Bee-Bim Bop!
Park, Linda Sue. 2005. Bee-Bim Bop! Ill. by Ho Baek Lee. New York: Clarion. ISBN 13: 9780618265114.
PLOT SUMMARY
What does a hungry little girl want for dinner? Bee-bim bop! A little girl can hardly wait as she helps Mama purchase ingredients and prepare bee-bim bop, a traditional Korean dish, for her family. The process is as much fun as the result!
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Bee-Bim Bop! is a delightful story for young audiences. The text reflects the fast-paced urgency of a hungry child in an upbeat rhyming rhythm, "Hurry, Mama, hurry Gotta chop chop chop! Hungry - very hungry for some bee-bim bop!" The "Hurry, Mama, hurry" refrain is repeated often. In addition to pure fun, Bee-Bim Bop! will give children a sense of possibility and capability, "Spinach, sprouts, and carrots Each goes in a pan, Let me pour the water in Yes, I know I can!" and"Bowls go on the table Big ones striped in blue I help set the glasses out Spoons and chopsticks too." Adding interest and excitement is the concrete presentation of verbs pertaining to cooking. The "flip-flip flop" of the egg pancakes bounces in the midst of the text. "Chop chop chop" appears om a hard 45 degree slant, much as a chopping blade in motion.
The book is also an excellent example of a Korean American multicultural story with its roots set firmly within the United States. The child's family, illustrated by Ho Baek Lee, has the common characteristics of Asian Americans - tan skin tones, straight black hair and a characteristic eye shape, however, the features are never exaggerated and the family is portrayed as any other typical US family, complete with a frisky dog. The grocery store and kitchen setting, as well as the clothing are typically American. The focus is on the young girl, with Mama's head frequently missing from the double-page illustrations. The dog also is featured prominently, following the young girl throughout the kitchen. The colors are bright, but realistic. The overall impression of the cheerful watercolor and pencil illustrations is one of a happy and playful family.
The topic of the book, is of course, distinctively Korean American, as is the use of chopsticks. Grandma is the only family member that appears decidedly Korean, wearing a traditional garment, with her hair fixed neatly in a bun with a decorated ornament. The fact that the entire family wears slippers while indoors may also be indicative of Asian American culture. In a nod to biculturalism, the family (except the dog, who keeps one eye fixed upon the bee-bim bop!) closes their eyes and bows their heads to say grace before dinner.
The book concludes with a recipe for bee-bim bop, divided into tasks for "grownups" and "you." An Author's Note explains bee-bim bop and is accompanied by a photograph of the author and her young relatives preparing dinner. This book will surely ignite a desire to hurry hurry hurry to the kitchen to make some bee-bim bop!
REVIEW EXCERPTS
"Even so fine a writer as Park cannot resist the whole bouncy-rhyming thing. This one, however, does have vivacity and charm, as a small girl helps her mother purchase, prepare and serve her favorite meal."
2005. "BEE-BIM BOP!." Kirkus Reviews 73, no. 17: 980-980. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed July 21, 2007).
"In this appetizing introduction to Korean cuisine, a little girl and her mother make a traditional meal of meat, veggies, eggs, and rice all mixed together. Cheerful watercolor illustrations follow the process. The rhythmic text rolls through the pages and makes for a fantastic read-aloud."
Gallagher, Genevive. 2006. "Bee-bim Bop!." School Library Journal 52, no. 7: 45-45. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed July 21, 2007).
"The mood is so unabashedly happy and Park's text is so catchy that any grown-up reading this book aloud should anticipate a demand to make the detailed, kid-friendly recipe for Bee-Bim Bop on the final spread."
2005. "Bee-Bim Bop!." Publishers Weekly 252, no. 35: 60-60. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed July 21, 2007).
CONNECTIONS
Read Bee-Bim Bop! with The Trip Back Home by Janet S. Wong, and Ill. by Bo Jia. The Trip Back Home includes a trip to the market and the preparation of a meal in a modern, rural Korean household. Many of the ingredients mentioned are the same as those in the dish, bee bim bop. It offers an excellent example of how traditions are brought to the United States and adapted.
This is an excellent choice for a public library storytime. Preschoolers will love it!
Share this story with a globe. Let children find bee-bim bop's home, Korea, on the globe.
Showing posts with label Asian Pacific American Children's Literature. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Asian Pacific American Children's Literature. Show all posts
Friday, July 20, 2007
Monday, July 16, 2007
The Earth Dragon Awakes: The San Francisco Earthquake of 1906
The Earth Dragon Awakes: The San Francisco Earthquake of 1906
Yep, Laurence. 2006. The Earth Dragon Awakes: The San Francisco Earthquake of 1906. New York: Harper Collins. ISBN 13: 9780060275242.
PLOT SUMMARY
It is Tuesday, April 17, 1906, and two boys separate for the evening. Chin heads for home in his Chinatown tenement building, riding the cable car with his father, Chinese "houseboy", Ah Sing. Henry settles in the for the night at his Nob Hill home, now that his parents are home from the opera. Neither is aware of the earthquake that will strike within hours. The Earth Dragon Awakes chronicles the story of the great San Francisco earthquake and fire through the parallel stories of Henry and Chin.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The Earth Dragon Awakes: The San Francisco Earthquake of 1906 is a historical fiction novel for young readers, by Newbery Honor winner, Laurence Yep. The short chapters are titled with a time, date, and location stamp, “5:12 A.M., Wednesday, April 18, 1906, Chin and Ah Sing’s tenement, Chinatown.” The story line is clear and linear, beginning on the eve of the great quake, and ending ten days later.
Yep’s genius is in telling parallel stories of the two friends, Henry Travis, son of a White banker, and Chin, the son of Henry’s houseboy, Ah Sing. When the story begins, Ah Sing and Chin are watching Henry while his parents attend the opera. As the Chinese pair leaves Nob Hill, their tale begins to diverge from the Travis’. Chin and his father travel by streetcar to Chinatown, where, although it is now midnight, the streets are still bustling as Chinese workers attend to their errands after a long day’s work. Chin and Ah Sing purchase Chinese newspapers and buy apples. Ah Quon, their neighbor, is leaving the temple. Authentic Chinese names are used throughout. Other cultural markers are less obvious, but no less authentic.
In the tenement, Chin can hear “the clacking of mahjong tiles,” and “twisted cable-car tracks look like the strokes of a mysterious, dreadful word.” (A footnote explains that a Chinese character is representative of a word)
The book’s title, The Earth Dragon Awakes, is suggestive of this culture’s historical usage of folkloric creatures. When Ah Quon warns that the Earth Dragon is upset, Ah Sing notes, “The Earth Dragon has shaken the city before,” “We’re still holding on to his back.” Chin silently asks the “Earth Dragon to keep his temper.” A dragon symbol denotes each new chapter. In another instance of personification, “fear twists inside Chin like a snake.”
A perfect example of the dichotomy of the American and Chinese American cultures lies within the story itself. Western literature is typically conflict and resolution. The Travis family’s story in the face of the disaster is one of resoluteness. At first they attempt to stay in their destroyed neighborhood, willing to suffer deprivation and hardship. Only when their situation becomes untenable, do they begin moving – vowing to rebuild and return. The focus of their resolution is to conquer their hardship. Ah Sing and Chin’s goal, however, is to adapt and to continue. As soon as the disaster befalls, they immediately decide to press on to safety, placing survival and continuance foremost. They are decidedly adaptable in their quest – even taking on a short job as wagon loaders to earn money for their ship passage to safety. Conquering the Earth Dragon would not be a culturally authentic outlook for Ah Sing and Chin.
A modernizing aside to the text is the addition of a small footnote in the last chapter. After reading that twenty thousand people have fled San Francisco by boat, and 225,000 more by train, the reader is directed to a footnote, “Never before have so many people left an American city in peacetime – until Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans.” The addition of this small footnote serves as a reminder of the huge proportions of both tragedies, but also of the possibility for recovery.
As one reviewer noted, the book’s theme of “ordinary heroes” is a bit didactic, “These are ordinary people Henry sees every day. “They’re acting just like heroes,’ he says to his mother.” This is a minor flaw, however, and children will likely ignore the heavy handedness. Scientific explanations of the earthquake and resulting firestorm may be very interesting to some readers, but are so neatly woven into the story, that they are not distracting to those less scientifically inclined.
Yep’s Afterword is especially interesting, placing the Great Earthquake and Fire in terms that modern youngsters can understand, explaining that in 1906, “fourteen dollars could comfortably feed for people for a week,” then outlining the cost of the disaster in 1906 and current year dollars. He also notes which of the story’s anecdotes are factual, including people stopping “a runaway horse by flapping umbrellas at it.” Yep personalizes the book by relating that his own grandfather was a Chinese houseboy who was returning to San Francisco from China on the day following the earthquake. His grandfather was detained at the immigration center for seven days. A suggested reading list and six photographs of the quake’s aftermath (sure to interest young readers) close out the book.
With its focus on the two boys, the earthquake and the fire, The Earth Dragon Awakes is an excellent choice for middle-school aged boys (or girls) who may otherwise be disinterested in multicultural literature. The vocabulary is simple; and the uncomplicated story of one of the nation’s most famous disasters will be sure to hold the interest of the less sophisticated reader.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
"It is notable especially for the attention paid to the experience of San Francisco's Chinese immigrants, and a good choice for reluctant readers."
2006. "THE EARTH DRAGON AWAKES: The San Francisco Earthquake of 1906." Kirkus Reviews 74, no. 5: 243-243. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed July 16, 2007).
"Yep uses the growing friendship between the two boys to underscore pointed discussion of race relations at the time, which works well for the most part."
Bush, Margaret A. 2006. "The Earth Dragon Awakes: The San Francisco Earthquake of 1906." Horn Book Magazine 82, no. 4: 454-455. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed July 16, 2007).
"the "ordinary heroes" theme is presented a bit heavy-handedly. Throughout the text, the boys compare their fathers to Wyatt Earp."
Threadgill, Catherine. 2006. "The Earth Dragon Awakes: The San Francisco Earthquake of 1906." School Library Journal 52, no. 5: 138-140. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed July 17, 2007).
CONNECTIONS
Bring in a mahjong set to show students. Use it as an opportunity to introduce this piece of Chinese culture and its motif of Chinese characters.
The Dragon Awakes is particularly well suited for cross-curricular use - in language arts as a reluctant reader novel, in Social Studies to complement immigration history, and in Science to aid in the study of plate tectonics.
Readers interested in Chinatown may enjoy Yep's series, Chinatown Mysteries.
Yep, Laurence. 2006. The Earth Dragon Awakes: The San Francisco Earthquake of 1906. New York: Harper Collins. ISBN 13: 9780060275242.
PLOT SUMMARY
It is Tuesday, April 17, 1906, and two boys separate for the evening. Chin heads for home in his Chinatown tenement building, riding the cable car with his father, Chinese "houseboy", Ah Sing. Henry settles in the for the night at his Nob Hill home, now that his parents are home from the opera. Neither is aware of the earthquake that will strike within hours. The Earth Dragon Awakes chronicles the story of the great San Francisco earthquake and fire through the parallel stories of Henry and Chin.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The Earth Dragon Awakes: The San Francisco Earthquake of 1906 is a historical fiction novel for young readers, by Newbery Honor winner, Laurence Yep. The short chapters are titled with a time, date, and location stamp, “5:12 A.M., Wednesday, April 18, 1906, Chin and Ah Sing’s tenement, Chinatown.” The story line is clear and linear, beginning on the eve of the great quake, and ending ten days later.
Yep’s genius is in telling parallel stories of the two friends, Henry Travis, son of a White banker, and Chin, the son of Henry’s houseboy, Ah Sing. When the story begins, Ah Sing and Chin are watching Henry while his parents attend the opera. As the Chinese pair leaves Nob Hill, their tale begins to diverge from the Travis’. Chin and his father travel by streetcar to Chinatown, where, although it is now midnight, the streets are still bustling as Chinese workers attend to their errands after a long day’s work. Chin and Ah Sing purchase Chinese newspapers and buy apples. Ah Quon, their neighbor, is leaving the temple. Authentic Chinese names are used throughout. Other cultural markers are less obvious, but no less authentic.
In the tenement, Chin can hear “the clacking of mahjong tiles,” and “twisted cable-car tracks look like the strokes of a mysterious, dreadful word.” (A footnote explains that a Chinese character is representative of a word)
The book’s title, The Earth Dragon Awakes, is suggestive of this culture’s historical usage of folkloric creatures. When Ah Quon warns that the Earth Dragon is upset, Ah Sing notes, “The Earth Dragon has shaken the city before,” “We’re still holding on to his back.” Chin silently asks the “Earth Dragon to keep his temper.” A dragon symbol denotes each new chapter. In another instance of personification, “fear twists inside Chin like a snake.”
A perfect example of the dichotomy of the American and Chinese American cultures lies within the story itself. Western literature is typically conflict and resolution. The Travis family’s story in the face of the disaster is one of resoluteness. At first they attempt to stay in their destroyed neighborhood, willing to suffer deprivation and hardship. Only when their situation becomes untenable, do they begin moving – vowing to rebuild and return. The focus of their resolution is to conquer their hardship. Ah Sing and Chin’s goal, however, is to adapt and to continue. As soon as the disaster befalls, they immediately decide to press on to safety, placing survival and continuance foremost. They are decidedly adaptable in their quest – even taking on a short job as wagon loaders to earn money for their ship passage to safety. Conquering the Earth Dragon would not be a culturally authentic outlook for Ah Sing and Chin.
A modernizing aside to the text is the addition of a small footnote in the last chapter. After reading that twenty thousand people have fled San Francisco by boat, and 225,000 more by train, the reader is directed to a footnote, “Never before have so many people left an American city in peacetime – until Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans.” The addition of this small footnote serves as a reminder of the huge proportions of both tragedies, but also of the possibility for recovery.
As one reviewer noted, the book’s theme of “ordinary heroes” is a bit didactic, “These are ordinary people Henry sees every day. “They’re acting just like heroes,’ he says to his mother.” This is a minor flaw, however, and children will likely ignore the heavy handedness. Scientific explanations of the earthquake and resulting firestorm may be very interesting to some readers, but are so neatly woven into the story, that they are not distracting to those less scientifically inclined.
Yep’s Afterword is especially interesting, placing the Great Earthquake and Fire in terms that modern youngsters can understand, explaining that in 1906, “fourteen dollars could comfortably feed for people for a week,” then outlining the cost of the disaster in 1906 and current year dollars. He also notes which of the story’s anecdotes are factual, including people stopping “a runaway horse by flapping umbrellas at it.” Yep personalizes the book by relating that his own grandfather was a Chinese houseboy who was returning to San Francisco from China on the day following the earthquake. His grandfather was detained at the immigration center for seven days. A suggested reading list and six photographs of the quake’s aftermath (sure to interest young readers) close out the book.
With its focus on the two boys, the earthquake and the fire, The Earth Dragon Awakes is an excellent choice for middle-school aged boys (or girls) who may otherwise be disinterested in multicultural literature. The vocabulary is simple; and the uncomplicated story of one of the nation’s most famous disasters will be sure to hold the interest of the less sophisticated reader.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
"It is notable especially for the attention paid to the experience of San Francisco's Chinese immigrants, and a good choice for reluctant readers."
2006. "THE EARTH DRAGON AWAKES: The San Francisco Earthquake of 1906." Kirkus Reviews 74, no. 5: 243-243. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed July 16, 2007).
"Yep uses the growing friendship between the two boys to underscore pointed discussion of race relations at the time, which works well for the most part."
Bush, Margaret A. 2006. "The Earth Dragon Awakes: The San Francisco Earthquake of 1906." Horn Book Magazine 82, no. 4: 454-455. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed July 16, 2007).
"the "ordinary heroes" theme is presented a bit heavy-handedly. Throughout the text, the boys compare their fathers to Wyatt Earp."
Threadgill, Catherine. 2006. "The Earth Dragon Awakes: The San Francisco Earthquake of 1906." School Library Journal 52, no. 5: 138-140. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed July 17, 2007).
CONNECTIONS
Bring in a mahjong set to show students. Use it as an opportunity to introduce this piece of Chinese culture and its motif of Chinese characters.
The Dragon Awakes is particularly well suited for cross-curricular use - in language arts as a reluctant reader novel, in Social Studies to complement immigration history, and in Science to aid in the study of plate tectonics.
Readers interested in Chinatown may enjoy Yep's series, Chinatown Mysteries.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Music for Alice
Music for Alice
Say, Allen. 2004. Music for Alice. Ill. by Allen Say. New York: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN: 0618311181.
PLOT SUMMARY
Alice grew up on a farm in California. She loved to dance. When Japanese Americans were forced into internment camps, a much older, Alice and her new huband, Mark, were offered work as farm laborers as an alternative to living in the camps. They accepted, and thus began their life together - a life of farming, hardships, successes, and heartbreaks. Only Alice's passion for dance was left unchanged.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Allen Say’s reputation and his spectacular artwork in Music for Alice will attract teachers and librarians as soon as they view the portrait of Alice on the front cover. The illustrations, following Alice from her childhood on a California farm, to her years as an older widow, are beautiful and realistic. Each single page illustration appears as a photograph, framed in white, each one capturing a mood as well as a moment in time. The snapshot motif is evident, as even illustrations depicting motion (the wind blowing through young Alice’s hair, the plane flying over the farm), are captured as still frames. In the illustrations of hardship, such as assembling for transport to the internment camps or tilling the fields, the faces are obscured, as if to suggest that the depiction is one of adversity personified. By contrast, other pictures are peaceful landscapes - the gladiola fields, the farm, or realistic images of Alice – her mood drawn plainly upon her face, happy, pensive, content. The artwork in Music for Alice is masterful; however, it may be too sophisticated for the picture book audience for which the book is intended.
As an example of Japanese American literature, Music for Alice is multi-faceted. It can serve as a primer to the story of the Japanese internment camps of WWII, beginning with the FBI search of their apartment to their relocation from Seattle to a farm in Eastern Oregon. The book also speaks to the essential American-ness of Alice Sumida and her husband, despite their Japanese appearances. Both Alice and her husband, Mark, have traditional American names. Alice grows up on a farm. Mark lives in Seattle, selling seeds to farmers. Before the war and the relocation of Japanese Americans on the West Coast, Alice and Mark could have been any US citizens. The book succeeds in showing the unjust treatment of these American citizens.
Music for Alice also succeeds in showing something of the nature of Japanese culture, a culture that not only perseveres, but moves forward despite obstacles. When offered a choice between the internment camps and working as field laborers, they chose work. “‘We’ll be all right,’ I said, even though I was sorry that we had come.” Later, when federal agents advised them that they would be allowed to grow food in their desert exile, they leased acres of land. “The land was full of stones. We had to dig them out of the ground, put them in strong bags, and take them away before we could plant anything. Our first harvest was a harvest of stones.” Still, they persevered, eventually owning the largest gladiola or “sword lilies” farm in the United States. When the farm life took too much of a toll on their personal happiness, they again moved on, selling the farm and moving to California. Mark attempted to start a koi farm (an ornamental Japanese fish), but it did not turn out successfully. After Mark’s death, Alice again moved on, this time to Portland, near the assembly center where they had been gathered for relocation so many years ago, “but the terrible smells of the place are fading from my mind. Now what I often think of is the field of blooming sword lilies as far as the eye can see.” Finally, Alice’s life comes "full-circle," as in her final years, she returns finally to her childhood love of dance. Music for Alice is a quintessential Japanese American story of continuing, persevering, seizing opportunities, and moving forward.
This is a moving and beautiful book that will likely be appreciated by adults more than children. Youngsters may not appreciate Say’s artistic realism, and the ending may leave some children perplexed. The final line “And dance I do – all that I can,” is a fitting end to the story, however, the accompanying picture of an elderly Alice dancing with an unknown younger man will likely leave children confused and asking “Who is that man?” One final criticism is the book’s classification as fiction. Only a careful reading of the copyright page will yield the information that the book is “based on the true life story of Alice Sumida, who with her husband Mark established the largest gladiola bulb farm in the country during the last half of the twentieth century.” This information should be shared in a foreword to ensure that readers will see it.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
"Although the book has much to recommend it, it may have more limited appeal than some of Say's earlier works. It is not as personal as Grandfather's Journey (1993) or Tea with Milk (1999,both Houghton). Many young readers may lack the perspective to relate to a tale that spans decades and deals with such complex themes. Still, with proper introduction, this offering will be appreciated by sensitive and sophisticated youngsters."
Piehler, Heide. 2004. "Music for Alice (Book)." School Library Journal 50, no. 4: 123-123. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed July 16, 2007).
"The last image shows her dancing with a younger man, a scene that could profit from a bit more fleshing out ("And dance I do--all that I can"). Adults may respond best to this documentary-style life story."
2004. "MUSIC FOR ALICE (Book)." Publishers Weekly 251, no. 4: 252-252. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed July 22, 2007).
"This story beautifully describes their resilience, which becomes the foundation for a successful business and a fulfilling life."
Burke, Lynne T. 2005. "Books With Character." Instructor 114, no. 5: 73-74. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed July 16, 2007).
CONNECTIONS
Public librarians can suggest Say's Caldecott Medal winning book, Grandfather's Journey and Home of the Brave, another book relating to the Japanese internment camps.
Teachers can read this book to introduce a lesson on the World War II experience.
Use this book for language arts as an example of an illustrated life story. Ask students to write and illustrate their own life highlights. Have students pay particular attention to Say's unique artistic style.
Say, Allen. 2004. Music for Alice. Ill. by Allen Say. New York: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN: 0618311181.
PLOT SUMMARY
Alice grew up on a farm in California. She loved to dance. When Japanese Americans were forced into internment camps, a much older, Alice and her new huband, Mark, were offered work as farm laborers as an alternative to living in the camps. They accepted, and thus began their life together - a life of farming, hardships, successes, and heartbreaks. Only Alice's passion for dance was left unchanged.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Allen Say’s reputation and his spectacular artwork in Music for Alice will attract teachers and librarians as soon as they view the portrait of Alice on the front cover. The illustrations, following Alice from her childhood on a California farm, to her years as an older widow, are beautiful and realistic. Each single page illustration appears as a photograph, framed in white, each one capturing a mood as well as a moment in time. The snapshot motif is evident, as even illustrations depicting motion (the wind blowing through young Alice’s hair, the plane flying over the farm), are captured as still frames. In the illustrations of hardship, such as assembling for transport to the internment camps or tilling the fields, the faces are obscured, as if to suggest that the depiction is one of adversity personified. By contrast, other pictures are peaceful landscapes - the gladiola fields, the farm, or realistic images of Alice – her mood drawn plainly upon her face, happy, pensive, content. The artwork in Music for Alice is masterful; however, it may be too sophisticated for the picture book audience for which the book is intended.
As an example of Japanese American literature, Music for Alice is multi-faceted. It can serve as a primer to the story of the Japanese internment camps of WWII, beginning with the FBI search of their apartment to their relocation from Seattle to a farm in Eastern Oregon. The book also speaks to the essential American-ness of Alice Sumida and her husband, despite their Japanese appearances. Both Alice and her husband, Mark, have traditional American names. Alice grows up on a farm. Mark lives in Seattle, selling seeds to farmers. Before the war and the relocation of Japanese Americans on the West Coast, Alice and Mark could have been any US citizens. The book succeeds in showing the unjust treatment of these American citizens.
Music for Alice also succeeds in showing something of the nature of Japanese culture, a culture that not only perseveres, but moves forward despite obstacles. When offered a choice between the internment camps and working as field laborers, they chose work. “‘We’ll be all right,’ I said, even though I was sorry that we had come.” Later, when federal agents advised them that they would be allowed to grow food in their desert exile, they leased acres of land. “The land was full of stones. We had to dig them out of the ground, put them in strong bags, and take them away before we could plant anything. Our first harvest was a harvest of stones.” Still, they persevered, eventually owning the largest gladiola or “sword lilies” farm in the United States. When the farm life took too much of a toll on their personal happiness, they again moved on, selling the farm and moving to California. Mark attempted to start a koi farm (an ornamental Japanese fish), but it did not turn out successfully. After Mark’s death, Alice again moved on, this time to Portland, near the assembly center where they had been gathered for relocation so many years ago, “but the terrible smells of the place are fading from my mind. Now what I often think of is the field of blooming sword lilies as far as the eye can see.” Finally, Alice’s life comes "full-circle," as in her final years, she returns finally to her childhood love of dance. Music for Alice is a quintessential Japanese American story of continuing, persevering, seizing opportunities, and moving forward.
This is a moving and beautiful book that will likely be appreciated by adults more than children. Youngsters may not appreciate Say’s artistic realism, and the ending may leave some children perplexed. The final line “And dance I do – all that I can,” is a fitting end to the story, however, the accompanying picture of an elderly Alice dancing with an unknown younger man will likely leave children confused and asking “Who is that man?” One final criticism is the book’s classification as fiction. Only a careful reading of the copyright page will yield the information that the book is “based on the true life story of Alice Sumida, who with her husband Mark established the largest gladiola bulb farm in the country during the last half of the twentieth century.” This information should be shared in a foreword to ensure that readers will see it.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
"Although the book has much to recommend it, it may have more limited appeal than some of Say's earlier works. It is not as personal as Grandfather's Journey (1993) or Tea with Milk (1999,both Houghton). Many young readers may lack the perspective to relate to a tale that spans decades and deals with such complex themes. Still, with proper introduction, this offering will be appreciated by sensitive and sophisticated youngsters."
Piehler, Heide. 2004. "Music for Alice (Book)." School Library Journal 50, no. 4: 123-123. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed July 16, 2007).
"The last image shows her dancing with a younger man, a scene that could profit from a bit more fleshing out ("And dance I do--all that I can"). Adults may respond best to this documentary-style life story."
2004. "MUSIC FOR ALICE (Book)." Publishers Weekly 251, no. 4: 252-252. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed July 22, 2007).
"This story beautifully describes their resilience, which becomes the foundation for a successful business and a fulfilling life."
Burke, Lynne T. 2005. "Books With Character." Instructor 114, no. 5: 73-74. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed July 16, 2007).
CONNECTIONS
Public librarians can suggest Say's Caldecott Medal winning book, Grandfather's Journey and Home of the Brave, another book relating to the Japanese internment camps.
Teachers can read this book to introduce a lesson on the World War II experience.
Use this book for language arts as an example of an illustrated life story. Ask students to write and illustrate their own life highlights. Have students pay particular attention to Say's unique artistic style.
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