Apple Pie 4th of July by Janet S. Wong and Margaret Chodos-Irvine

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1. Bibliography

Wong, Janet S., and Margaret Chodos-Irvine. Apple Pie 4th of July. San Diego: Harcourt, Inc, 2011. ISBN 9780823423477

2. Plot Summary

This is the story of a young Chinese American girl who is convinced that no one wants Chinese food on the Fourth of July. Her family’s store is open every day of the year except for Christmas. This means it’s open “even today, the Fourth of July.” There is chow mein and egg rolls in the kitchen, but she cannot convince her parents that Americans do not eat Chinese food on the Fourth of July. Or do they? As the day goes on, customers start coming to the store - one after another and another. Maybe things aren’t really as she thinks they are. Maybe Chinese food is American food after all.

3. Critical Analysis

In Apple Pie 4th of July, Wong creates an unnamed Chinese American character who is finding her place in American culture. She most likely feels as though she and her family don’t fit in, so much so that she can’t believe her parents have the audacity to open their store and try to sell Chinese food to Americans on the most American holiday of all - Independence Day. While she smells her neighbor cooking apple pie upstairs (an American cultural icon), her parents are cooking chow mein and sweet-and-sour pork in their kitchen. When she tells her father “No one wants Chinese food on the Fourth of July,” he replies, “Fireworks are Chinese.” His statement reveals that he understands America as a mixture of cultures and ethnicities more than she does. If fireworks are Chinese and they’re part of the Fourth of July, why can’t Chinese food be served along with them?

The Chinese food in this story is a cultural marker. The Chinese American family is cooking chow mein, sweet-and-sour pork, egg rolls, and noodles to serve in their store - typical Chinese foods. Wong clearly juxtaposes the family’s Chinese food with American food. Customers come into the store early in the day for soda, potato chips, and ice cream (not for Chinese food!), and they end their day eating apple pie. Because they live in America, the little girl thinks this is the only kind of food Americans will eat on a day that celebrates America. She explains, “My parents do not understand all American things. They were not born here … I cannot expect them to know Americans do not eat Chinese food on the Fourth of July.” Shortly after that, customers slowly begin streaming in more and more and more, all the way until closing time. What a cultural learning experience for this little Chinese American girl!

Wong doesn’t give the young girl in the story a name. We only hear her voice and see her picture in illustrations. She is pictured as a Chinese girl, and she is obviously struggling with being Chinese American on a day that celebrates America. Wong explicitly reveals her self-consciousness about this. By not giving this girl’s character a name, Wong relates to ALL Chinese American youth who struggle with navigating two different cultures. She allows them to see themselves in her character.

Margaret Chodos-Irvine uses patterns, textured lino-cuts, and collographs to create the unique illustrations for this book. She fills them in with bright colors, truly setting the stage for a day of much celebration - Independence Day. She uses patriotic colors and symbols throughout the book to portray the Fourth of July. The young girl wears a red and white striped shirt with bright blue overalls. There is an American flag hanging in the street. The fireworks at the end of the book show vivid red, white, and blue on the page. Her images also portray the young girl’s emotions throughout the story. Her facial expressions manage to tell pieces of the story all by themselves.

4. Review Excerpts

From SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL (May 1, 2002): "This simply told story explores a child's fears about cultural differences and fitting in with understanding and affection."

From PUBLISHERS WEEKLY (April 8, 2002): "Chodos-Irvine deploys sharply defined objects in a range of colors and patterns to construct harmonious, forthright compositions that will likely prove inviting to readers of many backgrounds."

5. Connections

Gather other books written by Janet S. Wong to read such as:

• This Next New Year. ISBN 978-1937057251
• The Trip Back Home. ISBN 978-0152007843
• Night Garden: Poems from the World of Dreams. ISBN 978-0689826177

Have students write about or tell about how their families celebrate the 4th of July. If there are students from different cultural backgrounds, have them share with the class if or how they celebrate this day with their family.

The Year of the Dog by Grace Lin

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1. Bibliography

Lin, Grace. The Year of the Dog: A Novel. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2006. ISBN 0316060003

2. Plot Summary

“Happy Year of the Dog!” Pacy hears her dad saying on the phone. The Year of the Dog is special because it is for friends and family - and for finding yourself. Pacy, known as Grace Lin at school, begins her journey through this year in an effort to find herself and to discover how the Year of the Dog will be lucky for her, but finding herself turns out to take more time than she expected. She gains a new best friend, searches for her own talents, and learns how to deal with disappointment. In the end, Pacy wins fourth place in the National Written and Illustrated Awards Contest for Students. The year is lucky for her after all, and she finds herself as a writer and illustrator.

3. Critical Analysis

Grace Lin tells her own story of self-discovery in this fun book about a Taiwanese-American girl who is trying to find herself. Lin says she wrote it “because this was the book I wished I had growing up.” This book is sure to be one of great refuge for other Taiwanese-American and Chinese-American children who are finding their way through two very different cultures like Grace Lin did.

Grace, know as Pacy to her family, walks the reader through a year in her life - the Year of the Dog. When Pacy asks if something special is supposed to happen because it’s the year of the Dog, her mother tells her “the Year of the Dog is for friends and family. But there’s more to it than that. The year of the Dog is also for thinking. Since dogs are also honest and sincere, it’s a good year to find yourself.” She goes on to explain that finding yourself means deciding what your values are and what you want to do. By the end of the story, Pacy does just that. After winning the award for writing and illustrating, she announces, “I found myself! … I’m going to make books when I grow up.” Grace Lin never turns back and goes on to be an author and illustrator.

A major theme in this story is friendship. Before Melody arrives at Grace’s school, she is the only Taiwanese-American in her school (besides her sister). On her first day to school after the New Year, the lunch lady stops Grace and tells her she can’t take her plate because she already took one, and everyone only gets one. Grace insists this is her first time through the line, and the lunch lady eventually lets her go. Grace realizes soon after that the reason the lunch lady thought she had already been through the line was because there was a new girl at school - a Chinese-American girl named Melody - and she looked like Grace. This is an incredibly relatable scene for Chinese-American students reading this book. Grace and Melody become best friends, and from that point on they spend all of the free time at each other’s houses.

Throughout the novel, Grace deals with disappointments. She is disappointed when a boy she likes chooses another girl. She is disappointed again when the science project that she and Melody work so hard on gets a frown and negative review from their science teacher. Then, when she dreams of being Dorothy in the school’s performance of The Wizard of Oz, her hopes are completely dashed when her friend Becky tells her, “You can’t be Dorothy … Dorothy’s not Chinese.” Grace is hurt.

Grace struggles with her identity throughout the story. She says to her mother at one point, It’s not fair. To Americans, I’m too Chinese, and to Chinese people, I’m too American. So which one am I supposed to be? She also asks her mom why there are no Chinese people in movies, plays, or books. She struggles with her own identity because she doesn’t see herself in books. When Melody tells her to stop complaining about it and go write her own, she does just that. Once again, Grace Lin uses her own experience of struggling with her identity, being Chinese-American, to relate to other students who are struggling and who don’t see themselves in books, movies, or plays.

Infused throughout Grace’s story of finding herself are short stories told by her and her family members either to explain events from the novel or simply to tell about others who have had disappointments or struggles similar to her own. These short stories serve to inform the reader and to give a (sometimes humorous) break in the reading of Grace’s story.

In the end, Grace wins fourth place for the book she wrote and illustrated entitled The ugly Vegetables. She wins $400 for it, but more than that, she finds herself. She discovers that she is a talented writer and illustrator. The best part is that she doesn’t forget it. She grows up to use her talents to let others like her know they are not alone. In her “Author Note,” she explains that growing up Asian in a mainly Caucasian community was not a miserable and gloomy existence, but it was different. She wrote this story because she wanted those differences to be addressed in a real and upbeat way. She said, “I wrote it because it was the book I wished I had had when I was growing up, a book that had someone like me in it.”

4. Review Excerpts

From PUBLISHERS WEEKLY (January 2, 2006): "Lin, best known for her picture books, here offers up a charming first novel, an autobiographical tale of an Asian-American girl's sweet and funny insights on family, identity and friendship."

From KIRKUS (December 15, 2005): "This comfortable first-person story will be a treat for Asian-American girls looking to see themselves in their reading, but also for any reader who enjoys stories of friendship and family life."

5. Connections

Gather other books written and illustrated by Grace Lin such as:

• Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. ISBN 978-0316038638
• The Ugly Vegetables. ISBN 978-1570914911
• Dim Sum for Everyone. ISBN 978-0440417705

Visit Grace Lin’s website for activities and lesson plan suggestions: http://www.gracelin.com/content.php?page=book_yeardog&display=activities

Have students research different aspects of the Chinese New Year in groups and then have groups share what they have learned with the class.

Tea with Milk by Allen Say

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1. Bibliography

Say, Allen. Tea with Milk. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1999. ISBN 0395904951

2. Plot Summary

In this children’s book, Allen Say tells the sweet story of how his parents met and married. Masako, or May, grew up in America near San Francisco. Her parents spoke to her in Japanese and called her Masako, but everyone else spoke to her in English and called her May. After she graduated from high school, her parents decided to return to Japan, where May had to attend high school all over again. She was lonely in Japan and other students laughed at her and called her a foreigner. When May’s parents hired a matchmaker and tried to marry her off to a banker, she ran away to Osaka, Japan, and eventually gained a job as a store’s guide for foreign businessmen. It was through this job that May met Joseph, who spoke English and became an instant friend to her. When Joseph’s job transferred him, May went with him so they could marry and make a home together.

3. Critical Analysis

In Tea with Milk, Allen Say explores the theme of immigration. In this story, May is born in America to Japanese immigrants. She grows up as a member of the 1.5 generation. America is the only home she knows, and she fully adopts American culture. However, her parents are homesick because America is not home to them. When they return to Japan, May is lonely and a foreigner in a place that should be familiar. She thinks, “I’m a foreigner in my parents’ country … And they came back here because they didn’t want to be foreigners.” Say communicates the irony of May’s situation to the audience clearly, creating empathy for May and so many other immigrants who have felt like her or her parents.

Say also brings to light some of the cultural differences between America and Japan in this story. May is born in America, and she fully embraces American culture. However, when she is home, she lives in Japanese culture. Say compares the two by explaining how May’s life is different at home compared to outside of her home. “Her parents called her Ma-chan, which was short for Masako, and spoke to her in Japanese. Everyone else called her May and talked with her in English.” He also explains, “At home she had rice and miso soup and plain green tea for breakfast. At her friends’ houses she ate pancakes and muffins and drank tea with milk and sugar.” This explanation gives the audience a glimpse into the differences in food and culture of Japan and America.

Throughout the story, when May is living in Japan, she is unable to let go of her American culture. When she finds out that her parents have hired a matchmaker, she is disgusted. The next morning, she puts on a dress she bought in California and takes a bus to the train station so she can travel to the city. She says, “I should leave home and live on my own, like an American daughter.” It is in the city, Osaka, that she is most at home because the city is similar to the city where she lived in California.

Say uses tea with milk as a symbol of English-speaking tradition. When May and Joseph meet for tea, Joseph has his tea with milk. This symbol draws May to him, showing her that they have more in common than being Japanese English speakers. In the end, May realizes that home isn’t a place like America, but it is a place you make for yourself. She and Joseph decide to make that place for themselves, together. On the final page, we find out that May and Joseph were Allen Say’s parents.

Say uses simple illustrations to tell a detailed story. In the first image, May is a young girl, wearing a typical American dress and standing below an American flag. In the next image she is wearing a kimono and looks incredibly sad and discontent. The expressions on May’s face throughout the story alone tell her story from beginning to end. She is sad during her early days in Japan, but when she moves to Osaka, begins working, and meets Joseph, her expressions change to happiness and contentment. Say draws her wearing American clothing except when she is required to wear a kimono for work. On the final page, in an illustration of a portrait of Joseph and May, the expression on both of their faces looks as though they could not be any happier than to have made their home together.

4. Review Excerpts

From SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL (May 1, 1999): "This is a thoughtful and poignant book that will appeal to a wide range of readers, particularly our nation's many immigrants who grapple with some of the same challenges as May and Joseph, including feeling at home in a place that is not their own."

From PUBLISHERS WEEKLY (March 8, 1999): "Say's masterfully executed watercolors tell as much of this story about a young woman's challenging transition from America to Japan as his eloquent, economical prose."

5. Connections

Gather other books written and illustrated by Allen Say such as:

• Grandfather’s Journey. ISBN 978-0547076805
• Drawing from Memory. ISBN 978-0545176866

Read this short biography of Allen Say and watch the brief interview with him as an introduction to a lesson including his picture books: http://www.readingrockets.org/books/interviews/say

Have students read Tea with Milk and then write about how they would feel if their parents told them today that they would be moving to Japan. How can they relate to May? How will their lives be different?

The Absolutely True diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie and Ellen Forney

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1. Bibliography

Alexie, Sherman, and Ellen Forney. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2007. ISBN 9780316013680

2. Plot Summary

Fourteen-year-old Arnold Spirit, aka Junior, is a “poor-ass reservation kid living with his poor-ass family on the poor-ass Spokane Indian Reservation.” Because Junior was born with many medical problems, everybody on the rez calls him a retard about twice a day, so he mostly hangs out alone in his bedroom reading books and drawing cartoons. After a teacher at Wellpinit, Junior’s reservation school, tells him he deserves better and that he needs to leave the rez forever, he switches to Reardan - the rich, white school twenty-two miles away from the rez. He is both a misfit at Reardan and an outcast at the rez for leaving them behind. During his Freshman year at Reardan, Junior faces poverty, racism, alcoholism, and death. His resilience and determination to overcome his circumstances gives a message of hope to young adults.

3. Critical Analysis

What Sherman Alexie does best in this young adult novel is develop the character of Arnold Spirit, aka Junior. Any reader, young or old, can relate in some way to Junior’s struggle with identity and self-esteem. Junior explains that “My parents came from poor people who came from poor people who came from poor people, all the way back to the very first poor people.” His mother and father are drunks, and he says he is a zero on the rez - aside from his best friend Rowdy, his parents, sister, and grandmother. When his father tells him those white people aren’t better than him, he knows his father is dead wrong. “He was the loser Indian father of a loser Indian son living in a world built for winners.” While attending school in Reardan, Junior is stuck between two worlds - two different cultures - and he doesn’t belong and isn’t accepted in either one. The entire novel portrays his struggle for his identity.

Junior’s story is at times incredibly depressing, and at other times filled with hope. Junior has a front row seat to the destruction alcohol can bring. Almost every Indian he knows is a drunk. He has been to forty-two funerals in his short life, and 90 percent of those deaths have been caused by alcohol. Even in the book, his grandmother is killed by a drunk driver and his sister burns to death when her house catches on fire while she is passed out from drinking. Junior’s recognition of the destruction alcohol brings is, on its own, enough to bring hope. Forney’s illustration of Junior standing at a road sign with two arrows pointing toward “Rez” and “Home,” and two arrows pointing in the opposite direction toward “Hope” and “???” illustrates Junior’s journey towards hope.

Sherman Alexie’s portrayal of Junior as a Spokane Indian is culturally accurate and authentic. Alexie is himself a Spokane/Coeur d’Alene tribal member and grew up on a Spokane Reservation in Wellpinit, Washington. Much of Junior’s character comes from Alexie’s own life experiences. Both were hydrocephalics, suffering many seizures throughout their childhood. Alexie also left the rez to attend school in Reardan, which aided in his future academic success.

Ellen Forney’s cartoon illustrations perfectly complement Alexie’s story. Because Junior is a cartoonist, it’s only natural that the illustrations that tell his story are cartoons as well. It’s as though he’s illustrating his own story. The illustrations are in black and white, and they authentically depict Spokane Indians with dark, long braided hair in contrast with the white kids with blond hair at Reardan. The timing of each illustration is perfect, bringing humor and reality to Junior’s story. While Junior is coping with loss, grief, alcoholism, and depression, the cartoon illustrations lighten the heavy load. They inject humor into an otherwise tragic and depressing story.

I think this would be an excellent young adult novel to use in the classroom. It not only teaches students about the reality of Native American life, but it is also a relatable novel for most students. The majority of students deal with at least one - and possibly all - of the issues Junior deals with in this novel, whether it’s poverty, alcoholic family members, death, identity, or self-esteem. Junior’s character has the potential to bring hope to students who think they are alone in their circumstances.

4. Review Excerpts

From BOOKLIST (August 1, 2007): "Younger teens looking for the strength to lift themselves out of rough situations would do well to start here.”

From KIRKUS (July 15, 2007): "Alexie nimbly blends sharp wit with unapologetic emotion in his first foray into young-adult literature.”

5. Connections

Have students write about a difficult experience in their own life that they have had to find the strength to overcome, like Junior’s character in the novel. It could be a single event or a series of events. Have students illustrate their writing with a cartoon illustration to bring humor and reality to the experience.

Show students the following interview with author Sherman Alexie. In the interview he talks about his life, leaving the reservation, and writing this novel.

When the Chenoo Howls: Native American Tales of Terror by Joseph and James Bruchac, and William Sauts Netamuxwe Bock

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1. Bibliography

Bruchac, Joseph and James, and William Sauts Netamuxwe Bock. When the Chenoo Howls: Native American Tales of Terror. New York: Walker and Company, 1998. ISBN 0802786383

2. Plot Summary

Stories about monsters have been told to Native American children for centuries. These stories are told for two reasons: to keep children away from danger and to warn them against bad behavior. The stories have been passed down from generation to generation. In this book, Joseph and James Bruchac have gathered some of their own favorite tales of terror to share with children beyond the Native American culture.

3. Critical Analysis

When the Chenoo Howls contains 12 Native American scary stories. The introduction to these stories explains that “Through the oral tradition, these legends have passed down tribal, regional, and family histories, stressed cultural philosophies, taught lessons, and amused Native audiences for thousands of years.” Author James Bruchac knows first-hand the value of these legends, as he and his brother grew up hearing them from his storyteller father, Joseph Bruchac.

In these stories, the monsters are almost always defeated by human beings, teaching children that they have the wit and strength to stand up to their own fears. In The Stone Giant, Skunny-Wundy defeats the Stone Giant by himself, keeping his entire village safe from the monster. In Man Bear, Swift Runner defeats Man Bear by tricking him and outrunning him. However, sometimes the monsters are not defeated, teaching children the values of not wandering too far from home, of good behavior, and of respect for their elders. In the story Ugly Face, Blue Sky is taken away by the monster Ugly Face because of his disrespectful, disobedient behavior toward his mother, and in the story The Spreaders, Azone is tortured by the Spreaders because he insists on camping in an unsafe area.

At the end of each story, James and Joseph Bruchac include an explanation about the monster in the story. They tell in which Native American tribe the legend was told, as well as other background information that is insightful for the reader. In addition to providing valuable information, these end-of-story notes lend authenticity to the legends. The authors also include a pronunciation guide at the end of the book. I personally found this guide to be very helpful during my reading. It allows readers to correctly pronounce and read unfamiliar Native American names and words. Again, this guide adds to the authenticity of the book. The authors know their culture and heritage well, and they immerse the reader in it.

The beginning of each story features a black and white illustration portraying the monster that is about to come alive in the story. By placing the illustrations at the beginning of the story, the reader can picture what the monster might have looked like throughout the reading. The illustrations show Native Americans in traditional dress with facial features typical of Native Americans - high cheekbones and almond-shaped eyes. The monsters in the illustrations are huge in comparison to the humans, bringing fear to anyone who reads these stories.

4. Review Excerpts

From SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL (December 1, 1998): "An interesting alternative for children who love horror stories."

From BOOKLIST (November 1, 1998): "A worthy addition to Native American folklore collections, this is also suitably frightening for fans of Schwartz's scary stories and San Souci's Short and Shivery collections."

5. Connections

Gather other books to read by Joseph Bruchac such as:

• Thirteen Moons on Turtle’s Back. ISBN 978-0698115842
• Squanto’s Journey: The Story of the First Thanksgiving. ISBN 978-0152060442
• Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two. ISBN 978-0142405963

Have students write their own tale of terror. The tale should teach children a valuable lesson about safety or behavior, just like Bruchac’s tales.

Jingle Dancer by Cynthia Leitich Smith, Cornelius Van Wright, and Ying-Hwa Hu

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1. Bibliography

Smith, Cynthia L, Wright, Cornelius V., and Ying-Hwa Hu. Jingle Dancer. New York: Morrow Junior Books, 2000. ISBN 0688162428

2. Plot Summary

Jenna is of Ojibway descent and a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. She daydreams about the “tink, tink, tink, tink” of her grandma’s jingle dancing - her favorite Native American tradition. She wants more than anything to jingle dance at the next powwow, but her dress “would not be able to sing. It needed four rows of jingles.” Jenna visits her Great-aunt, Sis, Mrs. Scott, and her cousin Elizabeth to borrow rows of jingles from them. After she borrows her fourth row from her grandma, she helps her grandma sew on all the jingles and practices her bounce-steps for powwow. At powwow, Jenna’s dress sings away as she jingle dances for everyone she borrowed jingles from.

3. Critical Analysis

Jingle Dancer is a simple story with a powerful message about Native American tradition and family. The story of Jenna and her gathering of jingles for her dress is simple in itself, but inherent in this story is the strong bond of her Native American family and their tradition of jingle dancing. When Jenna needs more rows for her dress, the first person she visits is her Great-aunt Sis. She has an obviously close bond with her great aunt, who lovingly gives a row of jingles to Jenna. Next, Jenna visits Mrs. Scott, who is not a family member, but part of her Native American community. Because of their tight-knit community Jenna’s bond with Mrs. Scott seems strong. Finally, Jenna visits her cousin Elizabeth and borrows a row of jingles from her as well.

The closest character to Jenna in this story is her grandmother. Jenna admires her grandmother, and especially her grandmother’s jingle dancing. It is her grandmother who gives Jenna her fourth row of jingles and spends each evening sewing them onto her dress. The elderly character of her grandmother who is carrying on the jingle dancing tradition points to the strength of tradition and family.

The number four is significant in this story. Jenna needs to have at least four rows of jingles for her dress to be able to sing. Four is a sacred number to Native Americans, as it represents the four seasons, the four moon stages, the four life stages, etc. Four jingles will bring her dress to life and make it sing. Nature is also a focus in this story. Native Americans have a great respect for nature and believe it is sacred. It is a strong part of their lives - their history, traditions, religion, and language. Throughout this book, Nature guides Jenna’s day. Smith includes phrases such as “As Moon kissed Sun good night,” “As Sun fetched morning, “As Sun arrived at midcircle,” “As Sun caught a glimpse of Moon,” and “As Moon glowed pale.” Not only is this a beautiful way to describe the time of day, but it places the emphasis on nature instead of time.

The “Author’s Note” on the last page of this story gives authenticity to Jenna’s story. Smith uses this note to talk about jingle dancing and its place in Native American history and tradition. She explains more about jingle dresses - what they look like and how they are made. She even explains that a new jingle dancer is a cause for great joy for a family. This makes Jenna’s character even more authentic since it was her first time to jingle dance.

Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu use watercolor illustrations to depict Jenna and her family as Native Americans of today. Their skin color and hair color are typical of Native Americans, and they live in modern houses in a suburban neighborhood. They cook in modern kitchens and wear typical American dress on an average day. However, at powwow, their illustrations show traditional dress - Jenna in her dance regalia, with others in traditional dress in the background. These watercolor illustrations are beautiful and bring Jenna and her family to life for the reader.

4. Review Excerpts

From SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL (July 1, 2000): "This picture book will not only satisfy a need for materials on Native American customs, but will also be a welcome addition to stories about traditions passed down by the women of a culture."

From BOOKLIST  (May 15, 2000): "The colorful, well-executed watercolor illustrations lend warmth to the story."

5. Connections

Gather other books written by Cynthia Leitich Smith such as:

• Indian Shoes. ISBN 978-0060295318
• Rain is Not My Indian Name. ISBN 978-0688173975

Visit Cynthia Leitich Smith’s website here for a curriculum guide for Jingle Dancer, including supplemental questions and links containing more information about Native American culture.

Book Trailer for Hana Hashimoto by Chieri Uegaki and Qin Leng