American Born Chinese Children's Book Alley: Pass the soy sauce, please

Monday, November 22, 2010

Pass the soy sauce, please

Beijing's hungry ghost gourmand has met his match in Ying Chang Compestine's chubby little hero. Chub-chub's stalling tactics keep hungry ghost on the run all through the night, vainly preparing for a mouth-watering feast of boy dumplings. At dawn's light, the ghost wails à la Wicked Witch of the West (I'm melting!) before disappearing like a bad genie into little boy's paper lantern. James Yamasaki's slapstick, campy pictures accompany the eclectic, comedic escapade. Fun for a Halloween state-of-mind.

Ying Chang Compestine (author) and James Yamasaki (illustrator)
Boy Dumplings
Holiday House, 2009

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About this blog

When I was a child growing up in the 1970s in middle America, children's books with East Asian content were rare. The few that I knew were a mixed bag. Some seemed to have good intentions, but uncomfortable stereotypes; others snappy writing, but uneven illustrations. Since then, I'm thrilled to see that children's books in the US have flourished, and there is a much greater variety of good quality books that I can now read to my hapa (half-Asian Pacific American) son.

This blog was inspired by a good friend with fine taste in children's books. In the coming year (by November 1, 2011), my goal is to review 365 children's books that might appeal to American Born Chinese, friends, families, and others with an interest in East Asian culture.