MMGM: Three Keys (Front Desk #2) by Kelly Yang

 

It's 1994 and life has certainly changed for Mia Tang, 11. You may recall from Front Desk, that when she was much younger, Mia and her parents had emigrated to the United States from China hoping for a better life. But, you may also recall, the degrees and work experience Mia's parents had didn't help them get jobs for which they were qualified (he is a scientist, she is an engineer). Instead, they took menial jobs, finally landing at the Calavista Motel as maintenance workers. But eventually, they buy the Calavista from the very unpleasant owner Mr. Yao, whose son is in Mia's class and who bullies her every chance he gets. But the Tang's also make good friends among the more permanent residents of the motel. Mia and Lupe Garcia, whose dad works for the Tangs, are now BFFs, and she has even made friends with Jason Yao. 

Mia is excited to begin sixth grade, hoping to improve her writing with the help of her new teacher Mrs. Welch, who clearly resents teaching in a trailer because of budget cuts, blaming it on immigrants the state has to take care of. It soon becomes clear that Mrs. Welch supports Pete Wilson for governor and Proposition 187 which would prohibit undocumented immigrants from using any state services, including health care and public schools. 

Then Lupe tells Mia that her family is undocumented, but working on getting the papers they need, and they live in fear of being deported. When Mia's first writing assignment on immigration is returned, Mrs. Welch has only given her a C, not the A or B+ she was expecting. What begin as a great new beginning for the Mia feels like it is quickly turning into more disappointment and worry.

And she's right. When Lupe's grandmother in Mexico dies, her mother decides to take a chance and return there for her funeral. When they don't hear from Mrs. Garcia for weeks, there is nothing that can be done to find out what happened without the authorities discovering they are undocumented and deporting the whole Garcia family. But when Mr. Garcia drives down to the border to find his wife, he is picked up and held by the immigration police.

On top of that, the Tang's improvements of the Calavista are finally paying off financially, but when new property manager Hank (you remember him from Book #1) writes Immigrants Welcome in big letters outside the motel, it ends up on the nightly news and investors are not happy. Now, the Tang's financial future is once again in trouble but Mia insists the sign must not be take down.

It begins to look like nothing is going to go right during Mia's sixth grade year, but this is a girl with spunk and drive, and she is not going to go down without a fight. Can she change people's minds, though, especially Mrs. Welch's, about immigrants and the unfairness of Proposition 187? Can she help bring back Mr. and Mrs. Garcia, or has she lost her best friend to politics. 

Some of the issues addressed in Three Keys are pretty heavy duty for a middle grade novel, and yet what better place to explore these issues of immigration and racism than at this moment when they are sadly still so relevant and urgent. For example, there is racial animosity directed at Hank, who is African American, but who tells Lupe "I have fear every day...But let me tell you something about fear: If you don't control it, it controls you." (pg 215) And recent immigrants like Tangs are were and are still looked down on by people like Mr. Yao, and others. 

I wouldn't say that Mia develops as much as I would say that she expands who she is, and who she is is passionate about supporting the people she cares about, and what is happening in the world as it impacts them, as well as her and her family. Her political awakening is interesting to see and I think more kids are having that kind of experience today and can really relate to her. Mia certainly embodies Hank's definition of the three keys of friendship: "You gotta listen, you gotta care, and most importantly, you gotta keep trying." (pg 245)   

I would not skip reading the Author's Note in the back matter. There is a lot of information about Proposition 187 and life in California in 1994 for immigrant adults and children and she brings it into the present so well, and includes sources. 

The next book in the Front Desk trilogy, Room to Dream (Front Desk #3), will be out on September 21, 2021 and I can't wait to see what Mia, Lupe, and Jason are up to.

This book is recommended for readers age 9+

This book was an eARC gratefully received from Edelweiss+

Be sure to check out the other Marvelous Middle Grade Monday offerings, 

now being carried on by Greg at Always in the Middle

Oscar's American Dream by Barry Wittenstein, illustrated by Kristen & Kevin Howdeshell

 

Oscar"s American Dream by Barry Wittenstein,

illustrated by Kristen & Kevin Howdeshell

Schwartz & Wade, 2020, 36 pages

Not long ago, I reviewed a book about a lake house that bore witness to the changing 20th century in Germany. Now, here is a book about a shop on a corner in New York City that bears witness to 100 hundred years of people's different American dreams from 1899 to 1999.

Oskar Nowicki arrived in New York City via Ellis Island from his native Poland. He has a dream and with money loaned to him by his mother, Oskar "replaced the k in his name with a c" and opened a barber shop on the corner of Front Street and Second Avenue in 1899. The barber shop was successful, but then the subway comes along, and in 1908, Oscar's dream changed when he went to work as a train conductor. 

Oscar's barber shop is replaced with Out with the Old, a successful women's clothing shop owned by Nettie and Yettie Jaffe. The Jaffe sisters dressed women from 1915s suffragettes to 1920s flappers, believing that "the good times were here to stay -" right up until the stock market crash of 1929 when "millions like Nettie and Yettie lost everything" and they were forced out of business. 

The shop on the corner of Front Street and Second Avenue becamed a soup kitchen, feeding hundreds of hungry out of work New Yorkers and their families every day. When America entered WWII in 1941, the soup kitchen morphed into a United States Army Recruitment Office and "young men lined up around the block, eager for a chance to become heroes." 

After the war, the building was boarded up until Moises Ortiz Jr. arrived in New York with money his brother in Puerto Rico lent him and the shop on Front Street and Second Avenue became Bodega Suprema, selling everything "from cigars to coffee beans, toilet paper to newspapers and foods from home..." But when television came along, Moises's bodega became Renate's TV Center, named for his baby daughter. 

Renate's TV Center was a good business until fire swept through the shop and "Moise's dreams were no más." Was that the end of the shop on the corner of Front Street and Second Avenue? No, indeed. Wittenstein continues through the 1960s and the March on Washington, and the changing demands of the 1970s and 1980s.

But in 1999, the "wheels of progress" brought a bulldozer to raze the the building. Will this really be the end of the shop that was the embodiment of so many American dreams?

Oscar's American Dream is fiction. There is a Front Street and there is a Second Avenue in NYC, but they don't intersect. No matter, because it is a story not interested in being a factual history, but in being a history about how American dreams are often manifested in the life of a single building. And in a way it tells us to look at that history from both a general point of view and a particular point of view. General, in that you could look at the history of any building anywhere that has been standing for a while and see how changing times and changing dreams have been reflected in it. It is particular because more and more old New York City buildings are being torn down and replaced with nondescript structures, devoid of any personality. Maybe that's true where you live, too. But, with those old buildings go a history of people's dreams.

I really liked the way Wittenstein seamlessly slipped from one era to the next, and using spare text provided a clear picture of what was happening both in the shop and in the world. His purpose, as he writes in his Author's Note, is to see if he could better understand the past by looking at just one building and I would say he has definitely succeeded at that. 

Complimenting the text are engaging pencil and pen digitally compiled illustrations. Readers will want to carefully explore these inviting illustrations and find all of little details that add to the story.   

Oscar's American Dream is an excellent way to introduce young readers to history, where they will discover that it "is alive. And if you stand on a corner and look carefully, you might even see it go marching by."

The NYC building I miss the most - Ralph's Candy Store on Church Avenue between Argyle and Rugby Roads - what great memories of candy, comics, chocolate egg creams, Mello-Rolls, and friends.  

This book is recommended for readers age 6+

This book was gratefully received from the author.

Five Picture Books About Immigrants, Refugees, Migrants

 

If you are looking for some new books about immigrations, refugees, and migrants that are inspiring, hopeful, and empathic, look no further that these new books. Each has a different story to tell with one thing in common - seeking refuge, safety and a welcoming smile to those who have left their homeland.

The Suitcase 

written and illustrated by Chris Naylor-Ballesteros

HMH BFYR, 2020, 32 pages

After a long, arduous journey over mountains and across a sea, a sad odd-looking teal colored creature arrives in a new land carrying a big suitcase. He is met with suspicion and skepticism by a red bird, an orange fox and a yellow rabbit. What is in the suitcase, they want to know. The teal creature tells them there is a teacup, a table to sit at and chair to sit on while drinking tea, and a little kitchen to make the tea in a cabin on a hillside with a clear view to the sea. Of course, bird, fox, and rabbit don't trust the new creature, and while he sleeps, they decide to break open his suitcase. Inside, they find a shattered teacup and an old photograph. Meanwhile, the creature dreams about running away, hiding, climbing mountains and swimming in the sea to safety. When he wakes up, he sees what the bird, fox, and rabbit have done to his suitcase, but he also sees a mended teacup sitting on a table with chair in front of a little house. Surprised and touched, the creature turns to his new friends and tells them there is just one problem - they are going to need more teacups. What looks to be a story about animals not welcoming refugees, turns out to be one of welcome and friendship. You can download an activity pack that includes discussion suggestions and story activities for The Suitcase HERE

Sugar in Milk 

by Thrity Umrigar, Khoa Le

Running Press Kids, 2020, 48 pages

A young girl emigrates from India to New York by herself to live with her aunt and uncle. They try their best to make her feel at home, but she's still sad, missing her family, her friends, and her cats. One day, her aunt takes her for a walk and tell her a story about a group of people who were forced to leave their homes in Persia and find refuge elsewhere. Arriving at an Indian kingdom, the king tell them they are not welcome, his land is already too crowded and the refugees "look foreign and speak a strange and different language I do not understand." Not speaking the same language, the king pours a glass of milk to indicate his land was full like the glass. The leader of the tired travelers takes the milk and adds a spoonful of sugar to it, indicating to the kind that though different, both people could live in peace, and "just like sugar in milk, we will sweeten your lives with our presence." Convinced, the king allows the refugees to remain in this kingdom. The story changes the young girl's outlook, helping her to realize that her new home is a welcoming place if she is willing to embrace it. The story the aunt tell has its roots in Parsi folktales. The illustrations that accompany the aunt's tale are just exquisite with a feel of ancient India, while the illustrations that frame the tale and much more modern. This is such a beautiful book about what immigrants bring to a new country with a message of hope and acceptance. It is a wonderful addition to any library.

The Paper Boat: A Refugee Story

written and illustrated by Thao Lam

Owlkids, 2020, 40 pages

In this wordless picture book, a young girl and her mother are forced to flee their country (Vietnam) because of war. As the family is eating a meal, the young girl rescues ants which the adults are swatting at. Later, when she and her mother leave their home, they are accompanied by the rescued ants. Mother and daughter must first hide from the officers hunting down refugees. Eventually, the ants lead them to where they must wait for a boat to take them away. The story switches to the ants sailing away in a paper boat at this point. Their journey is filled with hardships - a too hot sun beating down on them, thirst, seagulls overhead attacking and looking for food, an ant that drowns, and a thunderstorm that destroys their boat, sending all the ants into the water. Eventually they find land and are met with many more refugee ants. The story switches back to the girl and her family now living in safety in what looks like an city full of refugees from other parts of the world. Lam uses the ants to represent the difficult journey made by the mother and child. Lam's cut paper collages and the wordlessness of the story really capture the danger faced by many refugees when they are forced to leave their family and their home. She used simple colors - orange, pink, blue, and black to create these emotional illustrations. This is a story of bravery and hope despite hardship. You can find a detailed discussion and activity guide for this book HERE Kids can make their own origami paper boat with these instructions from the publisher, Owlkids

Click to enlarge

The Day Saida Arrived by Susana Gómez Redondo,

illustrated by Sonja Wimmer, translated from the Spanish by Lawrence Schimel

Blue Dot Kids Press, 2020, 32 pages

Saida, a newly arrived immigrant, has just begun school and is immediately befriended by a girl in her class who thinks Saida has lost her words because she doesn't speak. She searches everywhere to find them but to no avail. Then her father explains that Saida comes from Morocco where they speak Arabic, a language different from her own. And so the two new friends decide to teach each other their language. Together, they experience the joys and difficulties of learning a new language, as well as experiencing each other's culture through stories, poems and food. And their future plans? Why, a trip to Morocco someday (a place that is on my own bucket list). The language is beautifully lyrical and full of playfulness and emotion. The stylized illustrations are hand-painted in a combination of bold and soft colors and done in acrylic paint and crayons. This celebration of friendship, empathy, and respect is one you will want to share with your young readers - again and again. The English and Arabic words are scattered throughout the text, including a phonetic pronunciation of the Arabic words. You can find an extensive Teachers' Guide for this book HERE 

Click to enlarge

Migrants

written and illustrated by Issa Watanabe

Gecko Press, 2020, 40 pages

This is one of those books that just moved me in a way that surprised even me. It is a wordless book, with different very colorful, very individualized animals traveling together set against a very black background in which you can see the leafless forest through which the animals are walking. The animals are followed by death in the form of a skeleton, and a blue ibis, a bird that symbolizes life and death, past and present, according to the author. The story follows their journey from the time they enter the forest, as they sit together and share a meal, then their journey over water in an overcrowded boat, and finally landing in a new country, where readers will notice that colorful flowers in the background begin to replace the leafless muted forest. Their journey may have been successful, but they did suffer one loss on the way that affected all the travelers and probably most readers. This is a picture book for older readers that is sure to generate some interesting and much needed discussions. The publisher, Gecko Press, has posted an informative interview with the author that I would highly recommend reading, and you can find it HERE. You can also find a useful guide for lessons that can be used in a classroom HERE

This is one of those illustrations where wordlessness
speaks louder than words.

What am I reading this week? The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel and The Circus of Stolen Dreams by Lorelei Savaryn and lots of picture books. 

What are you reading?

It's Monday! What are you reading? - from Picture Books to YA is a kidlit focused meme hosted weekly by Jen at Teacher Mentor Texts and by Kellee at Unleashing Readers. Its purpose is to recap what you have read and/or reviewed and plan out your reading and reviews for the upcoming week. #IMWAYR

The Border by Steve Schafer

As usual, Pato, 16, his mother and father always seem to arrive late for get togethers, and cousin Carmen's quinceañera is no different. On their way into the house to join the happy, noisy celebration, Pato notices a suspicious car parked nearby, noticeable because it is completely painted black, even the bumpers. He briefly debates with himself about saying something, after all, there are two men in the car carefully watching the house, but in the end, he decides it is probably nothing. Soon after arriving, Carmen's older brother, Arbo, Pato's cousin and best friend, head out to their favorite spot in the desert behind the house with Marcos, 17, a ace soccer player, and his sister Gladys, 15. But the celebratory noise is suddenly interrupted - not by fireworks, but by the sound of gunshots - lots of them.

Back at Arbo's house, they discover that everyone has been shot dead execution style. To make matters worse, Marcos kills one of the shooters, whose brother recognizes him and threatens to kill all four of them. Realizing they have to get away, even before they can process what has just happened, Pato remembers an older man that he and Arbo had helped once as part of a school project. Pato, Arbo, Marcos, and Gladys head out to Señor Ortiz's house on the outskirts of town.

Señor Ortiz agrees to let them stay for a while and even goes into town to see if he can hear any news about the shooting. Returning, he tells them that the shooting was done as a warning by members of a drug cartel called La Frontera who control every aspect of life in their Mexican town. The school photos of all four teens have been posted everywhere, offering a very big reward for them. The teens decide that the only thing they can do is try to cross the desert and slip over the border into the United States. But this is a trip that proves easier said than done.

The Border, though timely, is a difficult book to read. It isn't enough that these teens have just lost their families to gun violence, but they are also trying to survive on a hot, unrelenting desert which is a struggle for anyone, but even worse if you are completely unprepared the way Pato, Arbo, Marcos, and Gladys are.

The story is told completely from Pato's point of view, and I think this is a story that would have lent  itself better to multiple viewpoints. I would have like to know what is going on for the other three teens. But despite that, each person's personality comes across distinctly, and there is even some humor to be found, as well as an attraction between Pato and Gladys, giving the unbelievable horror of their stories more of a human face. 

With everything that has been going on in this country regarding the border and immigrants from Mexico, and Central America, this is a very relevant story. While this country builds walls to keep desperate people out, or puts them into cages, and deprives them of any shred of human dignity, it is easy to see why people are willing to risk everything to escape local violence and abuse. 

The Border is a book for older, mature teens, even though Pato, Arbo, and Gladys are only 15-years-old. It is a very realistic novel and there is, as I've said, violence and some mild sex, as well as profanity. But it is really an eye-opening experience for those who do decide to read it.

This book is recommended for readers age 14+

This book was an EARC received from NetGalley 

Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga

For 12-year-old Jude, life was happy and pleasant growing up in a tourist town by the sea in Syria. She was part of a loving family consisting of her father, mother, and older brother Issa and best friend Fatima lived next door. Both girls loved TV and American movies and wanted to be movies stars someday. But when the Arab Spring begins, and Issa joins the protest movement against the Syrian government, the life that Jude loves begins to change as well. Throughout Syria, towns are under siege and the people living in them are fleeing as fast as they can.

And although Jude's parents choose to not get involved with the protests, when it's learned that her mother is pregnant, a decision is made: Jude and her mother will travel to Cincinnati, Ohio and stay with her mother's brother and his family.

Jude and her mother are welcomed by her Uncle Mazin and Aunt Michelle, but cousin Sarah makes it clear that she wants nothing to do with Jude and is annoyed that they are even there: "She can't go to my school, Mom, Sarah says./She doesn't even speak English, she says./I spend the rest of that night/locked in the bathroom,/whispering to myself in the mirror./I speak English."

When school begins, Sarah hangs out with her friends, leaving Jude to figure out 7th grade and get by on her own. She is put into an ESL class, where she meets other students from Korea, China Somalia, also new and English learners. At first resentful, she comes to think of it a welcome part of her day, a place where she can relax and laugh.

Eventually, Jude discovers a Middle Eastern restaurant that feels and smells like home, run by the Lebanese parents of an older girl from school named Layla - finally a new friend.

As she adjusts to life in America, and her English improves, Jude decides to try out for a part for the school's production of Beauty and the Beast. Layla thinks she should work behind the scenes creating sets, but Jude wants to be on stage. So do Sarah and her friends. But when Jude gets a small speaking part in the school's production, will it be the thing that causes her to lose her friendship with Layla and all she has worked so hard to accomplish so far?

Jude is a wonderful character, she has, as the teacher in charge of the school play puts it, punch, liters of punch. When she leaves Syria, her brother tells her to "Be brave" and that is exactly what she tries to do in a place where she is so different from the other people. And she does it despite worrying about her father and brother back in Syria, despite not receiving a response to the letters she continuously sends to Fatima, and despite not always have support from her mother, and no help from her cousin.

Other Words for Home is an insightful verse novel that interrogates ideas about identity, and home. In Syria, Jude was just a girl, but in America, she is labelled "a Middle Eastern girl./A Syrian girl./A Muslim girl." And does leaving Syria mean she must give up thinking about it as home in order to find a home in the United States? Sadly, it will take a terrible act of racism for Jude to find the answer to that question.

Jude's story is divided into five parts, each one chronicling a different milestone in her journey as she struggles to understand who she is. Warga has captured all of Jude's emotional up and downs, her successes, her disappointments, and her fears in beautiful, lyrical free verse that feels so intimate, it is as though Jude has taken you into her confidences.

Other Words for Home is a story about family, hope, and dealing with the world on your own terms. It's a story that should not be missed.

This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book was borrowed from the NYPL

Be sure to check out the other Marvelous Middle Grade Monday offerings, now being carried on by Greg at Always in the Middle. 

Nine Picture Books About Immigrants and Refugees

I've been exploring stories about immigrants and refugees with my young readers and I thought I would share the books we have read with you. I chose these for their variety and to give the kids a well-rounded appreciation for the reasons people need to leave their homeland and the kind of courage it takes to start over again in a strange place, no matter what your age is. I hope you find them as interesting and as informative as we did.

Gittel's Journey: An Ellis Island Story written by Leslèa Newman, illustrated by Amy June Bates
Abrams BFYR, 2019, 42 pages
When living in their small Jewish Eastern European village is no longer safe for Gittel and her mother, they decide to emigrate to the United States, where Mama's cousin Mendel lives. When an eye infection prevents Mama from boarding the ship to the US, she decides to send Gittel alone. Clutching Cousin Mendel's address, scared and along, Gittel makes the crossing, but by the time she reaches New York, the ink on the paper has rubbed away and no one read the address. Luckily, a kind Yiddish interpreter and a photographer have an idea about how to unite Gittel with Cousin Mendel.

This is a lovely story that highlights the bravery of children (or for that matter, anyone) leaving their home and traveling far despite the difficulties for a better life in America. Gittel's Journey is based on two true stories from the author's family (see the Author's Note). The watercolor illustrations are done in subtle browns, yellows and blues, with Gittel and her mother the only full color figures throughout. The illustrations and Newman's expressive text are frames in woodcut designs, giving the book an old-fashioned, yet timeless, feel. Back matter includes a Yiddish Glossary, and a Bibliography. 

The Day War Came by Nicola Davies, illustrated by Rebecca Cobb
Candlewick Press, 2018, 32 pages
The day war came begin like any other day, the young narrator tells us. First breakfast with her family, then school. But the war arrives just after lunch, full of smoke, fire and noise, turning everything to rubble, including the narrator's home and happy family. Walking alone, the narrator follows a crowd of other refugees, eventually arriving in another country. Living in a hut with other refugees, the narrator quickly realizes that war has taken hold of her, and everywhere she goes, she is told there is not place for her, even in the local school. But just as she sinks into overwhelming despair, a knock on the door, a young boy proves to be just what she needs - acceptance and place to belong. This powerful free verse poem captures so poignantly the heartbreak of war, the desolation of loss, and of finding yourself alone in the world as an unwanted refugee so well through the eyes of a young girl. The color pencil and watercolor illustrations are simple yet sensitive and child-friendly, reflecting the vulnerability of the narrator (and all people impacted by war) throughout. It is a story that will hopefully accomplish what the author set out to do: "remind us all of the power of kindness and its ability to give hope for a better future."

You can download a discussion guide for The Day War Came from the publisher HERE 

My Name is not Refugee written and illustrated by Kate Milner
The Bucket List, 2017, 32 pages
A young boy and his mother talk about the journey they are about to take because their homeland is no longer safe for them. She tells him they will be leaving old friends and to think about what to pack, and the long journey ahead of them by foot, the people they will meet, the things they will see. After the journey, she explains, they will sleep in strange places, hear strange words, eat different food until they finally have a home again and begin to understand things in their new country. And, she tells him, that he will be called refugee, but to remember that his name is not refugee. What's different about this book is that they haven't left on their long journey yet, so that at each juncture talked about, readers are also prompted to think about what they would do if they were about to go on the same trip, making this an interactive book that puts the reader into the shoes of a refugee, making the experience more realistic for them when they need to consider something like what to take and what to leave behind. The illustrations are simple and expressive.

A teacher's guide is available from the publisher that can be downloaded HERE

Calling the Water Drum by LaTisha Redding, illustrated by Aaron Boyd
Lee & Low Books, 2016, 32 pages
When they receive money from his Uncle Jacques in New York City, Henri's parents buy a rickety old boat in the hope of successfully crossing from Haiti to the United States. Told not to tell anyone what they are planning, Henri, his mother and father set out in the middle of the night. It's scary out in to ocean in a small boat that's taking on water. When the waves get bigger and rougher, the boat capsizes. Henri's father puts him on top of the boat, while he and his mother try to hold on. As it get rougher, they loose their hold and disappear into the water. Rescued by another boat, Henri lives with his uncle in NYC. The only thing he has left if the bucket he used in Haiti to help his parents with chores. Henri is unable to speak due to the trauma of losing his parents, but now, he uses the bucket as his voice and to drum his feelings about his loss. Henri does make a friend, Karrine, who lost her father in Hurricane Katrina.

This is a realistic, moving story that really portrays the uncertainty and danger, as well as the courage and tenacity refugees face as they try to escape to a better, safer life. Henri's story does end on a hopeful note, as he finds his voice and learns to laugh again. The realistic watercolor illustrations really capture the dangers and struggles Henri faced.

You can download a useful Teacher's Guide for Calling the Water Drum from the publisher HERE

Marwan's Journey by Patricia de Arias, illustrated by Laura Borràs
Minedition, 2018, 36 pages
When war comes to his (unnamed) country, a young boy finds himself fleeing on foot across the desert, his footsteps leaving behind"a trace of ancient stories, the songs of my homeland, and the smell of tea and bread, jasmine and earth" and apparently his deceased mother. By day, this small refugee carries the sound of his mother's voice urging him on, step by step, and to never look back. At night, he dreams of her coming to tuck him in. As he walks with others who are also fleeing, crossing borders to other countries, the boy thinks about his happy home life before the war - his mother lightning a nighttime fire, his father telling stories, their garden, their cat, and the ray of morning sun that shone on his pillow - and he vows he will someday return and rebuild his home and recapture that happiness.

Marwan's Journey is a simple story of fear, loss, and sorrow, but also of courage, hope, and promise lyrically written in a youthful voice that goes far capturing the emotional impact war and flight have on a young child. de Arias' words create beautiful text images and metaphors, complimented by Borràs' stylistic ink and color wash illustrations done in a palette of desert colors against sand-colored paper reminiscent of the desert Marwan is crossing.

This is a beautifully rendered book highlighting the impact refugee crisis in today's world has on young people.

A Shelter in Our Car by Monica Gunning, illustrated by Elaine Pedlar
Children's Book Press (imprint of Lee & Low), 2004, 32 pages
After her father died, Zettie and her mother moved from Jamaica to the United States seeking a better life. But things didn't work out exactly as they has hoped, and now they are living in the car, driving from place to place to try to sleep for the night. It's a struggle because Zettie's mom can't get a permanent job, so they can't get an apartment. When her mother does find a day's temporary job, they eat better then their usual peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. To her credit, mom is going to community college, and makes sure Zettie attends school every day. School, however, isn't the safe haven it should be as Zettie is made fun of and bullied by kids calling her Junk Car Zettie. The story is essentially one about a night and day in the life of a homeless girl and her mother, and depicts some disturbing truths - sirens interrupting sleep, getting ready for school in a park bathroom, getting chased away from one parking spot by an unfriendly cop.

The boldly painted illustrations really accent Zettie's feelings of loneliness and fear. However, I'm not sure I care for the boldly painted stylized illustrations that look  a little to much like caricatures of Afro Caribbean characters to me. On the other hand, they reminded me very much of the fear and angst Edvard Munch depicted in his expressionistic painting The Scream.

A Shelter in Our Car is a picture book for older readers and while it isn't a immigrant/refugee story per se, it is not uncommon for those coming to this country for a better life to end up in shelters or cars. What it does do is tackle this complicated phenomenon of homelessness that has plagued this country for too long. But it's also a powerful story about family, hope, courage, and love even as it tackles a complicated phenomenon that has plagued this country for too long.

You can download a useful Teacher's Guide for A Shelter in Our Car from Lee & Low.

King of the Sky by Nicola Davies, illustrated by Laura Carlin

Candlewick Press, 2017, 60 pages

This is the story of a young immigrant boy from Rome, who hasn't learned much English yet and who feels not yet feel like he belongs in his new home in Wales. One day, as he watched a crumpled old man with a cane and a smile like springtime release his pigeons, the man spoke to him "I like to see them fly...after so long underground."  Clearly sick and disabled from working in a coal mine all his life, Mr. Evans becomes the boys first friend, handing him a pigeon to name, own, and train to be a champion. Together, they begin training the boy's pigeon, but as Mr. Evans goes weaker, and the boy's doubt that his pigeon, King of the Sky, is a winner grows stronger, the bird is entered into a long distance race of more than 1,000 miles beginning in Rome. After days and stormy weather go by and still no sight of King of the Sky, Mr. Evans, now bedridden, sends the boy out side to welcome his bird home - as the bird finds its way home and into the boys waiting arms, the knows he, too, is at last home. 

Told from the point of view of the young boy, a nameless narrator throughout, this is such a compelling and poignant story that shows how a simple act of kindness can help an immigrant, or anyone who feels like they are outsiders and don't belong, feel welcome. The somewhat smudged mixed-media illustrations carried that sense of not belonging, but evoked a sense of time and place for me. First, with the grey, rainy landscape that one finds in Wales, and also in row houses so common in mining villages like the one my dad grew up in, and the image of boy and man sitting at the table eating Mrs. Evans's welsh cakes, a picture and taste from my own childhood and afternoon tea.

Teachers and Home Schoolers can find a wonderful classroom ideas courtesy of Candlewick Press HERE

Mustafa written and illustrated by Marie-Louise Gay
Groundwood Books, 2018, 40 pages

Mustafa and his family have left their (unnamed) war-torn  country and have new settled into a new urban home in an unnamed country. As Mustafa ventures into a nearby park, exploring this new flowering place with green grass and leafy trees. It looks nothing like the country he left behind all gray and dusty. Then, he sees a young girl walking a cat. When she says something he doesn't understand, he runs away. Mustafa returns to explore the park some more the next day, sees the girl and her cat again, but runs away from her. Fall comes and the park turns from greens to oranges and reds, and Mustafa is surprised to see an old woman feeing birds. In his country, he remembers,  there wasn't enough food for birds. Later, he hears someone playing music he knows, but no one notices Mustafa. Even though he's feeling invisible, he hides when he sees the girl and her cat again, but this time she waves for him to follow her. Soon, they are feeding the park's goldfish, swinging on swings and laughing. Finally, the girl points to herself, says her name. Understanding her, Mustafa does the same thing. This is a gentle story about the loneliness of being a refugee in the country and not knowing the language yet and how it only takes one person to make a child feel visible and welcome. The only indication of anything is that Mustafa's mother wears a hijab, but by keeping their home country and their new country unnamed, this becomes a universal story of immigration. Gay also incorporates the traumas that Mustafa and his family experienced in their war-torn country, traumas that still invade his dreams at night. Themes of friendship and empathy are nicely explored. The soft watercolor illustrations reflect Mustafa's park explorations while capturing his feelings of loneliness and isolation. 

There is a great educator guide for teachers courtesy of Groundwood Book and available HERE.

Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote: A Migrant's Tale written and illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh
Harry N. Abrams, 2013, 32 pages
Even though this isn't an immigrant or refugee story, I thought it was important to include it here. It is a allegory tale about a young rabbit named Pancho who is eagerly awaiting the return of Papá Rabbit. Papá and two friends had gone up north to work in the fields and earn needed money when their own crops failed. But when Papá doesn't arrive home when expected, Pancho decides to go look for him. Packing Papá's favorite meal, Pancho heads out and soon meets Señor Coyote, who offers to take him safely north for the sweet and spicy mole Pancho had packed. They travel together, but when Pancho runs out of food with which to pay the coyote, he decides to roast Pancho. Luckily, Papá Rabbit saves Pancho just in time, having heard his cries. Papá Rabbit and his friends were delayed on their way home because they had been robbed of the money they had earned picking crops. This sounds like a simple story, but it clearly depicts in both words and picture the perilous journey north, the greed, ruthlessness and treachery of the coyotes guides who take advantage on desperate migrants, and thieves who prey on vulnerable migrant workers, robbing them of the wages they worked so hard for. Young readers may see this as a typical fable, but it can be brilliantly unpacked with older readers who are more aware of and have a better understanding of the border problems that face migrants, immigrants, and refugees.

Four Books to Share This Thanksgiving about Gratitude and Kindness

When my Kiddo was growing up and I was still a classroom teacher, I always tried to stress the importance of gratitude and kindness not just at Thanksgiving, but throughout the year. I grew up in a house where my dad would always remind us of how grateful he was that he could come to this country and live a better life than what he would have had otherwise. As a young immigrant, people were not always kind to him and so he tried not to follow their example, and made it a point to help others. This year, I have found a few wonderful books that really express the idea of thankfulness and the way it was passed on to me, and the way I tried to pass it on to my Kiddo and my young students in the Bronx, many of whom were also the children of immigrants.

Thank You, Omu! written and illustrated by Oge Mora

Little, Brown BFYR, 2018, 40 pages

Omu (AH-moo, Igbo for queen, or sometimes grandma, see Author's Note for more information) has made a thick red stew for her evening meal. Omu's stew is so good that the smell wafts over the neighborhood. Just as she sits down to read a book before supper, there is a knock on her door, a little boy asking what smells so delicious. Omu gives him a bowl full of stew and he goes on his way. All through the afternoon,  neighborhood people knock on Omu's door asking what smells so good, and each is given a bowl of her thick red stew. But by evening, there's nothing left for Omu to eat. There is another knock on the door, and everyone she had shared her stew with has returned, each one bringing a dish to share with Omu and each other, and so they ate, danced, and celebrated, as a way of saying Thank You, Omu. This has become one of my very favorite books and one I love to share with kids. There is so much to talk about in this simple story of kindness, generosity, and thankfulness. The neighborhood is wonderfully diverse, and shared food is the means of gathering them together. Mora's collage illustrations are done with a variety mediums, including clippings from old books, and her color palette is soft earthy tones of blues, yellows, greens, and browns resulting in images that are a warm as this charming story of Omu.

We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga • ᏍᏟᎵᎮᎵᎦ *
written by Traci Sorell, illustrated by Frané Lessac
Charlesbridge Publishing, 2018, 32 pages

This is a lovely duel language, English and Cherokee, book about the different ways the Cherokee people express gratitude "throughout the year and across the seasons" as a reminder of both their  blessings and their struggles. Following one family throughout the year, readers learn that each season is greeted by saying otsaliheliga (we are grateful), followed by descriptions of the celebrations and rituals which are observed as the seasons change. Sorell, who is a member of the Cherokee Nation, has smoothly woven into the story the different traditional and modern customs and cultural activities, including special foods, crafts, songs, and dancing that are very much a part of the Cherokee year, as well as some of the more salient events in their history. In fact, the year closes with summer, a time for the first harvest and for recalling their ancestors' sacrifices and to celebrate their history at Cherokee National Holiday. The book ends with a two page spread in a collage of illustrations from the past year, and a reminder that "Every day, every season Otsaliheliga. We are grateful." Sorell keeps the text simple throughout, and yet she manages to convey a lot of information about the Cherokee idea of gratitude, supported by equally simple, yet informative colorful gouache folk art style illustrations. Each Cherokee word used is written in both the English alphabet and Cherokee syllabary, followed by its pronunciation and definition. Back matter includes Definitions, an Author's Note, and information about the Cherokee language. This is a wonderful book for sharing with young readers, as it opens up lots of opportunity for discussion and learning.

The Thanksgiving Door 

written and illustrated by Debby Atwell

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2003, 32 pages

Ann and Ed are an elderly couple living alone. When Ann accidentally burns their Thanksgiving dinner, she thinks the day is ruined, but then Ed suggests that they try the new restaurant down the street, the New World Café. Luckily, the door is open and there is even a table set and decorated for the holiday. But the owners, an Eastern European immigrant family in the kitchen getting ready to celebrate their first Thanksgiving, are in a tizzy, the restaurant is closed for the day and now they have two unwanted customers. When the grandmother hears the family's complaints, she reminds them that it's Thanksgiving, a day to share. The family gracefully welcomes Ann and Ed, and, because of a simple act of kindness, new friends are made and everyone has a wonderful day eating, socializing and ever dancing. This has been one of my favorite stories and my kids in school also loved it when I read it. It really opened up some lively discussions of how different people make Thanksgiving their own, particularly when it comes to what food is served. But, no matter how different Thanksgiving table may have been, one thing always remained constant across the board- family, togetherness, sharing, and thankfulness. Interestingly, Atwell's colorful folkloric illustrations are the only indication of where the immigrant family comes from and what their religion might be.      

Last but not least is a book I read earlier this year that popped into my mind when I was thinking about this post because of the impact it had on me when I first read it. 

The Old Man by Sarah V. Dubois, illustrated by Claude K. Dubois

Gecko Press, 2018, 72 pages

It's morning and everyone is waking up, including a little girl who goes to school and the homeless man who has spent a cold wet night in a bus shelter. Now, though, as people arrive at the bus shelter,  he has to move on. As he walks the streets, the old man feels so hungry and stops to rummage through a trash basket, looking for something to eat and sharing what he finds with a familiar stray cat he calls Dumpling. After being chased from a park where he stops to rest, and still really hungry, the old man goes to the local shelter. After waiting on a long line, he's asked his name, but he can't remember and just leaves. Outside, he gets on an empty bus and rides until it fills up and he's forced to get off. The old man goes into another park, and decides he can rest under his blanket for a while without anyone noticing him, until the little girl the reader has met at the beginning of the book asks him if he wants her sandwich and tells him he looks like a teddy bear. The old man thinks it's the best sandwich in the world. He decides to go back to the shelter, and when they ask his name, he tells them it's Teddy. At first glance, you must be wondering why I chose the story of a homeless man for a Thanksgiving post, but when I read this to my kids, the discussion centered around the little girl's act of kindness and what a difference that made for the old man. Some of my kids felt it was the sandwich that did it, but a few thought it was giving him a name was the real act of kindness because the little girl actually saw him as a person, and with the name, other would see him the same way, beginning with the shelter. It was a lively discussion and one that lead me to consider this simple, but poignant story for a Thanksgiving post. After all, is there really much of a difference between the immigrant family sharing their Thanksgiving meal with Ed and Ann and the little girl sharing her lunch with a hungry homeless man? 

   

Three of these books are not be about Thanksgiving per se, yet all four carrying the kind of idea that I like to think of as the essence of the day. And I think all of them will be classics that we will return to during the holiday season, and throughout the year. I hope you read and enjoy them as much as my kids and I did. 

"Thanksgiving is a time of togetherness and gratitude"

Nigel Hamilton

Front Desk by Kelly Yang

For 10-year-old Mia Tang, migrating to the United States from China with her parents hasn't turned out exactly the way they had hoped it would. Living in their car and always being hungry wasn't what they had expected. And, even though her mother has a degree in engineering, in the U.S. she could only get a job as a waitress in a restaurant that hired her father as a fryer - until they were fired for Mia.

Now, they've landed a job as managers of the Calivista Motel, not far from Disneyland, and which also includes a small room they can live in. Maybe things were finally going to pick up for the Tang family, even if the owner, rich tightwad Mr. Yao, is as cold-hearted as he was calculating. However, it doesn't take long to discover that the handsome salary the Tangs are expecting is constantly shrinking with each mistake and accident, as Mr. Yao deducts costs for repairs and replacements. To make matter worse, Mia discovers that Mr. Yao's son Jason is in her class at school and isn't considered a very nice person there by the other kids.

Pretty soon, Mia starts helping her overworked and overwhelmed parents by running the front desk whenever she isn't in school. She becomes friendly with the five "weeklies" - guests who basically live at the motel, and begins making some changes to make the Calivista a friendlier motel, like collecting brochures and menus for the convenience of the guests. In school, Mia really struggles with improving her English, but makes a friend, Lupe, who helps her. And it doesn't take long for Mia to decide that she like English more than math, much to her mother chagrin, who'd rather she liked math.

After helping a fellow Chinese immigrant on the run from loan sharks, word gets out that Chinese immigrants on the run from their own terrible circumstances and who need a free place to stay for a night, will find a welcome at the Calivista. Mia's parents share their meager food rations and put them up in empty rooms, and in return, they learn about other immigrant experiences.

But, when Hank, an African American weekly, is mistakenly arrested for stealing a car and loses his job, Mia really discovers the power and satisfaction of knowing English when she volunteers to help him out. After using her writing skills to help out a few more people, including some of the Chinese immigrants, Mia is pretty certain that she can win an essay writing contest being held by a couple in Vermont who want to give their motel away to the writer of the best essay. But, first, she needs to raise the $300.00 entry fee. As strapped for money as her family is, can she ever get that much money together?

Set in the 1990s, and calling on her own experiences as a young immigrant from China, who also helped her parents manage a motel, including working at the front desk, Kelly Yang has written a debut middle grade novel that really rings true. And although she uses humor throughout, Mia's story, and that of her parents, is a serious look at the the difficulties faced by those who migrate to this country. Despite having a degree in engineering, Mia's mother is forced to take low level jobs; Mia's affordable clothes are made fun of in school, and the one pair of nice jeans she acquires causes her the worst humiliation. In school, Mia and her friend Lupe, an immigrant from Mexico, are forced to sit on the sidelines in gym because their families can't afford health insurance should they get hurt. These are serious issues and Yang has presented them in such a way that readers can't help but feel empathy toward them and all the struggling characters in this very insightful novel.

Mia is a spunky, determined protagonist, even if she is a little impulsive at time, and at times, gets mad at her circumstance (and who can blame her) but she exudes hope for the future throughout. Which isn't easy when you have to deal with bullying, poverty, and racism on a daily basis. But Mia is also smart, clever, and innovative.

One of the things I did find interesting is that Yang makes a Chinese American the "bad guy." Mr. Yao is definitely out for himself, consumed with not so much making money but acquiring it through other people's hard work. And he has a real nasty, mean streak. It is sadly not uncommon for this kind of thing to happen.

But my favorite thing is how Mia learned about the power (and sometimes superpower) of words and language and used it as a means out of her situation, and to help others out of theirs.

I can't recommend this book highly enough and I know that readers will definitely be cheering for this delightful young protagonist.

This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book was an ARC received from the publisher.

You Bring the Distant Near by Mitali Perkins

You Bring the Distant Near is a family story told in three parts, each covering a different time in the lives of five women.

Part One begins with a move. After living in Ghana and then London for a number of years, Rajeev Das gets a job in New York and moves his family, wife Ranee, daughters Tara and Sonia, into an apartment in Flushing, Queens. Though her daughters adjust to life in Flushing, Ranee is distrustful of the black kids who live in the neighborhood and wants to move. After a year in Queens, they move into a house in Ridgeford, New Jersey. 

Renee tries to hold on the some customary Bengali traditions, but her daughters quickly assimilate to life as Americans. Tara, the eldest daughter, wants to study theater, while Sonia’s interests lie more towards feminism and politics, aware of their parents desire for them to keep at least some of their Bengali cultural. 

Part Two begins after the tragic death of Rajeev. The Das family suddenly finds themselves at odds with each other, yet each painfully missing Rajeev. In high school, Sonia wins an all expenses paid trip to Paris, happy to get away from home. Fellow African American student Lou Johnson, handsome and friendly, has also won a spot on the trip, and although the two have always been at odds with each other in New Jersey, they quickly become friends in Paris. After college, Sonia and Lou marry, causing Ranee to completely stop speaking to Sonia.

Meanwhile, Tara pursues an acting career, while also being pursued by Amit Sen, a successful Bengali man. After refusing several marriage proposals because Amit had been picked for her by her parents, Tara finally says yes on a trip to India to spread her fathers ashes in the Ganges, and a visit to his childhood home. Tara continues with her acting career, becoming a famous actress/singer in India.

Part Three belongs to the daughters of Sonia and Tara. Chantel, or Shanti, has been raised in New York, living in Harlem with her parents, Lou and Sonia, and attending an exclusive private school on full scholarship. Anna, or Anu, has been living in Mumbai, and going school there. Now, though, she is in New York and in the same school as Shanti. Anu is not happy about the move. She is proud to be Bangali to the core, and considers Mumbai her real home. She has also inherited her grandmother's talent for sewing, even making and wearing her own salwar kameezes. 

You Bring the Distant Near is a compelling intergenerational story that is actually told more in a series of vignettes that sometimes skips over years, and yet, nothing is lost. Perkins has created five women, all seemingly so very different from each other and yet held together by their Bengali heritage, whether they embrace it or not. And it is a mark of Perkins talent as a writer that shows us the changes in each of these women over time and the events, both personal and public, that impact their lives. It is a slow, gentle novel, that more than once brought tears to my eyes.

The five female characters that Perkins has created are very well developed, truly finely tuned, but my personal favorite was Ranee. In Ranee, I saw my own father’s struggle to assimilate into American life while retaining his cultural identity. Ranee, like my dad, eventually finds the balance that works for her. And in that respect, Perkins has really captured the complexities of what being an immigrants means, as she explores the high cost and ways in which the Das family loses their cultural connections to their past and the ways in which they find redemption.

This book is recommended for readers age 12+
This book was an EARC received at NetGalley

FYI: The title of this book comes from a poem which is printed at the beginning of the book. It was written by Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941), an Indian poet who also figures into the story of the Das family frequently. Tagore won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913, the first Asian to do so. You can find more of his beautiful poetry at the Poetry Foundation HERE

In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson by Bette Bao Lord

I originally posted this on my other blog, The Children's War, but I thought I would share it here as well. In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson is just such a classic story, perfect for the Lunar New Year.

It is the Year of the Dog (1946), the war is over and China is no longer an occupied country.  In Chungking (now Chongqing), members of the House of Wong are preparing to celebrate Chinese New Year when a letter arrives from Brooklyn, NY that will change the life of Sixth Cousin AKA Bandit and her mother forever.

And so as the Year of the Dog became the Year of the Boar (1947), Sixth Cousin Bandit becomes Shirley Temple Wong and soon she and her mother were sailing off to their new life.  Arriving in Brooklyn, Shirley finds herself living in a small third floor apartment.  And it wasn't long before she is enrolled in P.S. 8, regretting that she hadn't bothered to learn any English from the records her father had sent from America as her mother had done. 

Confused and anxious, Shirley is put into Mrs. Rappaport's 5th grade class.   She begins be feel very lonely and isolated because she doesn't know English or American games and no one really wants to play with her once they discover that.  When her father buys her roller skates, roller skating proves harder to do than she had expected and she gives it up.  When Shirley proves to be a poor stickball or stoopball player, she is left out of the game.  One day, she gets into a fight with Mabel, the tallest, toughest girl in class, but Shirley stands her ground despite two black eyes.

Seeing her eyes, her parents insist on reporting it to the police, but on the way, Shirley notices Mabel is following them and she determines to say nothing about the fight.  Impressed by Shirley's silence, Mabel takes her under her wing and teaches her how to roller skate, and play ball.  And she introduces Shirley to the thrill of the Brooklyn Dodgers and Jackie Robinson, the first African American baseball player to play in the major leagues.

Though no without its trials and tribulations, Shirley life has definitely taken a turn for the better.  But there is a big surprise in store for her before the Year of the Boar comes to an end.

Though this novel may feel a little dated, it remains a wonderful story for any young reader who may also be an immigrant to the US.  It is, after all, a tale of coming to terms with two cultures - that of your own and that of your adopted country.  And to her credit, Bette Bao Lord has really captured some of the difficulties involved in adjusting to a new life in a new country, showing us that it isn't always easy.  Perhaps she was drawing on her own experience of coming to the US as an 8 year old. 

Lord does include a nice, though subtle tip of the hat to Shirley's two cultures - because this novel starts at the beginning of the Chinese New Year, the chapters are divided into months of the year 1947, with both the English word and the Chinese character given for each month.

I loved her depictions of Brooklyn and the fact that Shirley goes to a public school, where she has the opportunity to meet all kinds of different kids - Latino, African American, Jewish among others.  This kind of diversity was how it was when I was in school in Brooklyn and why I sent my Kiddo to public school.  And the Brooklyn Dodgers - well, people were still taking about them when I was a kid even though they had long ago moved to LA. 

So in respect of New York, Lord did indeed get it right, but I had a little problem with what felt like a romanticized picture of China and the House of Wong.  The war hit China pretty hard and Chungking (Chonqing) was very badly bombed.  I seriously doubt there were family compounds like the House of Wong left.   Perhaps it was done to show the difference between the two cultures that are so much a part of Shirley's life and who she is. 

The colorful cover and the black and white illustrations at the beginning of each chapter were whimsically illustrated by the late Marc Simont.

This book is recommended for readers age 7+
This book was purchased for my personal library

祝好运、健康、佳肴伴你度过一个快乐新年

Good Luck, Good Health, Good Cheer and Pass a Happy New Year