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.