Blog 18: Yoshiko Uchida

Book Selection: "The Best Bad Thing"
Author: Yoshiko Uchida
Jacket Painting: Kinuko Craft

(1) According to Rinko's mother, bad things come in three. Rinko is determined that the first bad thing that happened to her occurs when her mother and father request that she go help out a widowed woman, Mrs. Hata, and her two sons. Mrs. Hata has taken over growing cucumbers for a living after her husband passed away. Rinko is adamant about not wanting to go, but she eventually caves in and decides it is the Christian thing to do. Rinko promptly sprains her ankle once she is there when she attempts to jump from a moving freight train. The third bad thing occurs when Mrs. Hata's youngest son, Abu, jumps from a freight on a different day and his arm is run over. Mrs. Hata rushes him to the hospital and in her rush, she leaves the keys in her truck that transports the cucumbers. Sadly, someone steals the truck while they are in the hospital causing a fourth bad thing to happen. Rinko is saddened by these events, but is also determined to help Mrs. Hata as much as she can.

(2) I really enjoyed this book. I especially appreciated the Japanese culture that was injected into the story. I am particularly interested in the Japanese culture right now as I am tutoring an eight year old girl who just moved from Japan. It is interesting to me to learn as much as I can about this different style of living. I think this is an excellent read for middle school aged kids. It would likely even be appropriate as a read aloud for younger students.

(3) Although I have not read any other books by Yoshiko Uchida, it is evident that she typically adds in Japanese culture to each of her books. Below is a brief list of books that she has written.

"The Dancing Kettle"
"The Magic Listening Cap"
"Takao and Grandfather's Sword"
"The Promised Year"
"Mik and the Prowler"
"New Friends for Susan"
"The Full Circle"
"Makoto, the Smallest Boy"
"Rokubei and the Thousand Rice Bowls"
"The Forever Christmas Tree"
"Sumi's Prize"
"Sumi's Special Happening"
"Sumi and the Goat and the Tokyo Express"
"The Sea of Gold"
"A Jar of Dreams"

and many others!

Images courtesy of http://images.google.com.

Blog 17: Laurence Yep

Book Selection: "The Imp That Ate My Homework"
Author: Laurence Yep
Illustrator: Benrei Huang


(1) Laurence Yep brings a multicultural aspect to the children's literature world. Although Yep was born in California, his father was born in China. Yep has always been interested in the Chinese culture and typically adds this heritage into his writing. In Yep's "The Imp That Ate My Homework", we are introduced to Jim and his family. Jim's mother works in a factory sewing clothing and his father works in a butcher shop. When Jim is assigned to write about one of his grandparents, he is sad to realize that the only one he can write about is Grandpop, the meanest man in all of Chinatown. When as imp shows up and eats his homework, Jim begins to have one of the worst days of his life. When his teachers request conferences with his parents, Jim goes to seek understanding from his mom. Unfortunately, Jim only manages to get his parents in trouble when he visits them and is sent to speak with his grandfather. What Jim does not anticipate is that his grandfather believes him about the imp and works with him to rid their family from the imp's mischief.


(2) This book would definitely be targeted for a younger audience. The depth and detail that Yep goes into is minimal. This being said, I am fairly certain that this is uncharacteristic of Yep's usual work. As I did research on Laurence Yep, I've noticed that most of his titles take on a more serious tone and are likely targeted for young adults.

(3) I did learn a bit about Chinese culture when reading this book. I had no idea that imps were to the Chinese historically like ghosts or goblins are to Americans. It was also interesting to read the history of Chung Kuei, a demon chaser from China. Laurence Yep has written many books since he began in 1968. Some of his works are listed below.

"Dragon's Gate"
"Dragonwings"
"Ribbons"
"Child of the Owl"
"Hiroshima"
"Dream Soul"
"The Magic Paintbrush"
"Shadow Lord"
"Thief of Hearts"
"Tree of Dreams"
"Case of the Goblin Pearls"
"Sea Glass"

Images courtesy of http://images.google.com.

Post 16: Jerry Pinkney

Book Selection: "Tanya's Reunion"
Author: Valerie Flournoy
Illustrator: Jerry Pinkney

(1) "Tanya's Reunion" is a sequel to Flournoy's book "The Patchwork Quilt." In this story, we learn more about Tanya and her grandmother as they go ahead of the family to Virginia. In Virginia, they will be joining their extended family for a reunion. Tanya is at first very excited to be going with her grandmother, but once she arrives, she is disappointed at what she sees. The farm is not nearly as impressive as she thought it would be in her mind and her cousins are either too young, or not playful enough. Throughout this experience, Tanya learns to appreciate the things of the past and she learns from her grandmother in the process. Pinkney's illustrations in this book are very soft. The pictures are larger than life; they seem to work as a snapshot, capturing frames of the reunion. One of my favorite illustrations (shown below) is when Tanya finds the room with all of the memories of the past. Her expression is priceless and almost like a "kid in a candy shop."


(2) I have read one other book that was illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. This was "The Old African", which was written by Julius Lester. Surprisingly, I favor the artwork of "The Old African" to that of "Tanya's Reunion." Likely, it is because the story of "The Old African" is so emotional, that it is hard to not become attached to those illustrations.


(3) Jerry Pinkney (above) has illustrated many children's books since he began in 1964. Some of these books are listed below.

"John Henry"
"The Talking Eggs"
"Mirandy and Brother Wind"
"Little Red Riding Hood"
"Aesop's Fables"
"Noah's Ark"
"The Little Red Hen"
"The Ugly Duckling"
"The Sunday Outing"
"The Jungle Book"
"The Nightingale"
"Back Home"

and many more.

Images courtesy of http://images.google.com.

Blog 15: Julius Lester

Book Selection: "The Old African"
Author: Julius Lester
Illustrator: Jerry Pinkney

(1) "The Old African" is based on a legend about a man who could infuse feelings, thoughts, and emotions into people without speech. Initially, the Old African man was captured from his homeland and sent by boat across the Water-That-Stretched-Forever (ocean) to the land where he would become a slave. The Old African sees many horrific things in his time, but is also able to stifle pain and torture. When a young slave escapes and returns telling of Water-That-Stretched-Forever, the Old African knows it is time to lead his people to freedom. This is an incredible story that is made even better by the realistic illustrations within the pages.

(2) Stories of slave life interest me in the same way that some people cannot help but watch when disaster occurs. It is astounding to me to think about the way an entire nation of people were treated based solely on their skin color. It is actually quite disgusting. Furthermore, I likely enjoyed this book so much because the slaves had an opportunity to become free, and their freedom was a form of revenge on the people who brutally abused and mistreated them.



(3) While I have not yet read any other Julius Lester books, I do intend to in the future. After some research, I discovered that he tends to write about slavery and this topic is one that must never be forgotten.

Some of Julius Lester's other titles include:
"Day of Tears"
"To Be a Slave"
"Uncle Remus: The Complete Tales"
"Lovesong: Becoming a Jew"
"Dressed Like Freedom"
"John Henry"
"Cupid: A Tale of Love and Desire"
"From Slave Ship to Freedom"
"Ackamarackus"
"Othello"
"Sam and the Tigers"
"Why Heaven is Far Away"
"The Autobiography of God"

and many more.

Images courtesy of http://images.google.com.