Journey of Silk

John S. Major (author)

Stephen Fieser (illustrator)

The Silk Route: 7,000 Miles of History

HarperCollins, 1995

John S. Major offers the youngest picture book audiences a good, solid introduction to a rather complex, multifaceted topic, the Silk Roads. Three strategies help condense and focus the material. First, a decision to narrow the time period to circa 700 CE. Second, the highlighting of silk as a form of currency, as a commodity, and as a luxury material. And third, frequent use of double-page spreads introducing a single location, such as Chang'an or Herat or Byzantium, for example. Major's descriptions seem generally accurate. One might quibble about whether true porcelain had been developed at that time and heavily traded. Ceramics would have been the more appropriate term. A more serious concern would be about the use of loaded language. While calling the Tang dynasty "glorious" does not raise eyebrows, I am less comfortable with the new mosque described as "looming" over the city market. Whether intentionally or not, biases make their way subtly into the story. Likewise, in this narrative, nomads are a malevolent force against "brave and enterprising" merchants. Perhaps somewhere out there is book that tells the other view of the pressures of sedentary empires to capture and control the pasturelands upon which the nomadic peoples rely. Still, I thought both Major's writing and Stephen Fieser's illustrations were engaging and informative for young people.

Belonging

Margy Burns Knight (author)
Anne Sibley O'Brien (illustrator)
Who Belongs Here? An American Story
Tilbury, 1993

After losing his parents and fleeing from the Khmer Rouge, Nary escapes with his grandmother and an uncle first to a refugee camp in Thailand, then to the United States. Here, Nary finds food in abundance and freedom, but also ignorance and verbal slurs. One classmate calls him a "chink." Another tells him to "go home where you belong." But, who belongs and who would be left if everyone was told to leave? In between Nary's story, Margy Burns Knight weaves in broad strokes the story of immigrants from all parts of the world who came and continue to come to the United States. Nary's encounter with intolerance becomes a teaching moment, which leads to the story's happy resolution. I remember hearing those ugly words and phrases myself, and am glad to see Knight's book. The prose is, at times, somewhat heavy-handed, distancing, and didactic; but I couldn't agree more with the book's message.

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.