Roots and Wings (Module 5)

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Ly, Many. 2008. Roots and Wings. New York: Delacorte. ISBN: 978385735001.

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Grace has grown up not knowing much about her family and her family's past (even who her father was) because her mother won't tell her anything. Then, when her grandmother passes away, they return to where her mother grew up to have a Cambodian funeral. While there, Grace is confronted with her mother's and grandmother's past, and she must learn how to allow her past to inform her future.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Roots and Wings is a contemporary fiction novel focused on the experiences of on a first generation Cambodian American girl, Grace, who has grown up with only her mom and grandmother. These two women are also the only other Cambodians Grace has ever really had in her life. The book centers in many ways around this point of not knowing any other Cambodians, even though she knows her mother spent her time after immigrating to the US in a Cambodian community in St. Petersburg, FL. Grace's main drive in wanting to go back to St. Petersburg is also to discover who her father is and try to meet him.

The book is written in a way that interweaves the world of Cambodian Americans now with experiences earlier in Cambodia. The atrocities that many experienced are handled gently while not veering away from the ugliness of war. Ly manages not only to share these stories but also shows how those experiences have shaped the Cambodian refugees in American and their children, who may not even know the stories. To enhance the reader's experience of this culture, khmer words and cultural details are found throughout the book. Some are explained, while others need to be inferred.

Many Ly has written a wonderful book that gives insight into the Cambodian American culture that very few have written about. She has created a relatable cast of characters that ring true and shares many details about the culture that progress the storyline as well as add historical facts. Grace navigates well what it means to be American and how her Cambodian culture has affected her in ways she never realized before. There is a great need for good Cambodian American literature, and Many Ly has definitely succeeded with this novel.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

• 2008 Asian Pacific American Library Association Award Book
• Kirkus Reviews: "Replete with details depicting religious and social beliefs, Grace's quest for answers makes for an intriguing contemplation on life within Cambodian-American immigrant community, as well as a satisfying coming-of-age story."
• School Library Journal: "The author allows family secrets to unfold carefully and explores them with sincerity."
• Horn Book: “Replete with Cambodian historical and religious details, this thoughtful coming-of-age story is grounded in family and tradition.”

5. CONNECTIONS

• Many Ly's website has a biography page that is a fascinating look at her life fleeing from Cambodia an arriving in America. Use this website to begin an author study on Many Ly.
• A recent independent movie about Cambodia now can give students some perspective on the country. You can watch the trailer and get more information here: http://ariverchangescourse.com/. The Documentation Center of Cambodia is also a good place to get information on Cambodia's past and present. Students should be encouraged to study the culture of Cambodia before Pol Pot, during the terrible years of Pol Pot, and modern day Cambodia.
• Other young adult books about Cambodians:
  Crew, Linda. Children of the River. ISBN: 9780440210221.
  Keat, Nawuth with Martha Kendall. Alive in the Killing Fields: Surviving the Khmer Rouge Genocide. ISBN: 9781426305153
  Ly, Many. Home is East. ISBN: 9780307530899
  McCormick, Patricia. Never Fall Down: A Novel. ISBN: 9780061730955
  Ung, Loung. First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers. ISBN: 9780060856267 

Year of the Dog (Module 5)

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Lin, Grace. 2006. The Year of The Dog. New York: Little, Brown. ISBN: 978-0-316-06002-8

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Having grown up so far as the only Taiwanese American family in her town, Pacy is surprised to find another Taiwanese American girl in her school. They soon become best friends and work towards finding their luck and accomplishing their goals as they live through the Chinese zodiac year of the dog.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Grace Lin tells the story of a young Taiwanese girl, Pacy, in an almost episodic fashion moving from story to story about her life during the year of the dog. The story is primarily light and fun because the main character is so likeable and relatable. For example, she is trying to figure out what she wants to do as an adult, hoping to try out for a school play, and competing to win the science fair. The book is written without the Western basis of plot structure with one big conflict to resolve. Instead, it has more of an Eastern feel in which we are dropped into Pacy's life, enjoy the ups and downs, and leave feeling satisfied, yet expecting to hear more from her (which we do in future books).

Lin also touches on more serious issues about growing Taiwanese American though. For example, when Pacy hopes to try out for the Wizard of Oz play at her school, she really wants to be Dorothy, but another student tells her she can't try out because she is Asian. Also, when her family goes to Taiwanese American Camp, she encounters others who call her a “Twinkie” because she can't speak Taiwanese or Chinese and therefore is yellow on the outside but white on the inside. Lin delves into these bicultural issues well and gives the reader an understanding of how Pacy feels as well as how she handles the situations.

Taiwanese culture is touched upon through stories and explanations throughout the book that give readers background knowledge. These stories and asides are wonderfully handled as Lin has different characters “telling” them. Both Chinese and Taiwanese languages are woven in the text, but meaings can typically be inferred or are even just explained in the text as well.

The illustrations are simple line drawings, leaving the impression that the character Pacy is drawing them herself. They range from illustrations that move the story along to a "how-to" on drawing a dog for the Chinese zodiac year that they are celebrating.

The overall effect of the book is that the reader feels like a part of the family. We get to enjoy seeing Pacy grow as we feel bad for her in the tough times and rejoice with her in her triumphs.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

• 2006 Asian Pacific American Library Association Honor Book
• Texas Bluebonnet Book, 2007-08
• Booklist Starred: "Lin does a remarkable job capturing the soul and the spirit of books like those of Hayward or Maud Hart Lovelace, reimagining them through the lens of her own story, and transforming their special qualities into something new for today's young readers."
• School Library Journal: "A lighthearted coming-of-age novel with a cultural twist."
• Publisher's Weekly: "Lin creates an endearing protagonist, realistically dealing with universal emotions and situations."

5. CONNECTIONS

• Grace Lin's website has a few pages dedicated to this book. There is a page that shares some of the true events from the book called “Behind the Story.” There are also activity ideas like memoir writing, making a new year banner, and studying the Chinese horoscope. Her webpage can also be used for an author study. Lin's FAQ page is full of good information, and the Fun Facts page is a particularly amusing look at the author.
• Grace Lin's publisher has a downloadable educator's guide to The Year of the Dog with discussion questions and a writing activity.
• This book is followed up by The Year of the Rat and Dumpling Days. Dumpling Days has a good book trailer on Grace Lin's Youtube page.

Kamishibai Man (Module 5)

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Say, Allen. 2005. Kamishibai Man. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN: 9780618479542.

2. PLOT SUMMARY
In Japan, the kamishibai man returns to the city he used to tell stories in. He finds the city to be different and begins to reminisce about the days when he was popular and why he stopped coming. However, as he finishes his story of the old days, he finds himself surrounded with an audience who still want him to tell his stories and bring his candy.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Allen Say's Kamishibai Man gives insight into a slice of Japanese culture and history. The story grabs the readers attention by starting with modern day and a “Jiichan” (Grandpa) and “Baachan” (Grandma) that have no children discussing missing something that requires a bicycle and candy. Through a flashback, Say lays out what kimishibai is and how this man used to make his living then gave it up. The conclusion of being surrounded by adults who remembered him as children is touching and poignant without feeling trite or sappy. This is a well-told tale filled with emotion and historical fact.

The illustrations are gorgeously painted, as we've come to expect from this Caldecott winning artist. Say distinguishes the modern day story from the flashback by making the flashback drawings less detailed and smaller on the page. These flashback illustrations are sized more like kimishibai cards and we find ourselves being drawn into a kimishibai story about the storyteller with a cliffhanger. However, our cliffhanger is resolved as we then come back to modern day and the joyful recepetion the kimishibai man has received.

Kimishibai Man is an excellent historical fiction picture book that draws the reader into the story while teaching about Japanese culture as well. A foreword from Allen Say and afterword by Japanese folklore scholar Tara McGowan give both the personal reason for Say to write this book and historical background to the story. Many readers will find it interesting that kimishibai was the precursor to Japanese manga and anime.


4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

• Booklist starred: “Its exquisite art, in the style of Kamishibai picture cards, will attract even the most jaded kid away from the TV to enjoy a good, good book.”
• Kirkus Reviews: “A fascinating window on a bygone art form.”
• School Library Journal: “The power of the story and the importance of the storyteller are felt in this nostalgic piece that makes readers think about 'progress.'”

5. CONNECTIONS

• Allow students to experience kamishabai. There is an interactive kamishibai theater on Japanese National American Museum kid's website that focuses on the Japanese internment in the US during WWII. Theaters are available for purchase at sites like Kamishibai for Kids, or try making a mini one with instructions with this lesson plan.
• Teachers Lani Horan and Jamie Berkmeyer created a webquest for fourth grade students that could easily be tweaked for other grades that focuses on exploring Allen Say's personal background, his home, his work as an author, and his work as an illustrator.
• Books about using kimishibai in the classroom:
  
  
  De Las Casas, Dianne. Kamishibai Story Theater: The Art of Picture Telling. ISBN: 9781591584049.
  
  
  McGowan, Tara. The Kamishibai Classroom: Engaging Multiple Literacies Through the Art of "Paper Theater.” ISBN: 9781591588733.
  
  
  Nash, Eric. Manga Kamishibai: The Art of Japanese Paper Theater. ISBN: 9780810953031.