More on walls

Margy Burns Knight (author)
Anne Sibley O'Brien (illustrator)
Talking Walls: The Stories Continue
Tilbury, 1996

Margy Burns Knight adds vignettes about fourteen additional walls around the world to our expanding understanding of human societies and their built environments. East and Southeast Asia are represented by Tibetan prayer wheels built into temple walls, the walls of Wat Po in Bangkok, and "Dog Wall" in Shibuya train station, honoring the loyal Hachiko. Additional interest for Asian-Americans is found in the discussion of the barrack walls at Angel Island, where Chinese immigrants were detained in the early 20th century. As in her earlier book. Knight tackles tough topics of social justice, religious difference, and freedom.

Happiest Birthday Book

Chihiro Nakagawa (author)

Junji Koyose (illustrator)

Who Made This Cake?

Front Street, 2007

There is nothing obviously East Asian about this book, still, the precision and attention to detail reminds me of Japanese style. It is the same kind of care and engineering that goes into, say, miniature sushi pencil erasers or Tomica toy cars (my favorite is the Yamazaki bread truck). Junji Koyose's lilliputian workers creatively control a variety of construction vehicles and heavy machinery to crack eggs, mix batter, spray and smooth frosting, and lift strawberries into place. The result: the perfect birthday cake made with child-like imagination. This is, hands-down, my favorite birthday book. 

Dream on

Jenny Hom (author)
Julia Kuo (illustrator)
Clara Lee and the Apple Pie Dream
Little, Brown, 2011

Third-grader Clara Lee lives in an idealized American small town, which celebrates autumn with the rather spring-sounding Apple Blossom Festival. The improbable name, with its implications of a beautiful and flourishing atmosphere, suits the story. Drawing courage from her grandfather and his auspicious dream interpretation, Clara Lee determines to rise to new challenges, from climbing the rope in P.E. class to competing for Little Miss Apple Pie. Her major competitor is Dionne, a descendant a founding father of their town. Dionne claims to be as American as apple pie, making Clara Lee uneasy about her Korean heritage and doubt her status as an American. The lesson of Jenny Hom's book comes as no surprise: what counts is an individual's integrity. A good friend must apologize when in the wrong; Little Miss Apple Pie must represent core American values. American myth-making lives on.

Tending the fire

Linda Sue Park (author)

Julie Downing (illustrator)

The Firekeeper's Son

Clarion, 2004

When Sang-hee's father injures his ankle, Sang-hee must assume responsibility for lighting the signal fire atop the mountain near his village. Imagining how exciting it might be to meet soldiers, Sang-hee hesitates. When he makes the right choice, he is rewarding with fiery visions of flaming warriors, as well as his father's pride. Linda Sue Park's story, based on pre-modern Korean defense system, invites children to imagine another time and place, and to confront an ethical choice. I don't know whether Sang-hee's clay figurines are based on Korean precedents, but Julie Downing's inclusion of these charming toys in her illustrations effectively engaged my kindergartener.

Sushi chef's story

Lynne Barasch
Hiromi's Hands
Lee & Low, 2007

Lynne Barasch tells the true story of Hiromi Suzuki (a chef in a Japanese restaurant in New York City), who learns from her father how to select fish, scrub floors, prepare rice, and roll outstanding sushi. Along the way, Barasch compares the patriarchal norms of the traditional Japanese society in which Hiromi's parents, Akira and Kaoru grew up, to the possibilities that characterize the more contemporary America to which they immigrated. At times, Barasch tells more than she shows, but the story can inspire girls to challenge norms that would exclude them. The book closes with an illustrated dictionary of select sushi, a photograph of the real Hiromi, and a glossary with pronunciation.

Xanadu redux

Kathleen Krull (author)
Robert Byrd (illustrator)
Kubla Khan: The Emperor of Everything
Viking, 2010

New biographies of Marco Polo seem to come out yearly; by contrast, books about the emperor he visited, Khubilai Khan, are far fewer in the English language. So, I was quite hopeful when I stumbled on this one. I was disappointed, however, in both the text, which drew more inspiration from Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem than from modern scholarship, and the illustrations, which were likewise rather fantastic concoctions. These aspects of the book can be substantiated in the notes, which feature Coleridge and claim erroneously that "no definitive likeness of Kubla Khan exists." Below, I add the well-known painting (probably a preparatory work for a tapestry) in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, collection, executed by court painters during the emperor's lifetime, along with that of his consort, Chabi. I did appreciate, however, Kathleen Krull's attention to the substantial power and influence of Mongol women such as Khubilai's mother and Chabi.

Key to happiness

Phillis Gershator (author)
Holly Meade (illustrator)
Sky Sweeper
Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2007

Takeboki is the Flower Keeper at a Japanese Buddhist temple. From youth to old age, throughout the seasons, he joyfully cares for the garden. Holly Meade's pictures are enchanting, the next best thing to being in a garden oneself. Phillis Gershator's tale is gentle, and interestingly open to interpretation. Sometimes, I wonder if Takeboki's example sends the wrong message, encouraging acceptance of hierarchy and inequality. But other times, I am persuaded that Takeboki makes a profoundly wise choice.

Princess warrior

Judy Sierra (author)

Meilo So (illustrator)

Tasty Baby Belly Buttons

Knopf, 1999

Maybe it's because I spent the afternoon making dumplings with my mother and nostalgia got a hold of me, which makes me declare about Judy Sierra's Tasty Baby Belly Buttons, loved it! I loved the melon princess, Uriko-hime, who born from a melon was without a belly button. But, she had ample doses of justice, courage, and sympathy on which she drew to rescue her village's babies from the monstrous oni whose favorite delicacy is the delicious infant navel. I loved also the text's sprinkling of Japanese onomatopoetic words—tsunbara, tsunbara and tonkoto, tonkoto and boro, boro and the like—which make the folktale a delight to read aloud and to hear. I loved also the watercolor illustrations, which are done with verve. Uriko-hime's two-tone, melon-colored robe with watermelon seed accents is something that I'd love to see supersede some of American girlhood's prevailing frothy pink tulle with sparkly this and that. Read it, and love it, too.

Mothers' Day

Mitsu and Taro Yashima
Momo's Kitten
Viking, 1961

Some months ago, I posted a review of Umbrella, which reflects on how quickly Momo grows up. In this later book, Momo's Kitten, her family moves from New York City to Los Angeles where she adopts a stray kitten. She names the kitty "Nyan-Nyan." Nyan-Nyan grows very quickly, and her litter of kittens becomes a way to remark delightfully upon how each youngster has its own idiosyncrasy, whether it likes to pull on panda's tongue or sleep in the pigeon cage on the balcony. A sad Momo must give the kittens away eventually, but she finds a creative way to mark that transition with handmade birth certificates. The gentle theme is the cycle of motherhood.

In Others' Words

Rosemary Wells
Yoko Writes Her Name
Hyperion, 2008

In an earlier book, Yoko was singled out for the strange ethnic foods she brought to school. This time, Yoko's way of writing her name in Japanese hiragana ようこ, and numbers in Japanese kanji 一二三, leads to more teasing from her schoolmates. Their ignorance and unkindness leave Yoko worried that she might not graduate from kindergarten, though it is only the first week of school. The next day, Yoko reads a Japanese book to the class, and although most react negatively, Angelo is curious. He and Yoko teach each other, and soon their enthusiasm spreads to their classmates. Rosemary Wells' cheerful illustrations are bordered by patterns inspired by Japanese textile design and punctuated with paired, bilingual picture flashcards of everyday things like dog いぬ and hand て.

In or Out?

Margy Burns Knight (author)

Anne Sibley O'Brien (illustrator)

Talking Walls

Tilbury, 1992

Margy Burns Knight's Talking Walls begins with a poetic musing by Robert Frost: "Before I built a wall I'd ask to know/ What I was walling in or walling out...." Following that thought, Knight takes us on a journey to fourteen walls from around the world and different times in human history. The earliest are found in the caves of Lascaux, adorned with images of horses, bison, and antelope dating to more than 17,000 years ago. These images spur us to wonder about early human communities and ways of life. Prison walls held Nelson Mandela captive until February 1990, and in this case the walls ask us to confront difficult, but important questions of freedom and justice. The book ends decidedly upbeat, with the tearing down of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989. Asia has somewhat limited representation with just two examples:  the Great Wall of China and the relief sculpture at Mammallapuram. (A sequel includes another three. Review coming soon.)

  By design, Talking Walls cannot delve deeply into any one particular wall and its historical context. Instead, the underlying theme yokes together diverse expressions of human cultures with our common humanity. It invites further exploration and discussion, and those with an interest may inquire with Tilbury for teachers' guides.

Brownies with Green Tea Ice Cream

Rosemary Wells

Yoko

Hyperion, 1998

Yoko's morning begins with her mother lovingly packing a homemade sushi lunchbox (would that we were all so lucky!). Morning in Mrs. Jenkin's class passes quickly, and soon it's lunchtime. Rosemary Wells lists every child's food, from Fritz' meatball grinder to Doris' squeeze cheese on white bread. Predictably, Yoko's ethnic lunch becomes the object of unwanted, disapproving attention. "Yuck-o-rama!" seems to be the consensus. At recess, Mrs. Jenkins tries to reassure Yoko, expressing hopefully that the children will forget the lunch incident. But nothing changes at snack time when Yoko's azuki bean ice cream becomes the target. Fortunately, Mrs. Jenkins has a plan, International Food Day. Yoko's sushi doesn't get the immediate attention it should, but hungry Timothy is won over. By day's end, the two are busy creating an eclectic menu for their imaginary restaurant. 

  I am reminded of a recent study about how one friend can make all the difference. It does for Yoko. 

DIY

Lance Kramer (author)
Steven Weinberg (illustrator)
Great Ancient China Projects You Can Build Yourself
Nomad, 2008

If you have crafty, hands-on kids in your life, Great Ancient China Projects combines a little bit of history, lore, and culture with a variety of scientific and artistic things to do. The book reminds me of a workbook, and probably could be useful for lesson planning, home schooling, and the like. The layout is a bit too cluttered for my taste (more is not necessarily more), with somewhat perfunctory illustrations (sometimes odd, as when ink drawings of bronze vessels accompanies a chapter on silk and jade), and the occasional inexplicable looks-like-a-character-but-isn't (fengshui is 風水). But, if you don't mind picking and choosing for yourself, it could be a good resource for making paper, a mini terracotta army, a compass, noodles, and more. The book's aim is to get you out of the book and into your project, after all.

What, no food?!

Grace Lin

Kite Flying

Dell Dragonfly, 2002

Kite Flying follows the winning Grace Lin formula in all but one surprising aspect: the food (or lack thereof). Mother, Father, and sisters purchase craft materials to assemble a bright bewhiskered dragon-faced kite together. Nice touches include the endpaper illustrations with raw ingredients (glue, sandpaper, string and so forth) in the front, and then finished products and their symbolism in the end (bee kite for industry, goldfish kite for abundance, etc.). Italic font sympathetically bends to the breeze.

chu, chu! (giddy-up!)

Ted and Betsy Lewin

Horse Song: The Naadam of Mongolia

Lee and Low, 2008

  The gorgeous illustration on the first-page, imitating an exotic and well-browsed book, tells us that we are about to enter another world. Horse Song records in vivid words and images Ted and Betsy Lewin's journey to Mongolia to witness the Nadaam festival. The festival features a race in which middle-school-aged children ride semi-wild horses fourteen miles in the Gobi desert. Through the Lewins' travelogue we enter in the everyday rhythms of Mongolian life, like making curds from mare's milk, and hear of common dreams like winning the horse race. We learn about cultural expectations as when we squeeze alongside the Lewins into a tent so as to accept the hospitality offered us; and we experience in the curious gazes of our Mongolian hosts ourselves as Other. And, of course, there is the horse race, and there is no escape from a narrative that accelerates to a full-gallop finish. 

  The book marvelously transports us to another culture on another continent, and we hope one day to make use of the extra facts and the glossary the Lewins share with us.

Think different

Ippo Keido (retelling) and Kazuko G. Stone (illustrations)
The Butterfly's Dream
Tuttle, 2003

Ippo Keido uses the story of Chuang-tzu's (Zhuangzi 莊子) dream to enfold a series of other stories about vision. We see by turns the vast viewpoint of the giant fish-bird and the circumscribed world of the frog sitting in the depths of the well. Although I've heard it many times, I can't help but laugh at the tale of the monkey trainer, who satisfies his simian charges by reversing the daily regimen of 3 chestnuts in the morning and 4 chestnuts in the evening. Keido rounds out the stories with the "wooden" rooster whose power is hidden behind stealthy discipline; the useless tree, which thrives because it is too crooked, too heavy, and too hard for commercial use; and Hui-tzu's giant gourds, which outgrow conventional purposes. The lesson is to think differently. Kazuko Stone's illustrations are occasionally awkward, as when an emperor hovers at odd corners near the rooster-training exercises or when the so-called useless tree looks not at all crooked. But, the color and charm will be engaging for readers young and old, just as these Daoist tales continue to offer relevant, trenchant lessons.

Annyonghi kasipsio

Frances Park and Ginger Park (authors)
Katherine Potter (illustrator)
The Have a Good Day Cafe
Lee and Low, 2005

Grandmother's nostalgia for her Korean past and grandson's optimism for his family's American future converge as they hatch a plan to replace the hot-dog-and-chips fare at the family food cart business with savory Korean cuisine. A cheerful variation on the American dream theme, authors Frances Park and Ginger Park offer a brief glossary of Korean words.

Charmed

Robert D. San Souci (author)

Yoriko Ito (illustrator)

The Silver Charm: A Folktale from Japan

Doubleday, 2002

After young Satsu has snacked on wild berries, he gives his silver charm as payment to an ogre so that he may escape. But the berries sicken him, rendering him unconscious on the beach. Fortunately, his loyal pets, a pup and a young fox, lead Satsu's parents to their lost boy. But Satsu is not yet out of danger. The wise man observes that Satsu illness will not leave unless his silver charm is recovered. The resourceful and compassionate animal pair team up with a plucky mouse to save their beloved Satsu. Yoriko Ito's enchanting watercolor illustrations accompany this sweet folktale.

Puzzle stories

Ann Tompert (author)

Robert Andrew Parker (illustrator)

Grandfather Tang's Story: A Tale Told with Tangrams

Crown, 1990

Grandfather Tang uses tangrams to spin a yarn about shape-shifting foxes to entertain Little Soo. The competitive fox friends try to out-do each other, becoming natural hunters like like hawks and alligators, then transforming quickly into creatures who by size (a goldfish) or skills (a goose) can escape. But when one of them, Chou, is threatened by a real hunter, his friend Wu Ling comes to his rescue. By twists and turns, Ann Tompert's narrative introduces the clever game of Chinese tangrams to young children. She includes instructions and a pattern.

Talk does not cook rice

Robert Wyndham (author)
Jay Yang (illustrations)
Tales the People Tell in China
Julian Messner, 1971

Robert Wyndham anthologizes twelve Chinese stories and throws three anecdotes and a dozen or so aphorisms into a lively mix. Many stories read like fables, with a useful lesson or two for living well. In "The Young Head of the Cheng Family" (translated from 巧媳婦, meaning clever wife), Precious Jade instructs her future sisters-in-law on the means of wrapping fire and catching wind in paper. She uses her cleverness to help her family prosper, even boldly outsmarting a local magistrate. For male ingenuity, Wyndham includes the famous Three Kingdoms' story of Kongming "borrowing" ten thousand arrows by tricking his enemy Cao Cao to shoot at ships loaded with hay bales. Jay Yang's charming, black-and-white illustrations draw from traditional Chinese prints as well as compositions of masterpieces (e.g., Spring Festival on the River) and styles of famous painters (e.g., Chen Hongshou). The modest-sized book is a jewel, with a fine selection of tales, rendered in easy, fluid prose, peppered with good humor. Here, are a few of the aphorisms to whet your appetite:
  A teacher can open the door, but the pupil must go through by himself.
  The wise man listens to his own mind, the foolish man heeds the mob.
  Water and words are easy to pour, but impossible to recover.
  Patience and the mulberry leaf become a silk gown.
  Talk does not cook rice.

Happy New Year

Marcia Vaughan (author) and Stanley Wong Hoo Foon (illustrator)

The Dancing Dragon

Mondo, 1996

Gonghe xinxi 恭賀新禧! That is the new year's greeting gracing the inside cover of The Dancing Dragon. Paired couplets describe the preparations and excitement that take place in the Chinese community to celebrate the new year. While the first eight pages show a series of activities taking place one after the other (decorating storefronts, arriving at the parade, watching the lion dance), the second half of the book expands accordion-style to reveal a single dancing dragon that zigs and zags through the entire town. The simple but clever design makes this book memorable and fun.

Speak Chinese

Katy R. Kudela
My First Book of Mandarin Chinese Words
Capstone, 2010

This book is not going transform your little one into a bi-lingual wunderkind, but it is a colorful and attractive enticement for learning the mandarin Chinese names for people and objects around the house, on the farm, in town, and in a school room. It's hard for me to imagine learning accurate pronunciation from Romanization alone. But, if you have access to the internet, though, you may easily make up for the most obvious deficiency in this book. For best results, you will probably want to start your child before age 4. Jiayou 加油!

Canine companions

 Wendy Tokuda and Richard Hall (authors)
Kern Okasaki Sasaki (illutrator)
Shiro in Love: A True Story
Heian, 1989

Pamela S. Turner (author)

 Yan Nascimbene (illustrator)

Hachiko: The True Story of a Loyal Dog

  Here are two stories of remarkable dogs in Japan. After being rescued from a dump, Shiro began commuting in the mid-1980s from the tropical island of Aka to a neighboring island, Zamami, to visit his doggy sweetie, Marilyn. She must have been irresistible (like her namesake?), for Shiro swam two miles to see her, only later figuring out that he could take the ferry service.
  In the mid-1920s, Hachiko could be found waiting patiently between the morning and evening commutes at Shibuya Station for his master, Dr. Ueno. Even after Dr. Ueno's death in 1925, Hachiko continued to wait, earning him so much admiration that people came to Shibuya just to pet him. Only Hachiko's death brought his vigil to an end. Travelers to Shibuya Station now arrange to meet at "Hachiko," a bronze likeness commemorating this dog's remarkable loyalty. Yan Nascimbene's woodblock print-inspired illustrations alternate delicate and sensitive images of Hachiko with larger pictures of humans and their built environment, underscoring the special relationship between species at the heart of this book.