When I started looking at the hyphenated experience in contemporary picture books, I realized that there were so many different themes that they could hardly be considered in the same category at all. I found at least three subcategories:
1. Fully assimilated families still practicing at least one aspect of their traditional culture. This is my favorite type of story, because it introduces the protagonists as if they are very naturally American, but with a twist of culture that makes them interesting.
The Ugly Vegetables by Grace Lin is about a girl who helps her mother plant a garden. She notices that their garden looks different from their neighbors'--not just different, but uglier. They have no multicolored flowers, just oddly shaped leaves. However, come harvest time, her mother uses these ugly Chinese vegetables to make the most delicious soup that everyone in the neighborhood enjoys together.
Mahjong All Day Long by Ginnie Lo and Beth Lo is about a family that loves to play mahjong, of course. It is full of a typical American kid's enthusiasm for the very Chinese game and the way it brings the family together.
Suki's Kimono by Chieri Uegaki and Stephane Jorisch is by far one of my favorites of this genre. Suki is a Japanese-American girl whose favorite possession is the blue cotton kimono that her grandmother gave her. She plans to wear it on her first day back to school- no matter what anyone says.
Yoko by Rosemary Wells is actually a very similar story. Although Yoko is a cat and not a person, the story works the same way. Yoko is Japanese-American, and brings sushi to school for lunch.
The Happiest Tree by Uma Krishnaswami and Ruth Jeyaveeran features an Indian-American girl who is a bit of a klutz, though she really wants to do well in her role as a tree in the school play. At the Indian market, she finds a yoga class that teaches her how to make herself "quiet inside."
2. Hyphenated kids spending time with grandparents, who teach them about the "old" ways.
Grandma and Me at the Flea by Juan Felipe Herrara and Anita DeLucio-Brock is a bout a boy who helps his grandmother sell clothes at the flea market every Sunday. There, he romps from booth to booth, encountering the community of immigrants.
Goldfish and Chrysanthemums by Andrea Chang and Michelle Chang is one of many books that features a grandparent coming to live with the assimilated family. In most cases, the children want to make their grandparent feel more comfortable. In this book, a girl has an idea of how to make her goldfish remind her grandmother of the garden and fish pond she left behind.
Nana's Big Surprise by Amada Irma Perez and Maya Christina Gonzalez also features a grandmother coming to live with the family from Mexico. The kids raise baby chicks while they attempt to cheer Nana up.
The Have a Good Day Café by Frances Park and Ginger Park is about a Korean family. Grandmother joins the family from Korea, and together they come up with a way to make the family's food cart business successful.
3. Community-Based stories
The Candy Shop by Jan Wahl and Nicole Wang is a little-known book that I love. Daniel, an African-American boy, and his aunt arrive at the candy shop to find a crowd gathered and the Taiwanese owner, Miz Chu, in tears. Someone has written hateful words on the sidewalk in front of her shop.
The Day the Dragon Danced by Kay Haugaard and Carolyn Reed Barritt is another multi-ethnic story, in which an African-American girl and her grandmother attend a Chinese New Year Parade because her father is one of the dragon dancers. In fact, all the dragon dancers of community members of all different ethnicities.
Quinito's Neighborhood by Ina Cumpiano and Jose Ramirez is a simple book that takes Quinito around his community, where he knows all the members that are so interconnected to make the community work.
Lakas and the Manilatown Fish and its sequel, Lakas and the Makibaka Hotel, by Anthony Robles and Carl Angel tell about Filipino-American Lakas and his fantastical adventures within the Filipino community of San Francisco.
1. Fully assimilated families still practicing at least one aspect of their traditional culture. This is my favorite type of story, because it introduces the protagonists as if they are very naturally American, but with a twist of culture that makes them interesting.
The Ugly Vegetables by Grace Lin is about a girl who helps her mother plant a garden. She notices that their garden looks different from their neighbors'--not just different, but uglier. They have no multicolored flowers, just oddly shaped leaves. However, come harvest time, her mother uses these ugly Chinese vegetables to make the most delicious soup that everyone in the neighborhood enjoys together.
Mahjong All Day Long by Ginnie Lo and Beth Lo is about a family that loves to play mahjong, of course. It is full of a typical American kid's enthusiasm for the very Chinese game and the way it brings the family together.
Suki's Kimono by Chieri Uegaki and Stephane Jorisch is by far one of my favorites of this genre. Suki is a Japanese-American girl whose favorite possession is the blue cotton kimono that her grandmother gave her. She plans to wear it on her first day back to school- no matter what anyone says.
Yoko by Rosemary Wells is actually a very similar story. Although Yoko is a cat and not a person, the story works the same way. Yoko is Japanese-American, and brings sushi to school for lunch.
The Happiest Tree by Uma Krishnaswami and Ruth Jeyaveeran features an Indian-American girl who is a bit of a klutz, though she really wants to do well in her role as a tree in the school play. At the Indian market, she finds a yoga class that teaches her how to make herself "quiet inside."
2. Hyphenated kids spending time with grandparents, who teach them about the "old" ways.
Grandma and Me at the Flea by Juan Felipe Herrara and Anita DeLucio-Brock is a bout a boy who helps his grandmother sell clothes at the flea market every Sunday. There, he romps from booth to booth, encountering the community of immigrants.
Goldfish and Chrysanthemums by Andrea Chang and Michelle Chang is one of many books that features a grandparent coming to live with the assimilated family. In most cases, the children want to make their grandparent feel more comfortable. In this book, a girl has an idea of how to make her goldfish remind her grandmother of the garden and fish pond she left behind.
Nana's Big Surprise by Amada Irma Perez and Maya Christina Gonzalez also features a grandmother coming to live with the family from Mexico. The kids raise baby chicks while they attempt to cheer Nana up.
The Have a Good Day Café by Frances Park and Ginger Park is about a Korean family. Grandmother joins the family from Korea, and together they come up with a way to make the family's food cart business successful.
3. Community-Based stories
The Candy Shop by Jan Wahl and Nicole Wang is a little-known book that I love. Daniel, an African-American boy, and his aunt arrive at the candy shop to find a crowd gathered and the Taiwanese owner, Miz Chu, in tears. Someone has written hateful words on the sidewalk in front of her shop.
The Day the Dragon Danced by Kay Haugaard and Carolyn Reed Barritt is another multi-ethnic story, in which an African-American girl and her grandmother attend a Chinese New Year Parade because her father is one of the dragon dancers. In fact, all the dragon dancers of community members of all different ethnicities.
Quinito's Neighborhood by Ina Cumpiano and Jose Ramirez is a simple book that takes Quinito around his community, where he knows all the members that are so interconnected to make the community work.
Lakas and the Manilatown Fish and its sequel, Lakas and the Makibaka Hotel, by Anthony Robles and Carl Angel tell about Filipino-American Lakas and his fantastical adventures within the Filipino community of San Francisco.
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