even expect it of herself. When Melody and Pacy anticipate winning the science fair project it is not because they are smart Asians, but because they think they are lucky. Sure Pacy and Melody play the violin, but so do many non-Asian Americans characters in the book.

Pacy’s older sister is a typical mean older sister. She is by no means a stereotypical cooperative Asian child. She constantly berates and cuts down Pacy. They both stick their tongues out at each other. Their rivalry is strong and full of misbehavior.

Many cultural markers pertaining to the physical appearance of the characters occur not only in Lin’s illustrations, but also frequently in text. Several mentions of black hair sprinkle through the story from Lissy nodding her head so hard her black hair sways to the sea of black heads mama talks about when she was in school. Pacy is drawn with black hair, contemporary American clothes, and eyes with pupils. Even though Melody is her “twin” she is drawn differently. She has bangs and the proportions of her face are different.

One of the themes we look for in Asian American literature is celebration. Year of the Dog begins and ends with the lunar New Year celebration in Pacy’s Asian American home. Readers learn about the symbols behind the food they eat, superstitions tied with the animals of the Chinese zodiac, and various traditions in their family like receiving New Year phone calls. The way they celebrate the lunar New Year is their own way. There is no single right way that all Chinese Americans or Taiwanese Americans celebrate new year although that does not stop the children over arguing over the contents of the candy dish, which turns out to be a metaphor for the family’s cultural identity. It is a mix American candy with Chinese candy and it is okay.

Another celebration that is worth noting is Albert’s red egg party. Many readers may not have heard of a red egg party. I know I have not. Lin shows us the many ways this family celebrates the new baby, Albert. The girls wear patterned dresses with collars that go tight around the neck. The women get a special dessert. They eat duck. Red eggs were everywhere. Albert slept amongst his presents, red envelopes of money. In Taiwanese they ask each other Ja-ba bei?- Have you eaten yet? But Pacy learns that it does not translate literally, but means how are you doing?

According to the authors of “Beyond Chopsticks and Dragons” we should also seek Asian Pacific American Literature that include culturally pluralistic themes. Our protagonist uses the name “Pacy” with her family and Melody’s family. At school she is known as “Grace.” She enlightens us with a section entitled “How My Name Changed From Pacy to Grace.” Basically her teacher insisted on calling her Grace because it was listed as such on the roster. It confused Pacy. When she came home she appealed to her sister, Lissy, for insight. Lissy explained that their parents gave them two names, an American one and a Chinese one. Lissy expounded by saying Americans have a hard time pronouncing Chinese names. She goes on to compare it to restaurants calling foo yung don, egg foo young. Even though they are two different names it refers to the same thing, one term is easier for Americans to pronounce. Initially Pacy is troubled by this predicament. Even her friend Melody questions it. It is an interesting topic worth discussing with readers. Why would their parents give them two names? Why would Pacy and Melody find it troubling? How does it define identity?

Overall I am pleased at the representation of Asian Americans in this novel. Lin presents the topics in a highly accessible way. I would recommend this title to young Asian American girls.

Awards & Best Books

Asian Pacific American Award for Literature, 2006-2007 Honorable Mention Text United States

National Parenting Publications Award, 2006 Gold Book Ages 9 & Up United States

Booklist Book Review Stars , Jan. 1, 2006 American Library Association

Booklist Editors' Choice: Books for Youth, 2006 Booklist Editor's Choice

Books About Holidays, 2006 Association for Library Service to Childrern

Children's Catalog, Nineteenth Edition, 2006 H.W. Wilson

Choices, 2007 Cooperative Children's Book Center

New York Public Library's 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing, 2006 New York Public Library

Notable Children's Books in the English Language Arts, 2007 NCTE Children's Literature Assembly

Notable Children's Books, 2007 ALSC American Library Association

Review Excerpt(s)

“Most of the chapters are bolstered by anecdotes from Grace's parents, which connect Grace (and the reader) to her Taiwanese heritage.” -Ilene Cooper (Booklist, Jan. 1, 2006 (Vol. 102, No. 9))

“A breezy novel for middle grade readers is about Grace, whose life is an exuberant blend of home and school, family and friends, and Chinese and American traditions.” -CCBC (Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices, 2007)

“This comfortable first-person story will be a treat for Asian-American girls looking to see themselves in their reading, but also for any reader who enjoys stories of friendship and family life.” -Kirkus Reviews, December 15, 2005 (Vol. 73, No. 24)

Connections

Lessons and crafts via Grace Lin’s official website: http://www.gracelin.com/content.php?page=book_yeardog&display=activities

Lesson plans and discussion questions via Readingtokids.org: http://readingtokids.org/Books/BookView.php?pag=3&bookID=00000547

Admittedly the ideas focus heavily on the holiday of Chinese New Year.

The discussion questions provided by Multnomah County Library ask more questions about the characters: https://multcolib.org/year-dog

These discussion questions ask a questions about the differences between Taiwanese and Chinese. Personally I think these questions relate better to what is actually happening in the book. http://k8talksbooks.blogspot.co.uk/2008/01/year-of-dog-by-grace-lin.html

Asian Pacific American Lit- THE BOY IN THE GARDEN

Bibliographic Data

Say, Allen. 2010. The Boy in the Garden. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children. ISBN: 9780547214108

Brief Plot Summary

In Japan a boy and his father visit Mr. Ozu’s beautiful home complete with a garden. Instead of staying close to his father the young boy wonders off finding a crane statue. After his father embarrasses him he runs off to a tea house. After putting on a found kimono he is transported to the story of the Grateful Crane. He wakes from his nightmare to find his father beckoning him to get ready to go.

Critical Analysis

This book contains two stories. The first is a short story called The Grateful Crane. It is a single page and contains one small image of a Japanese woman holding a textile. In order for readers to enjoy and understand the second story they must read The Grateful Crane. The second story is the actual book, The Boy in the Garden.

The book jacket tells readers the legend of the crane is Japanese. The title page subject information lists “Japan” as one of the subjects. There are numerous clues besides those indicating that this story takes place in Japan. One of many is the landscaping of Mr. Ozu’s home. The elaborate garden includes rock gardens, bamboo and Japanese style fountains. The present Jiro’s father brings is wrapped in furoshiki, a Japanese wrapping cloth. The windows of Mr. Ozu’s home are sliding panels like those seen in Japan. The roof lines of the home are a Japanese style as well. Mr. Ozu also has a tea house complete with a fireplace located in the center of the room on the floor.

The appearance of the characters displays many cultural markers. They all appear very different from one another. Jiro, the young boy, has shiny black hair and his bangs are cut straight. His skin is a light tan color. His cheeks are often rosy. His eyebrows rest far above his eyes. His eyes are drawn with an epicanthic fold on the inside corners. The bridge of his nose is small. Jiro’s father also has shiny black hair. They both wear contemporary winter jackets and clothing that could be from other countries besides Japan. Inside Mr. Ozu’s home Jiro wears oversized slippers which is often done in Asian homes. Mr. Ozu is an elderly man. His hair is white. He wears a robe which may be a Japanese style of dress.

When Jiro starts dreaming he wears a kimono tied with an obi, traditional Japanese attire that maybe one would wear to a festival. The crane woman wears an elaborate layered kimono. She carries a straw umbrella to shield herself from the snow. Her skin is very pale. Her lips adorn red lipstick. Their dress is not from a time of history, but of a Japanese story.

Jiro is not portrayed as a stereotypical polite and intelligent and cooperative Asian child. He is polite enough not to open Mr. Ozu’s envelope of money, but not enough not to wonder around and wear random kimonos he finds. He runs off dramatically when he father laughs at him. He is clearly acting out and is bored. What little boy wouldn’t be? But then we see what character Jiro has when he has strong convictions to provide for the crane woman. He has the discipline not to look at her as she weaves.

Awards & Best Books

Parents' Choice Award, 2010 Silver Picture Books United States

Best Children's Books of the Year, 2011 Bank Street College of Education

Kirkus Book Review Stars, October 1, 2010

Publishers Weekly Book Review Stars, October 11, 2010

Review Excerpt(s)

“Jiro looks to be about six, yet the issues the book raises about the illusion of story and the nature of reality would probably be best contemplated by an older child. Still, Say's artwork, with its clean, quiet scenes, always pleases, and the more perceptive child will take much away from this.” -Ilene Cooper (Booklist, Sep. 1, 2010 (Vol. 107, No. 1))

“A series of dreamlike paintings done in the Caldecott winner's customarily precise and beautifully lit watercolors blurs the lines between reality and fantasy and limns Jiro's conflicted emotions as he seems to enter the story.” -Kirkus Reviews, October 1, 2010 (Vol. 78, No. 19)

“Say's watercolors have a smooth, even control that's perfect for his realistic portraiture, with far-reaching landscapes emphasizing Jiro's isolation, but that mode also manages to shade seamlessly into an airy, slightly stylized folkloric style.” -Deborah Stevenson (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, November 2010 (Vol. 64, No. 3))

Connections

Information on the author by Reading Rockets: http://www.readingrockets.org/books/interviews/say

RIF’s interview with Allen Say and list of other books by him: http://www.rif.org/kids/readingplanet/bookzone/say.htm

Allen Say’s official website: http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/authors/allensay/index.shtml

Asian Pacific American Lit- BEHIND THE MASK

Bibliographic Data

Choi, Yangsook. 2006. Behind the Mask. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN: 9780374305222

Brief Plot Summary

It’s Halloween and Kimin’s mother suggests that he looks through his grandfather’s trunk for a costume. Kimin has a bad memory of his grandfather leaning over the trunk wearing a frightening mask. Since then his grandfather passed and he is hesitant to look through the trunks. When he finally does he triumphantly decides to honor him and wear the costume. He shares his own version of his grandfather’s dancing with his friends and shows them the contents of the trunk honoring not only his grandfather, but his culture.

Critical Analysis

Although this is a Halloween story the plot is more so about closure after loss and appreciating Korean culture and Korean-American identity. The plot is strong and so is the characterization which is what we seek in Asian Pacific American literature. This book is subtle in that Choi lets the illustrations talk to us. Character depictions are respectful and deep. It is the kind of story that will make readers smile and even choke up.

Contextual clues from the text and illustrations reveal that this is a Korean-American story. Kimin has a Korean name. He does not speak Korean and has to ask the meaning of some words from his mother. He is an American. One of the characteristics to look for in evaluating Asian Pacific American literature is that it takes place in the United States and recognizes that Asian Americans live in here.

Kimin recounts a memory of spending time with his grandfather in Korea. Readers know this because of the illustration. They see the roofline of the house outside the window. Characters of another language cover a rice paper partition. The table is low so that Kimin’s grandfather kneels before it. We know that the story takes place in contemporary America because of the houses in illustrations. He is seen celebrating Halloween by treat or treating, dressing up, and ringing doorbells.

The cover and a few pages of the book feature untranslated words in Korean. The letter to Kimin is in Korean and his mother tells everyone what it says. The other children are fascinated by this and the other things Kimin shares with them about his grandfather (and the Korean culture). They enjoy his dancing while he wears his grandfather’s costume and eagerly explore the contents of his grandfather’s trunk.

In Choi’s illustrations we see several cultural markers. Kimin’s skin tone is tan. He has black hair and higher eyebrows. His eyes are almond shaped. His family wears contemporary American style of clothing. The homes depicted have large yards with landscaped grass and trees. A jack-o’-lantern sits on his windowsill. This is an accurate and respectful depiction of a Korean-American family.

Best Books

Best Children's Books of the Year, 2007 Bank Street College of Education

Children's Catalog, Nineteenth Edition, Supplement, 2007 H.W. Wilson

Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People, 2007 National Council for the Social Studies

Review Excerpt(s)

“Quiet and well crafted, the story manages some subtle emotional shifts as well as the smooth weaving of one tradition into another.” -Carolyn Phelan (Booklist, Oct. 15, 2006 (Vol. 103, No. 4))

“A unique look at Halloween, this is a comforting story about death and some of the traditions of Korean culture.” -Kirkus Reviews, September 15, 2006 (Vol. 74, No. 18)

Connections

Yangsook Choi’s official website: http://www.yangsookchoi.com/

Interview by Paper Tigers.org: http://www.papertigers.org/interviews/archived_interviews/ychoi.html 

Other books by Yangsook Choi:

Peach Heaven

This Next New Year

Nim and the War Effort

The Name Jar