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Wednesday, November 13, 2013

WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON by Grace Lin

Lin, Grace. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. New York: Little, Brown & Co., 2009.
ISBN: 978-0-316-11427-1

Plot Summary:
Minli lives with her parents in a tumbledown shack where they are very poor and barely have enough food to eat.  Minli’s mother constantly complains about their “poor fortune,” but her father tries to lighten the mood each evening by telling folktales of enchanted lands and magical characters.  Hoping to help her family, Minli sets out on a quest to find the Old Man on the Moon and ask him how to change her family’s fortune.  With help from a talking goldfish, a flightless dragon and other characters and creatures along the way, Minli learns the value of faith and friendship.  Lin gives readers a good dose of fantasy, interspersed with tales based on traditional Chinese folklore throughout the book.  Her bold illustrations punctuate the beginning of each chapter and set the tone for the enchanting narrative that follows. 

Critical Analysis:
Grace Lin uses a combination of enchanting, fantastical storytelling with traditional Chinese folklore to carry readers on an adventure reminiscent of The Wizard of Oz.  The plot follows Minli on her quest to change her family’s fortune.  Ms. Lin develops Minli into a strong female protagonist who is intelligent and loyal.  The authenticity of the setting is enhanced by the beautiful drawings of Lin’s prior to each chapter.  The mystical creatures such as the talking goldfish and the flightless dragon, along with the greedy monkeys and the “Buffalo Boy” add to the enchanted feel of the story.  Grace Lin’s elegant writing flows simply and proves she is an award-winning storyteller. 

Review Excerpts:
“The author's writing is elegant, and her full-color illustrations are stunning. Minli's determination to help her family, as well as the grief her parents feel at her absence, is compelling and thoroughly human.” ~School Library Journal (Starred review)

“With beautiful language, Lin creates a strong, memorable heroine and a mystical land. Stories, drawn from a rich history of Chinese folktales, weave throughout her narrative, deepening the sense of both the characters and the setting and smoothly furthering the plot.” ~Booklist (Starred review)

Awards:
Newbery Honor Book 2009

Connections:
**Other novels by Grace Lin:
The Year of the Dog (A Pacy Lin Novel)
The Year of the Rat (A Pacy Lin Novel)
Dumpling Days (A Pacy Lin Novel)

Starry River of the Sky

TIGER WOMAN by Laurence Yep

Yep, Laurence. Tiger Woman. Ill. by Robert Roth. Bridgewater Books, 1995.
ISBN: 0-8167-3464-X

Plot Summary:
Based on a Shantung folk song, Laurence Yep tells the story of a greedy and selfish old woman who refuses to share her bean curd with a hungry beggar.  She warns him that she is a tiger when she is “famished” and then pokes him with her chopstick and sends him on his way.  He speaks a curse on her that she will “be what you say you are.”  The curse takes shape in a variety of forms as the old woman learns a valuable lesson about greed and selfishness.  Told in a mixture of prose and verse, with whimsical watercolor illustrations, readers will be on the edge of their seat to see what happens to the old woman.

Critical Analysis:
Yep uses his award-winning storytelling techniques to relay this tale in spirited narrative along with beautifully rhyming couplets and verse.  The tale is humorous, yet teaches an important lesson about selfishness and greed.  The story is an accurate interpretation of a folk song containing rhythm and detail and Yep accurately portrays the traditional tale without being stereotypical.  Roth’s colorful, double-page, watercolor illustrations propel the story forward and will delight readers with whimsical scenes throughout the tale. His attention to detail is evident in the expressions on the faces in each scene - both in the animals and the humans. A gripping page-turner, this story is one children and adults will beg to read again.

Review Excerpts:
“Full of color and motion, Roth's illustrations partner Yep's spirited storytelling for a rollicking good read.” ~Publishers Weekly

“Yep's rollicking narrative, interspersed with couplets and verse, is smooth and crisp. He has an ear for rhythm and adds just enough detail to enhance the tale.” ~School Library Journal

Connections:
** Other tales from China:
The Dragon Prince: A Chinese Beauty & the Beast Tale by Laurence Yep, ill. by Kam Mak
Yeh-Shen: A Cinderella Story from China by Ai-Ling Louie
The Man Who Tricked a Ghost by Laurence Yep, ill. by Isadore Seltzer
The Khan’s Daughter: A Mongolian Folk Tale by Laurence Yep, ill. by Jean Tseng and Mou-Sien Tseng

** A book about Laurence Yep:

Meet Laurence Yep (About the Author) by Alice B. McGinty

TEA WITH MILK by Allen Say

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

Plot Summary:
May grows up in California with lots of friends, but when she graduates from high school, her parents decide to move the family back to their native Japan.  In Japan, not only does May, now Masako, have to repeat high school to learn the Japanese language, but she must wear a kimono, sit on the floor for long periods of time and learn how to be a “proper Japanese woman.”  May misses her friends, driving a car, eating American food (including tea with milk instead of green tea) and, most of all, speaking English.  She decides to take matters into her own hands and moves to Osaka and gets a job in a department store working first as an “elevator girl” and then as a guide for the department store’s important business visitors.  She ultimately meets her future husband, Joseph, there and they decide to make a life together in Japan. Only towards the end of the story do readers find out that Allen Say is writing about his mother’s journey as a young girl.

Critical Analysis:
In this beautiful story by Allen Say, he shares the journey his mother made as a young girl, capturing the torn loyalties she felt growing up in America and then moving back to Japan as a teen.  The accurate portrayal of the formal and graceful Japanese lifestyle is conveyed both through words and through elegant watercolor portraits by Allen Say.  The full-page illustrations capture the traditional Japanese dress and customs as well as the depth of emotion as Masako resigns herself to traditional Japanese life.  The disappointment on her face as she first wears a kimono is evident as is the joy on her face when she speaks English at the department store for the first time.  Say does an excellent job of portraying his native Japanese culture with honesty and elegance. 
 
Review Excerpts:
“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.” ~Publishers Weekly

“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.” ~School Library Journal

“The illustrations capture Masako's unhappiness and also her eventual contentment as she learns to combine two cultures." ~Horn Book

Connections:
**More books by Allen Say:
Grandfather’s Journey
Tree of Cranes
Kamishibai Man
The Bicycle Man
The Boy in the Garden
Home of the Brave

**Books about Japan
All About Japan: Stories, Songs, Crafts and More by Willamarie Moore and Kazumi Wilds
Japan the Land (Lands, Peoples, and Cultures) by Bobbie Kalman
Japan the People (Lands, Peoples, and Cultures) by Bobbie Kalman
Japanese Traditions: Rice Cakes, Cherry Blossoms and Matsuri: A Year of Seasonal Japanese Festivities by Setsu Broderick and Willamarie Moore

**Let the students try traditional Japanese green tea and then black “tea with milk”