Review: WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON by Grace Lin

Lin, Grace. 2009. Where the mountain meets the moon. New York: Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 9780316114271.

PLOT SUMMARY:
Minli is a young Chinese girl who lives in a poor farming community with a discontented mother and a father who loves stories. Despite the economical hardship that her family faces, Minli remains happy and lively because of her love for her father’s stories. Eventually, however, her mother’s dissatisfaction with their lot prompts Minli to pursue fortune for her family by seeking the advice of the “Old Man of the Moon.” Her quest leads her to talking fish, a faithful dragon, and a slew of kind and helpful strangers. Through her journey, Minli learns the secret to changing her family’s fortune.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:
This is a wonderful book. It may or may not be one that I read repeatedly throughout my life (too early to tell), but it will be one that sticks in my mind. The story, characters, illustrations, and design of the book are beautiful and memorable. The vibrant full-color illustrations are enchantingly peculiar. The bold colors and skewed perspective of the illustration depicting the Magistrate finishing the dragon painting (p. 56) reminded me of Van Gogh’s The Night Café. The scarcity of the full-page illustrations (only 8 in the 279 page book) makes each one a treat.

The smaller, single color illustrations used at the start of each chapter as part of the book’s overall design helps set the tone. Although the entire book has the feeling of a folk tale, the stories told within the book are set apart by a simple change in typeface and by individual titles for each story (“The Story of the Goldfish Man”). Kudos to the book designer, Alison Impey. In my opinion, she made this book into a work of art.

Getting back to the story, Lin’s characters are distinctive and charming. Accomplishing that task seems especially impressive after considering that nearly everyone who helps Minli on her journey is good, cheerful, and contented. One would think that the characters would eventually start to blend together and become bland. However, each is unique. Some are wise and reflective, some are relaxed and starry-eyed, and others are naïve and mischievous. One character, the magistrate, is condemned as the villain of the story. His defeat comes suddenly and completely. The mother spends the first half of the book as a crabby, complaining nag. However, she is given the chance to realize her mistakes and gain forgiveness from her husband and daughter. Although I generally find it annoying when a book concludes with an idyllic ending, the fairy tale mood of this book makes it completely acceptable that the good characters are all rewarded and the bad one is punished.

In an author’s note at the end of the book, Lin tells the reader, “By the age of eleven, I had fully disregarded my Asian heritage.” Fortunately for her future readers, she found a renewed interest that heritage through Chinese folktales and fairy tales. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is a culmination of Lin’s reimagining and expanding of those folktales. Adding authenticity to Lin’s work is the list of books that inspired this novel.

There are some aspects of the book that reflect her “Asian-American sensibilities,” such as in Minli’s name. On the Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast blog (7/22/09), Lin relates the difficulty she choosing a name, mentioning that most Chinese names for girls emphasize beauty and passivity. However, even in this search for a name that suited her spirited heroine, she rejected the impulse to go against tradition. She originally considered the name “Cai,” meaning colorful, but decided against it because it is not a traditional Chinese girl name.

REVIEWS:
School Library Journal: “The author's writing is elegant, and her full-color illustrations are stunning. Minli's determination to help her family, as well as the grief her parents feel at her absence, is compelling and thoroughly human.”

CONNECTIONS:
Incorporate this book into a school-age storytime by reading one of the tales told within the book. Each one stands up well on its own, but is short enough to hold kids’ attention. This can be used in a general folktale-themed storytime or in a program dedicated to Asian literature.

Review: ERIKA-SAN by Allen Say

Say, Allen. 2009. Erika-San. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN: 9780618889334.

PLOT SUMMARY:
Inspired by an old print of a small house that she saw as a child in her grandmother’s house, Erika spends her life learning Japanese. After graduating from college, she travels to Japan to take a position as a teacher. She travels from Tokyo, to a small city, to a quiet, isolated settlement. Here, she finally finds the home she has been searching for.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:
In a review by School Library Journal, Erika-San is described as a “charming fairy tale with a contemporary, feminist twist,” complete with a quest, three challenges and a prince. Although I would not have picked up on this comparison on my own, I agree with it. A sweet and unexpected love story concludes this book about a woman searching for her heart’s desire. Although the story has a leisurely pace, the reader is pulled along by Erika’s determination to pursue her goals. You can’t help but smile at her enthusiasm: “Sayonara, everybody -- I’ve got a teaching job in Tokyo!”

Aside from her enthusiasm, Erika’s sincere interest in Japan is another endearing trait. She does not stop at superficial curiosity. She dedicates her studies to learning the language so that she can someday live in Japan. One thing that I found odd, however, is that despite her clear infatuation with Japan, she doesn’t seem to have taken much time learning about the country itself. She is completely shocked and overwhelmed by the crowds of people in Tokyo. She sees a bullet train and thinks, “Now I’m in a space station.” It appears that her research about the country stopped with the picture books her grandmother read her as little girl. However, once she is confronted by the fact that the cottage she has envisioned living in her entire life is not actually a home, but a teahouse, she embraces the new knowledge. Her decision to learn the tea ceremony, rather than mourn the loss of her castle in the sky, makes amends for her previous ignorance.

The realism of Say’s watercolor illustrations combined with the white space surrounding each image gives the impression that the reader is flipping through a scrapbook documenting true events, rather than reading a picture book. Each character depicted, American or Japanese, is given distinctive features that set them apart. Although the students that Erika teaches dress in identical uniforms, they are each given unique hairstyles, features, and expressions.

REVIEWS:
School Library Journal: “Say's soft-colored paintings, detailed but not busy, contain just the right amount of nuance to build the story. He nicely contrasts the busyness of the cities with the verdant landscapes of the country, casting a happy-ever-after glow to the tale.”

CONNECTIONS:
Suggest this book to kids who are interested in other countries and cultures, particularly Asian cultures. For additional reading, suggest nonfiction books and DVDs about other countries. For kids particularly interested in Japan, point them to the Kids Web Japan website, http://web-japan.org. It provides information about life in Japan, language lessons, and games.

Review: NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH (AND A FEW WHITE LIES) by Justina Chen Headley

Headley, Justina Chen. 2006. Nothing but the truth (and a few white lies). New York: Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 0316011282.

PLOT SUMMARY:
As a half white, half Asian teen, Patty Ho feels completely out of place in her life. She doesn’t live up to her Taiwanese mother’s strict standards and is the victim of harassment by racist classmates. Although she is prepared to have a miserable time at the math camp her mother sends her to for the summer, it’s at camp that Patty begins to find confidence and embrace her multi-faceted self.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:
In Nothing But the Truth (and a Few White Lies), Headley contrasts an animated and casual writing style with intense emotions and experiences. The story is told in first person from Patty’s perspective. Although her observations of the world around her mark her as witty and intelligent, Patty views herself as perpetually awkward and out of place because of her mixed race. Her experiences back up her feelings of isolation. A classmate hurls derogatory remarks and spits on her, while her long-time crush sits idly by. Even her best friend shows a complete disregard for Patty’s Taiwanese culture: “Omigod, what weird Chinesey thing is your mom doing to you now?” As the reader, I never felt like Patty’s low self-esteem was completely illogical. With encounters like that, what average teenage girl wouldn’t start to feel ashamed of who they are? By entering a new environment with a diverse group of people, she realizes that nobody ever fits wholly into one perfect mold. She finds confidence in who she is and embraces her many “Asian, white, closet math geek, runner, friend, daughter, girl-in-lust-with-Stu” selves.

The only flaw that I found with the plot is that Patty’s transformation feels too sudden. As someone who experienced through similar high school experiences of isolation and embarrassment (down to humiliating motherly public lectures), it seems unlikely to me that Patty would undergo such a quick a shift in personality and behavior.

Cultural markers are used abundantly throughout the book, more than in any other book I have read this semester. The frequent mentions of cultural details seem appropriate to the story because Patty herself is so hyper-aware of her ethnicity. Although she is half-white, since Patty is raised by a single mother, her home life is rooted in Taiwanese culture. She is constantly at odds with her simultaneous desires to meet her mother’s high expectations and to avoid the Asian stereotypes of the “model minority.” She intentionally tries to bomb her math camp application. She resents the only other Asian girl in her class, Annie, for fulfilling the stereotype of a good Asian student by excelling in school. It’s a relief when she begins to realizing that being good in math doesn’t mean she’s a geek or that she’s perpetuating the model minority stereotype. She stops putting so much importance on how she thinks others see her, and focuses instead on how she views herself.

REVIEWS:
Booklist: “Headley lays on the empowering revelations with a trowel, and the stream of comic riffs, some of which miss the mark, slow this debut novel's pace. But Patty's contemporary, immediate thoughts about finding direction and relating to family have universal resonance, while her specific struggles will speak directly to biracial teens.”

CONNECTIONS:
This book is a good recommendation for teen girls. After they finish this book, recommend these other books about contemporary life as an Asian American teen or tween:
Girl Overboard by Justina Chen Headley
Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One by David Yoo
Project Mulberry by Linda Sue Park
Seeing Emily by Joyce Lee Wong

Review: A BOY CALLED SLOW by Joseph Bruchac

Bruchac, Joseph. 1994. A boy called Slow. Ill. by Rocco Baviera. New York: Philomel Books. ISBN 0399226923.

PLOT SUMMARY:
Bruchac tells the story of how a Lakota boy named Slow became the man known as Sitting Bull through his bravery and determination.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:
The meaning and earning of a name is the driving force behind this tale. Bruchac emphasizes that theme throughout the book. Although the idea that Slow must somehow earn a new name may seem unusual to many readers, the author effectively impresses the importance of this tradition. Other cultural markers found within the text include the occasional inclusion of Lakota words. Most of these words are followed by literal translations. Although this might seem redundant if I was familiar with the language, as it is, I found the translations to be helpful. They did not distract me from the story at all. Another sign of cultural authenticity is that the author is careful to identify the individual groups of American Indians found in the story. Slow is identified not only as part of the Lakota Sioux, but also as part of the Hunkpapa band.

The dark, textured illustrations by Baviera created a somber mood throughout the story. While the paintings are beautiful and rich, they did not always seem to support the mood of the text. For example, while the text is describing the joy of Slow’s parents at his birth, the accompanying illustration is dominated by a muddy yellow sky. In addition, on that particular spread, the black text overlaid on the yellow sky is difficult to read. However, for the most part, the solemn and expressive illustrations support the impression of Slow’s steady, determined character.

REVIEWS:
Student Library Journal: “The illustrations, oils that are rich and somber, convey details of traditional Lakota life, from the warm, close interiors of the family home to a pre-dawn assembly of warriors about to raid their Crow neighbors. The text creates an equally subtle portrayal of Plains Indian life. Many stereotypes of Native American culture are gently corrected, as when the author acknowledges that "women are the heart of the nation."

CONNECTIONS:

This book can be read aloud to students when learning about Sitting Bull. Learning about the childhood of this historical figure will excite students’ interest and perhaps encourage them to do their own research.

Review: WHAT'S THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING YOU KNOW ABOUT HORSES? by Richard Van Camp

Van Camp, Richard. 1998. What’s the most beautiful thing you know about horses? Ill. by George Littlechild. San Francisco: Children’s Book Press. ISBN 0892391545.

PLOT SUMMARY:
In this colorfully illustrated picture book, the young narrator spends a freezing cold day quizzing his family and friends on what they think is the most beautiful thing about horses.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:
The unsophisticated wonderings of the text created by Van Camp is paired nicely with the childlike illustrations by Littlechild. The narrator cheerfully explains why he is very familiar and comfortable with dogs, but finds horses to be a completely foreign and unknown creature. Although the illustrations never depict the narrator, the excitement of the text enables the reader to easily imagine the energetic, inquisitive child hounding his (or her) family with questions. What the vibrantly colored illustrations accomplish is to show the reader what the narrator envisions while pondering the mysterious horses.

Several cultural markers which lend a sense of authenticity can be found in this book. A few words in the Cree and Dogrib languages make their way into the story. The narrator notes that in both languages, the words for “horse” translate to “big dog.” One interesting cultural aspect of the book is found in the introduction when the narrator states, “I am half Indian and I am half white. The good news about all this is I could be the cowboy or the Indian when we used to play Guns.” The accompanying illustration depicts a man split in half as a cowboy and an Indian. It makes one wonder if he would have felt restricted to only playing the Indian if he was not half-white and vice versa.

REVIEWS:
School Library Journal: “The author engages in a remarkable free flow of musings, questions, and answers. His startling narrative style, lively pace, offbeat sense of humor, and refreshing stance give readers a lot to think about… In Littlechild's vibrant, surrealistic illustrations, horses vibrate and prance off the pages, dogs bay or lounge at the center of attention, and distorted figures eye readers. Brash, bold hues enliven the special aspects of each figure, while narrow bands of color along one side contrast with the central image.

CONNECTIONS:
The colorful illustrations and lighthearted text would make this a good choice to include in a preschool story time, especially when paired with other horse-themed books.

Review: RAIN IS NOT MY INDIAN NAME by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Smith, Cynthia Leitich. 2001. Rain is not my Indian name. New York: Harper Collins Publishers. ISBN 0688173977.

PLOT SUMMARY:
After years of friendship, fourteen-year-old Rain Berghoff decides that she has developed romantic feelings for her best friend, Galen. Tragically, on the same night that Rain discovers that Galen reciprocates her feelings, he is killed in an accident. Months later, Rain has cut herself off her friends and struggles to accept the loss of her friend. Despite her family’s urging, she refuses to take part in the Indian Camp run by her Aunt Georgia. However, by accepting the job of photographing the camp for the local newspaper, she finds herself becoming involved in the camp and joining in the fight to keep it’s funding. Gradually, Rain also comes to terms with Galen’s death and allows herself to rejoin life.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:
In this book, Leitich offers a realistic portrayal of a grieving teenage girl who happens to be part American Indian. Although the focus of the story remains the process of recovering from the loss of her best friend and first love, the author also emphasizes how Rain’s heritage influences her life. Her heritage is brought to attention most obviously by her interaction with her aunt’s Indian Camp, but also through Rain’s commentary on her life. She describes the questions she frequently intercepts about her mixed heritage: “How much Indian are you?” She observes the difference it makes when those questions are asked by other Native people “because they show respect for the tribal affiliation, for [her] family.”

The mention of Rain’s American Indian heritage never appears to be forced into the text. The reader is not made to feel like he or she is being taught about Native American culture. Instead, the reader learns about what life is like for this one girl.

REVIEWS:
School Library Journal: “There is a surprising amount of humor in this tender novel. It is one of the best portrayals around of kids whose heritage is mixed but still very important in their lives.”

CONNECTIONS:
Students who enjoyed the multicultural perspective presented in this book, may also enjoy reading these other contemporary novels:
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Indian Shoes by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Between the Deep Blue Sea and Me by Lurline Wailana McGregor

Review: CANTO FAMILIAR by Gary Soto

Soto. Gary. 1995. Canto Familiar. Ill. by Annika Nelson. San Diego: Harcourt Brace & Company. ISBN 0152000674.

PLOT SUMMARY:
In this collection of free-verse poems, Gary Soto describes everyday situations from Mexican-American (or sometimes just plain American) life. Brightly colored woodblock print illustrations by Annika Nelson accompany several poems throughout the book.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:
In Canto Familiar, Soto light-heartedly captures the simple emotions and sensations of daily life. The tone is immediately set in the first poem, “Papi’s Menudo.” Although my own father’s menudo-eating was usually limited to restaurants, rather than our home, I was filled with a sense of nostalgia by phrases like: “He sprinkles his menudo with onion and rubs oregano between his lucky palms.”

While many of the poems focus on themes of Mexican-American life, some describe situations that nearly any child could relate to. In “Winter Cold,” a girl toughs out chilly weather, puddles, and a cold so that she can join the other girls in class in beating the boys in a geography competition. Kids (and adults) can empathize with the girl’s steely determination to win.

Although Soto uses Spanish language sporadically throughout the book, he does not provide translations, even in the form of a glossary. Most of the words would be easy for non-Spanish speakers to understand (ex. bebé), but some may provide more of a challenge (“Las estrellas danzan en mis paredes”).

Nelson’s illustrations are scattered throughout the book. Although the bright images do help to break up the text, they don’t add much expression to the poems. I’ll admit, however, that this opinion is probably influenced by my dislike of block printing. Also, the color illustrations found in the hardback edition of the book is preferable to the black and white illustrations of the newer paperback edition.

REVIEWS:
School Library Journal: “Who could imagine that such joyous rhythm could be found in the familiar moments of life, such as washing dishes or spotting a teacher in the market? In this companion volume to Neighborhood Odes (Harcourt, 1992), Soto not only imagines the musical beat, but also captures the energy and transposes it into poetic songs.”

CONNECTIONS:
Kids who enjoy Canto Familiar should also try the companion book by Gary Soto, Neighborhood Odes.

Review: YUM! MMMM! ¡QUE RICO! by Pat Mora

Mora, Pat. 2007. Yum! MmMm! ¡Qué rico! America’s sproutings. Ill. By Raphael López. New York: Lee & Low Books. ISBN 9781584302711.

PLOT SUMMARY:
Pat Mora uses haiku to describe foods native to America. Each haiku is accompanied by vibrant illustrations and a short description of each food.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:
This book seems to have a perfect balance of information, charm, and fun. Although this form of poetry usually brings back unpleasant memories of 7th grade English class, in this instance, I found Mora’s haiku to be both amusing and beautiful. The imagery of the haiku is skillfully matched by López’s acrylic illustrations. The lively paintings exactly match the sights, sounds, and smells described in the haiku. I was amazed at how López was able to depict the simple joy of a rich piece of chocolate (“Fudge, cake, pie, cookies. Brown magic melts on your tongue. Happy, your eyes dance.”)

Most, although not all, of the foods depicted were originally found in South or Central America. Mora emphasized Latino culture by incorporating some Spanish words in a few poems, as well as in the title. The translations of these few words are provided on the t.p. verso page. The illustrations represent the variety of physical characteristics of Latinos. Some are fair, some are dark. A variety of settings is also shown, depending on the origins of the food being described.

REVIEWS:
Student Library Journal: “The sense of whimsy is further underscored in López's colorful acrylic on wood-panel illustrations. Artful compositions and brilliant complementary colors bear out the book's multicultural themes.”

CONNECTIONS:

Pair this book with other “food” themed books for storytime. Some book options are The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle, I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato by Lauren Child, and Chato’s Kitchen by Gary Soto.

Review: ESPERANZA RISING by Pam Muñoz Ryan

Ryan, Pam Muñoz. 2000. Esperanza rising. New York: Scholastic Press. ISBN 0439120411.

PLOT SUMMARY:
A tragic series of events forces thirteen-year-old Esperanza Ortega and her mother to flee the privileged life they have always known in Mexico. They travel to the United States to work as laborers on a farm in California during the Great Depression. As Esperanza experiences the physical and emotional hardships of her new life, she matures and learns to appreciate the peaks and valleys of life.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:
Although there were a few elements within this book that distracted me from truly becoming immersed in the story, Esperanza Rising was overall an entertaining and enlightening read. The Ryan’s Esperanza is likeable in the way that Jane Austen’s Emma is likeable. As the reader, you know that some of her thinking is wrong, but her good intentions outweigh her faults. As a result of her station in life, Esperanza is prideful. Without intending any offense, she looks down on people who she does not consider equals. However, her good heart reassures the reader that, in the end, she will overcome any prejudice and conceit.

One failing of the book is the method of translation for the Spanish words and phrases used throughout the book. Nearly all of the Spanish words used followed by literal translations. Although some of these translations flow naturally (“He calls you mi reina! Will you tell me about your life as a queen?"), most seem repetitive and unnecessary to readers with some familiarity with Spanish. While the use of some Spanish throughout the story does add to the setting and theme, contextual translations, along with a glossary, would have worked better in this book.

Ryan uses physical descriptions of her characters to illuminate the differences between the social classes in Mexico. In comparing her similarity to her mother, Esperanza surveys her “black hair, wavy and thick… dark lashes and fair, creamy skin.” Hortensia, a servant and friend to the Ortega family, is described as “a Zapotec Indian from Oaxaca, with a short, solid figure and blue-black hair in a braid down her back.” Hortensia’s son, Miguel spells out the situation to Esperanza: “Have you never noticed? ...Those with Spanish blood, who have the fairest complexions in the land, are the wealthiest.” This is contrasted with the Esperanza’s situation in California, where all of the Mexican immigrants and Mexican-Americans are equally discriminated against.

REVIEWS:
School Library Journal: “Set against the multiethnic, labor-organizing era of the Depression, the story of Esperanza remaking herself is satisfyingly complete, including dire illness and a difficult romance. Except for the evil uncles, all of the characters are rounded, their motives genuine, with class issues honestly portrayed.”

CONNECTIONS:
When learning about the Great Depression or reading The Grapes of Wrath, teachers can incorporate this book into the lesson to provide a different cultural perspective.