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
No comments:
Post a Comment