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
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