Gold Threaded Dress

Coming to America

Recently, I listened to a news story that featured a study about emotions and memories and how they are woven together like a strand of DNA. It seems that we remember those incidents which evoke the strongest emotions. Happiness, fear, etc. As I read My Name is Hannah by Belle Yang, I thought about this, maybe it is why the author Belle Yang was able to write such a account of the the fears, hardships, and joys that family endured when they moved to America during what was such a critical time in this country's history. I can't begin to imagine the perceptions and questions that a child paints in their mind's eye as they take in the visual landscape of America's natural and manmade monuments. Not to mention when interaction with adults and peers come into play.

Moving is a major event in the life of a child. I remeber when we moved arcross town and I had to attend a new school, I missed my friends of course,and the penny candy store on the corner with the big pickles in the jar that sold for a quarter, as I mentioned, my family had just moved across town...What must it be like to cross a border? Here are a few titles that explore this monumental and life changing event through the eyes of young protagonists.



Mai Ya's Long Journey by Shelia Cohen is a story about assimilation and hope. This book is a personal account of a young girl who moves from a refugee camp in Thailand to Madison, Wisconsin. 4th through Middle Grade readers




In Lowji discovers America by Candace Fleming, Lowji Sanjana sometimes speaks Gujariti,when he is not speaking English. He comes to America from Bombay, India with "high hopes" of owning a pet in his new apartment. His account of all this newness is filled with wit and humor. 2nd grade through middle readers will appreciate the contemporary setting and language. An Indian-American dictionary appends the book.

Year of the Rat by Grace Lin. Preceding it is Year of the Dog, a fictional account based on the author's experiences of making friends, working through family issues, using humor to imprint the voice of a young Asian girl

My Name is Yoon

My Name is Yoon

My students and I enjoyed glimpsing into Yoon's world. We journeyed with her into the unfamiliar American classroom absent of her language, friends, or favorite teacher. The illustrator transported us with playful imagery that Yoon used in order to escape the confusion and insecurity she felt in her new classroom. With a willful but gentle defiance, Yoon refuses to write her name as instructed by her teacher. Instead she writes the words of objects that signify her desire to escape her new and unfamiliar environment. Our favorite was when she imagines herself as a cupcake and floats above the classroom much to every one's delight and admiration. Ultimately, Yoon gains a comfort level. At one point reading the eyes of her teacher which say " I-like-this-girl-yoon."

When we finished the story, we learned to write Shining Wisdom in dancing Korean symbols. We all agreed that the figures did seem to dance just as Yoon described in the text. We agreed that somehow the "lines and circles " used to write Yoon in the english language didn't quite measure up. Students did admit however, that they might not like the language so much if they had to learn how to rewrite everything in this new Korean language. The children also mentioned that they would miss familiar faces and surroundings. They could relate to Yoon's confusion and desire to return to Korea. Yoon's story reminds us about how to overcome our fears, move beyond reluctance, and chart a new course. Is there a way for Yoon to write her name in both Korean and English? Can she share her language with the students?

Reading is a Panacea

I believe reading is a panacea. There, I said it.... It feels good to exhale and let it out. I think Oprah has a column titled "What I know for sure, well, This I know for sure. Reading really is a cure all. As a librarian, it is part of my professional creed, to promote, and "big up" books, but in my heart of hearts I know that books really can cure all ills and answer any question. It is a belief system I held long before my life of selection, collection, and sharing books. Reading can provide a much needed distraction in the face of life's harsh realities. The intimacy that occurs between the reader and the characters has a breath of its own within the pages of a book. Reading provides the ability to see beyond the confines of our own walls or to escape the lot in life that has been created or caste upon us. Through reading we can gain an understanding, be affirmed, or get answers. Our capacity to empathize, learn, grow, explore, question, heal, and enjoy can be found within the pages of a book. My goal in creating this blog is to introduce books that engage educators, parents, and readers in dialogue that will pose questions about the world as it is and more importantly how we can invision it for a better future.