TEA WITH MILK

TEA WITH MILK

by Allen Say

Image credit: www.scholastic.com

1. Bibliography

Say, Allen. 1999. Tea with Milk. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.  ISBN 0-395-90495-1

2. Plot Summary

This is a story about a young Japanese-American woman who grew up in San Francisco.  After she graduates high school, her parents become homesick and decide to return to Japan.  In Japan, Masako is unhappy and often feels like an outsider.  Instead of going to college, she must attend high school in Japan to begin to learn the language.  After her parents use a matchmaker to try to set her up with a banker from a good family, Masako is fed up with their traditional ways.  She decides to strike out on her own and get a job in the city of Osaka.  She begins working as an elevator operator in a department store, but she quickly advances by using her English skills to help foreign visitors shop in the store.  While at work, she meets Joseph, an equally worldly match who also enjoys his tea with milk and sugar.  They get married and decide to live in Japan. At the end of the story, the reader find out that the couple is the author's parents.

3. Critical Analysis

Tea with Milk can be added to the collection of excellent multicultural children's literature written from the insider perspective of Allen Say.  Say draws on his own life experience of living in both the Japanese and American cultures.  This story centers around the experience of his mother who began her life in America, but later lived in Japan.  Because of Masako's upbringing in America, she feels and looks like a foreigner in her parent's homeland.  Even though Masako's heritage is Japanese, she quickly realizes she is not interested in "flower arranging, calligraphy, and the tea ceremony".  Masako disappoints her parents when she does not enter into an arranged marriage and gets a job in the city.  Her parents' traditional Japanese values are set against Masako's American way of life showing that the bridging of two cultures rarely comes without conflict. 

In the beginning of the story, Say's watercolor portraits are sparse with muted colors; they convey the loneliness that Masako feels in Japan.  The illustrations become brighter and full of life when Masako dons her red dress from America and finds happiness with Joseph.  Say perfectly depicts the setting in his watercolors. Except for the first painting which takes place in America, each picture shows the uniqueness of Japan.  The special tools used in the tea ceremony, the details of her kimono, Japanese writing on the signs and the gilded halls of the department store combine to create an authentic setting. 

There are Asian-American cultural markers present throughout this book.  The physical appearance and traditional dress of the characters in the illustrations accurately depict the Japanese culture.  The main character Masako, or May as she is called in America, is shown wearing both a kimono and western-style clothing.  There are a variety of skin tones and facial features showing both Japanese and Caucasian people.  Masako is an outgoing and independent character that does not adhere to tradition or support stereotypes of Asian Americans.  Children of many backgrounds could be exposed to the culture of Japanese Americans through this realistic fiction text. Children that have immigrated to another country will be able to identify with Masako's struggle to fit in when she moves to Japan.

4. Review Excerpts and Awards

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL (May 1999) "This is a thoughtful and poignant book that will appeal to a wide range of readers, particularly our nation's many immigrants who grapple with some of the same challenges as May and Joseph, including feeling at home in a place that is not their own." 

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY (March 1999) "[Say's] exquisite, spare portraits convey emotions that lie close to the surface and flow easily from page to reader: with views of Masako's slumping posture and mask-like face as she dons her first kimono, or alone in the schoolyard, it's easy to sense her dejection.  Through choice words and scrupulously choreographed paintings, Say's story communicates both the heart's yearning for individuality and freedom and how love and friendship can bridge cultural chasms."

• ALA Notable Books for Children, 1999
• Children's Literature Choice List, 2000
• Publishers Weekly Best Books of the Year, 1999
• School Library Journal Best Books of the Year, 1999

5. Connections

• Interested readers could read the other stories about Allen Say's family members including Grandfather's Journey and Tree of Cranes.  
• After reading this book, a fun activity would be to have tea party in which students could taste the plain, green tea of May's youth and her favorite tea with milk and sugar that she enjoyed at friends' houses. 

THE NAME JAR

THE NAME JAR

Image credit: www.scholastic.com

1. Bibliography

Choi, Yangsook. 2001. The Name Jar. New York: Dell Dragonfly Books. ISBN 0-375-90613-4

2. Plot Summary

Young Unhei has just moved to America from Korea. On the school bus she realizes that the American students cannot pronounce her name easily and they tease her about her Korean name.  In her new classroom, she does not introduce herself, but she tells the students she will choose a name by the following week. At home, she tells her mother she will be choosing an American name.  Her mother explains how special her name is and that she went to a name master in Korea for it.  The next day at school, there is a jar on Unhei's desk and the students fill it up with suggested name ideas. Unhei carefully reads and considers each one.  By the end of the story, she decides that she likes her Korean name best and teaches her classmates to correctly pronounce Unhei.  

3. Critical Analysis

The Name Jar is an immigration story centered around young Unhei's experience as she starts school in an American school.  She must make an important decision about whether she will quickly begin to assimilate into American culture by choosing a name like "Amanda" or "Laura".  Unhei considers how her name will affect her own identity in her new culture.  She learns from her mother that her Korean name carries meaning and was carefully chosen by a name master.  To add an even stronger connection to her name, the gift her grandmother gives her as she leaves Korea is a wooden name stamp.  Unhei values this gift and carries it in her pocket. Ultimately, Unhei explains to the class "I realized that I liked my name best, so I chose it again. Korean names mean something. Unhei means grace." 

Choi's brightly colored oil paintings show Unhei in a contemporary, urban setting.  There is a variety to the layout of the illustrations that make each one interesting.  From the close up of Unhei's face seen through the transparent name jar to the bold red ink of her name stamp as she shows it to her new friend Joey, each illustration helps the reader clearly understand the context of the story. Choi adds some elements to the illustrations that add to the cultural authenticity of this book.  There is Korean writing on several pages like in the signage at Kim's Market, on wall hangings in her home, and on the letter from her grandmother.  

This story contains many cultural markers that portray Unhei's Korean heritage, even though she has recently moved to America.  In this modern story, Unhei and her family wear western-style clothing with their straight, black hair.  At home, Unhei and her mother use chopsticks and a Korean-style steamer for their food. Her mother buys traditional Korean foods at the store such as cabbage to make kimchi and seaweed for soup. Unhei's mother comments on the fact that they will continue to eat their favorite Korean foods in America. At school, Unhei's classmates have a range of skin tones and diverse hair colors and textures.  At the end of the story, the reader is exposed to a bit of Korean language as Joey refers to himself as "Chinku", meaning friend in Korean.  Many immigrant children from all cultures will be able to relate to Unhei's name dilemma and how she must carefully consider giving up such an important part of her identity.  Reading this story will promote empathy among readers as they internalize the way Unhei felt when the children were teasing her and incorrectly pronouncing her name.  This story could be read to children of many ages as it will spark discussion regarding respecting others and their cultural differences. 

4. Review Excerpts and Awards

KIRKUS REVIEWS (June 2001) "Choi draws from her own experience, interweaving several issues into this touching account and delicately addressing the challenges of assimilation.  The paintings are done in creamy, earth-tone oils and augment the story nicely."

HORN BOOK MAGAZINE (Spring 2002) "The sensitively told story is illustrated with warm paintings that portray Unhei's multicultural urban neighborhood and school."

• Arizona Young Readers' Award Nominee, 2005
• Arkansas Diamond Primary Book Award Nominee, 2003-2004
• California Young Reader Medal Nominee, 2004
• Delaware Diamonds Nominee, 2003-2004
• Emphasis on Reading Nominee, 2003
• Flicker Tale Children's Book Award Nominee, 2003-2004
• Sharing Cultures: Asian American Children's Authors, 2001
• Special Interest Group of the International Reading Association, 2002
• Teachers' Choices, 2002
• Utah Children's Book Awards Nominee, 2003

5. Connections

• In The Name Jar, Unhei's name stamp from her grandmother is very special to her.  Have students make their own name stamp by gluing foam letters to a wooden block.
• Students that make a connection to this story could also read My Name is Yoon by Helen Recorvits.  Both stories explore the idea of immigrating to America and adapting to cultural differences. 

THE YEAR OF THE DOG

THE YEAR OF THE DOG

by Grace Lin

Image credit: www.gracelin.com

1. Bibliography

Lin, Grace. 2006. The Year of the Dog. New York: Little, Brown and Company.  ISBN 0-316-06000-3

2. Plot Summary

This is the story of a young Taiwanese-American girl named Pacy.  It is a new year in the Chinese zodiac and Pacy learns that the Year of the Dog is a time for making friends and finding yourself.  At school, Pacy meets Melody, a new girl who is also Taiwanese-American.  They become best friends always together "like two chopsticks".  Pacy has made a new friend but continues to wonder how she will find herself.  Pacy and Melody enter the science fair, but Pacy quickly decides she is not cut out for science.  She also auditions for Dorothy in the school play, but gets the part of munchkin.  By the end of the year, Pacy participates in a book project by writing and illustrating a story.  When the school year is over, Pacy is excited to go to a convention for Taiwanese-Americans with her and Melody's families. She meets some mean girls there that call her a "twinkie" because she does not speak Taiwanese. By the end of the book, a new school year has started and the principal announces that Pacy won fourth place in the book project.  She decides she will be writer when she grows up. 

3. Critical Analysis

Although Grace Lin has already written picture books, The Year of the Dog is her debut novel.  Her multicultural voice is refreshing and authentic as she draws from her own childhood and intertwines clever anecdotes into the story.  Throughout the book, Lin adds simple, cartoon-like line drawings that look like Pacy has drawn them herself.  The delightful illustrations and fast-paced plot make this story approachable for a middle-grades reader. Pacy is a well-developed character surrounded by her close-knit family and friends.  This story encompasses a year in Pacy's life and details the experiences of a Taiwanese-American girl living in upstate New York.

The Year of the Dog is a great example of Asian-Pacific American literature as it is filled with cultural markers. The book begins with exclamations in Chinese as Pacy's family members are calling to wish the family, "Gong xi-gong xi!" for the new year.  Pacy begins asking about the Chinese zodiac, as her family is celebrating the Year of the Dog.  The Asian-American culture is also portrayed in the descriptions of the foods that Pacy's family shares, including dumplings, steamed buns, and fresh lychees, among others.  They visit a special grocery store in New York City to stock up on their favorite Taiwanese ingredients.  Lin includes specific cultural details such as the mandarin-collared, embroidered dresses the three sisters wear to welcome the arrival of a baby cousin. In the story, Pacy's family blends Taiwanese and American traditions during holidays, such as having a Thanksgiving meal with a turkey surrounded by Chinese dishes.   

Not only does Lin provide cultural information by including details about language, food, dress, and celebrations, but she also describes experiences that Pacy has interacting with others as an Asian-American.  In the school cafeteria, she is almost denied a lunch because she looks similar to another Asian girl that has already been through the line.  At the auditions for the school play, a peer tells Pacy, "You can't be Dorothy...Dorothy's not Chinese."  Readers will get a glimpse at what life is like for a child who looks Asian in a mostly white community.

At school, the trials that Pacy faces are universal in nature and most kids would relate to them.  She enters the science fair, tries out for the school play and participates in a writing contest.  She experiences successes and failures, but takes it all in stride.  Pacy also enjoys celebrations with her family, makes new friends, and attends a convention for Taiwanese-Americans.  Readers will connect with her experiences and root for Pacy to "find herself" in The Year of the Dog.  

4. Review Excerpts and Awards

HORN BOOK MAGAZINE (March 2006) "With a light touch, Lin offers both authentic Taiwanese-American and universal childhood experiences, told from a genuine child perspective.  The story, interwoven with several family anecdotes, is entertaining and often illuminating." 

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY (January 2006) "Lin creates an endearing protagonist, realistically dealing with universal emotions and situations."

• ALA Notable Books for Children, 2006
• Asian Pacific American Librarian Association Honor, 2006
• Booklist Editors' Choice for Middle Readers, 2006
• Cooperative Children's Book Center Choice, 2007
• Kirkus Best Early Chapter Books, 2006

5. Connections

• Teachers or librarians could access the activities on Grace Lin's website that include making a New Year banner like the one the Lin family hangs on their front door, studying Chinese horoscopes, and drawing a dog like the one Pacy draws in the story.
• Readers that enjoy the story of Pacy in The Year of the Dog could also read the companion novels The Year of the Rat and Dumpling Days, in which Pacy's family travels to Taiwan.