Grandfather's Journey

Bibliography:

Say, Allen. 1993.  Grandfather's Journey.  Houghton Mifflin Company. New York, NY. 0-395-57035-2.

Plot Summary:

A Japanese American tells the story of his grandfather's journey to America, which he later enjoys the journey for himself and how both men were torn by their love of both countries.

Critical Analysis:

I loved this book. The illustrations are beautiful and tore at my heart. I thought the way Allen Say included illustrations of the men in both traditional Japanese dress and American dress added to the story.  I felt the colors Say chose depicted the feelings of the characters in each illustration as well, for example the illustration of the grandfather and his bride to be are in rich, bright colors, but the illustration of the the Japanese family and children after the war were in darker shades.  I feel this story shows how you can love two places equally and want to return to both as often as possible.  I loved the last line, " The funny thing is, the moment I am in one country, I am homesick for the other. "   I feel that many readers could relate to this statement, if not about countries, other places in their lives. 

The illustrations depicted a variety of pictures of Japan as well as the United States. Many of the illustrations could have been photos in a family album, which makes you feel connected to the people in the story. 

Reviews:

Horn Book:

The immigrant experience has rarely been so poignantly evoked as it is in this direct, lyrical narrative that is able to stir emotions through the simplicity of its telling.

Connections:

www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/authors/allensay/

http://faculty.salisbury.edu/~elbond/grand.htm

This site has classroom connections for every subject!

Lon Po Po

Bibliography:

Young , Ed. Lon Po Po.  Scholastic, Inc. New York, NY. 0-59044069-1.

Plot Summary:

This book is the Chinese version of Little Red Riding Hood.  It is the story of three sisters who are left home alone while their mother goes to visit their grandmother PoPo.  A mean wolf comes to their house and pretends to be PoPo, but the sisters will not be outsmarted. The sisters work together and convince the wolf that he should allow them to hoist him into the tree to eat some Ginko nuts.  The clever sisters outwit the evil wolf and tell their mother all about it when she returns home.

Critical Analysis:

Lon Po Po won the Caldecott Medal in 1990. The pictures are in dark, watercolors and add to the suspense of the story.  Ed Young does a nice job of retelling an American favorite with a Chinese twist. He incorporates Chinese elements into the story such as Ginko nuts, the names of the girls, Shang, Tao, and Paotz and the name they refer to their grandmother by, Po Po.  The clever way the sisters trick the wolf and get away would be interesting to children. I do feel the pictures are a little bit scary for small children. I also wonder why Ed Young chose to draw the sisters all looking so much alike. In one illustrations the sisters look almost identical except each is a little larger than the other.

Review Excerpts:

School Library Journal:  The text possesses that matter-of-fact veracity that characterizes the best fairy tales.  The watercolor and pastel pictures are remarkable: mystically beautiful in their depiction of the Chinese countryside, menacing in the exchanges with the wolf, and positively chilling in the scenes inside the house. Overall, this is an outstanding achievement that will be pored over again and again.

Connections:

This website is a wealth of information on everything related to the book LonPoPo

http:.www.vickiblackwell.com/lit/lonpopo.html

http://web.bsu.edu/00smtancock/Cyberlesson/LonPoPo/

http://www.uvm.edu/~outreach/units/LonPoPo.pdf

Bibliography:

Yep, Laurence. 2000. Cockroach Cooties. New York, NY: Hyperion Books for Children. ISBN: 0786824190.

Plot Summary:

Cockroach Cooties is the story of two brothers that work together to get rid of the school bully, Arnie-zilla.  When they realize Arnie is terribly afraid of bugs, roaches in particular they use their new pet, Hercules to save the day, and their lives.

Critical Analysis:

The younger of the brothers, Bobby manages to draw the attentions of Arnie-zilla the school bully.  His older brother Teddy has to decide whether he wants to stay out of it, thus saving his own skin, or help out Bobby.  It's the same situation many brothers find themselves in during their lifetime.  Teddy and Bobby discover Arnie's weakness is a fear of roaches, so they pay a visit to the "Bug Lady", Charlie.  

Other than the book cover their are not any illustrations for this book, but it becomes clear early on that Bobby and Teddy live in Chinatown, and are Chinese Americans.  Through out the book references are made to their culture and family history.  There are also references made about tourists and how some of them take pictures of Bobby and Teddy on the street.  The boys attend Chinese school as well as public school.  Although these boys are Chinese-Americans and that is mentioned in various ways, it is not an important aspect of the story. The story revolves around family and how they stick together and take care of each other. There are some humorous parts that include specifics of being Chinese Americans such as when they go to dinner for their mother's birthday. It is mentioned that Bobby and Teddy's family are always on time, on American time, not Chinese time like the extended family members who are always late to family events.

Review Excerpts:

School Library Journal: Readers will either be instantly attracted to Cockroach Cooties or completely repelled by it, but those who can stomach the idea of crushed crickets in their chocolate-chip cookies will eat it up.

Connections:

Meet the Author:  www.eduplace.com/kids/hmr/yep.html

This is a good interview that could encourage budding writers.  It also lists other books written by Laurence Yep.

http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/yep.htm

Laurence Yep Teacher Resource File

http://suzyred.com/2002cooties.html