HABIBI

Nye, Naomi Shihab. 1999. HABIBI. New York: Simon Pulse.
ISBN-10: 0689825234

PLOT SUMMARY
Liyana is devastated when her father informs the family that they will be moving back to his homeland of Jerusalem. Her parents have always talked of this, but Liyana never thought it would actually happen. Having no other choice but to follow their father the family sells most of their possessions and travel half way around the world. Once in her new home Liyana is faced with relatives she has never meet, customs that do not allow her to be friends with boys and a language she does not know. Even though she is homesick for St. Louis she attempts to give her new home a chance by learning the language, getting to know her Sitti, and exploring the city. It is through this exploring that she meets a new friend Omer who happens to be Jewish. However, she never expected to have to deal with the political and religious issues in the country. Many of which affect her friends and family. Even with all these issues she is able to become a part of her new home.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Nye has done a wonderful job describing the landscape, customs and dress of Jerusalem. Her detailed description of the village outside the city ” The dusky green of olive trees planted in terraced rows up hillsides, walls of carefully stacked stone, old wells with real wooden buckets….” helps the reader to look past all the politics and violence that they may have seen on the news and realize what a beautiful place Jerusalem really is. Another cultural marker that Nye uses to help the reader is her description of custom and dress. “ The women’s long dresses were made of thick fabrics, purple, gold, and navy blue, and stitched brightly with fabulous, complicated embroidery.” As the reader reads lines like these they are transformed to another world.
Besides her use of detailed descriptions another reason her book works so well are her characters. As you read you immediately fall in love with all the characters. Even though it would be easy to dislike her father for moving his family she never allows Liyana to speak ill of him like most teenagers would do in the situation. The family sticks together and supports each other and that is evident in their interaction. The secondary characters are also extremely likeable such as Omer and Sitti.
Overall, this is a wonderful story for any young adult. It touches on many topics that a young adult may face as well as the culture of a new land. This book would help a class touch on many subject areas while reading a wonderfully written story.


REVIEW EXCERPTS
School Library Journal
When Liyana's doctor father, a native Palestinian, decides to move his contemporary Arab-American family back to Jerusalem from St. Louis, 14-year-old Liyana is unenthusiastic. Arriving in Jerusalem, the girl and her family are gathered in by their colorful, warmhearted Palestinian relatives and immersed in a culture where only tourists wear shorts and there is a prohibition against boy/girl relationships. When Liyana falls in love with Omer, a Jewish boy, she challenges family, culture, and tradition, but her homesickness fades. Constantly lurking in the background of the novel is violence between Palestinian and Jew. It builds from minor bureaucratic annoyances and humiliations, to the surprisingly shocking destruction of grandmother's bathroom by Israeli soldiers, to a bomb set off in a Jewish marketplace by Palestinians.

The New York Times Book Review
Adolescence magnifies the joys and anxieties of growing up even as it radically simplifies the complexities of the adult world. The poet and anthologist Naomi Shibab Nye is meticulously sensitive to this rainbow of emotion in her autobiographical novel, Habibi…. Habibi gives a reader all the sweet richness of a Mediterranean dessert, while leaving some of the historic complexities open to interpretation.


Reviews accessed at:
http://www.amazon.com/Habibi-Naomi-Shihab-Nye/dp/0689825234


CONNECTIONS
Additional books by the author:
Sitti's Secrets ISBN-10: 0689817061
The Flag of Childhood: Poems From the Middle East ISBN-10: 0689851723

WHAT'S WRONG WITH TIMMY?

Shriver,Maria. 2001. WHATS WRONG WITH TIMMY?.Ill. Sandra Speidel. New York: Warner Books.
ISBN-10: 0316155489

PLOT SUMMARY
Kate is a curious young girl who asks lots of questions. One day while at the park Kate sees a young boy that looks different. “He had brown hair like her brothers, freckles on his nose, and wore a t-shirt and shorts just like her brothers.” However, Kate can not get over the fact that he somehow looked different. When Kate goes to ask her mother about the new boy she learns that the moms are friends. As she sets and talks with her mom she learns that Timmy has a learning disability and he can do things just like her. Timmy just needs a little longer to learn them. After feeling more at ease Kate goes and makes friends with Timmy and tries to get a game of basketball going with her other friends. When they show a bit of apprehension Kate stands by her new friend and begins playing with just him. The other friends soon join in and all the children become friends.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Our story starts out almost like a fairy tale “Once upon a time there was a girl named Kate”. This beginning is the start of several problems within this book. The reader is lead to believe from the beginning that the story is about a girl named Kate rather than about a boy named Timmy. This seems to be true for a majority of the story. Shriver spends a large part of the story dealing with how Kate feels and how she thinks Timmy looks strange. Shriver could have focused more on Timmy and his feelings. Another issue with the story is the conversation between Kate and her mother. It is often not believable. Kate speaks more like an adult than a child when asking her mother questions about Timmy.
Speidel’s illustrations are done in hazy pastels setting the mood for a more delicate topic. The pictures do a nice job telling the story. Overall, the message behind the book is a good one and there are not many books available to help children deal with disabilities however, I feel this one falls short.


REVIEW EXCERPTS
Amazon.com
When 8-year-old Kate meets a boy who seems somehow different, she feels funny inside. After talking with her mom, though, Kate begins to understand that Timmy is just like her in many ways. Timmy has special needs; he takes longer to learn than Kate, and can't walk or run as well. But he also "loves his family, he wants friends, he goes to school, and he dreams about what he wants to be when he grows up." Kate and Timmy meet, and the seeds of a friendship are planted.
From School Library Journal
The warm pastel illustrations support the theme of acceptance of all people no matter their differences. However, the little girl's questions and actions are quite mature for her age. The lack of paragraphs might be a bit confusing to young readers, and the intermittent use of bold-faced, larger-sized type is a bit disruptive, although its purpose seems to be to highlight the theme. The book reads well, though, and would be a good introduction for youngsters welcoming a disabled child into their school or neighborhood.


Reviews accessed at:
http://www.amazon.com/Whats-Wrong-Timmy-Maria-Shriver/dp/0316233374

CONNECTIONS
Additional books on the topic.

I Can, Can You? ISBN-10: 1890627577
Don't Call Me Special: A First Look at Disability ISBN-10: 0764121189

KING AND KING

De Haan, Linda & Stern Mijland. 2000. KING AND KING. Toronto: Tricycle Press.
ISBN-10: 1582460612

PLOT SUMMARY
When a Queen is ready to retire and relax she encourages her son the prince to find himself a wife so he can marry and take over as King. This task is not as easy as she believes. The young prince reveals that he has never been “fond of princesses”. After inspecting several of the nearby princesses he and the Queen are frustrated. They are down to the last princess and it seems as all hope is lost. As Princess Madeleine and her brother Prince Lee enter the room it is love at first sight for the princes. It seems that Prince Lee is everything the young prince has been looking for. After the wedding celebration the Queen is able to relax and the two Kings live happily ever after.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Mijland and de Haan have taken a serious subject and tried to make it less serious. Their use of the fairy tale theme is a nice idea to help reach younger readers. This format also lends it self well to the message of living happily ever after even in a same sex marriage. However, the illustrations are huge distractions from the story. The illustrations are busy with many of them slanted on the page. Several of the pages have patterned backgrounds behind the characters drawing the reader’s eyes from the characters to the patterns. The use of color varies throughout the book. On many pages you have bright colors while on the next page you are given darker colors. The characters are drawn with harsh expressions on their faces and are ugly. In many of the illustrations the prince looks almost sickly and he has a rather feminine appearance like the stereotypical homosexual. The illustrations are the biggest down fall for this book. Overall the theme of same sex marriage in a fairly tale format is a good idea, but the illustrations do not carry the story. There are better choices out on the market on the same subject.


REVIEW EXCERPTS
Publishers Weekly
When a grouchy queen tells her layabout son that it's time for him to marry, he sighs, "Very well, Mother.... I must say, though, I've never cared much for princesses." His young page winks. Several unsatisfactory bachelorettes visit the castle before "Princess Madeleine and her brother, Prince Lee" appear in the doorway. The hero is smitten at once. "What a wonderful prince!" he and Prince Lee both exclaim, as a shower of tiny Valentine hearts flutters between them.

From School Library Journal
Unfortunately, though, the book is hobbled by thin characterization and ugly artwork; the homosexual prince comes across as fragile and languid, while the dour, matronly queen is a dead ringer for England's Victoria at her aesthetic worst. Some of the details in the artwork are interesting, including the "crown kitty" performing antics in the periphery. However, that isn't enough to compensate for page after page of cluttered, disjointed, ill-conceived art. The book does present same-sex marriage as a viable, acceptable way of life within an immediately recognizable narrative form, the fairy tale. However, those looking for picture books about alternative lifestyles may want to keep looking for a barrier-breaking classic on the subject.


Reviews accessed at:
http://www.amazon.com/King-Linda-Haan/dp/1582460612

CONNECTIONS
Additional books on the subject.
And Tango Makes Three ISBN-10: 0689878451
Emma and Meesha My Boy: A Two Mom Story ISBN-10: 1413416004

THE EARTH DRAGON AWAKES

Yep, Laurence. 2006. EARTH DRAGON AWAKES. New York: Harper Collins
ISBN-10: 0060275243

PLOT SUMMARY
Yep’s historical fiction novel looks at the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco from the point of view of two young boys. Written in journal style we meet Henry, the son of a well off banker, and Chang, the son of the family house boy have become fast friends and want what every child wants, excitement. Both boys plan to grow up and do exciting things and not be “boring” like their fathers. They soon have more excitement then they could have ever imagined when the earthquake hits. The boys and their family’s are soon left homeless in a city that is on fire. Together they overcome the obstacles and make plans to stay in San Francisco and help rebuild.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Yep’s journal style story is action packed and would be a great book for that reluctant reader or boy who loves adventure. However, there seems to be a few cultural markers that Yep is breaking. One example is the Asian American as the house boy. Ah Sing is always their for the family to save the day repair the clothing and clean up around the house. I understand that in San Francisco many Asian American men and women worked for the well off families at this time, but as I read the story I could not get the stereotypical view of the house boy out of my mind. Another example is the language of Ah Sing. He is seen in the story speaking to the family in broken English. “I got plenty. I sweep, I find, I keep.” However, at the end of the book he is seen speaking to the Travis family in clear English. “May I help you with your luggage?”
Overall, the story is exciting and Yep does do a good job describing what life would have been like in san Francisco and Chinatown during the time of the quake. He also tries to show the family as appreciative of the service of Ah Sing and his son. They are like family.Mr.Travis even suggest recommending lawyers to help the Asian American family’s when he learns that the citizens of San Francisco want Chinatown rebuilt elsewhere. The inclusion of actual photos from the earthquake and an afterward describing the quake are wonderful additional information for the reader who wants to learn more.

REVIEW EXCERPTS

School Library Journal
Yep looks at the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906 from two points of view. Chin is a young Chinese immigrant whose father is a houseboy for a prominent banker and his family. He has become friendly with young Henry Travis, the banker's son, through their interest in low-brow but exciting penny dreadfuls. The stories depict heroic people doing heroic things and, while both boys appreciate their fathers, they certainly do not regard them as heroes. Not, that is, until the Earth Dragon roars into consciousness one spring morning, tearing the city asunder and making heroes out of otherwise ordinary men.

Booklist
On the evening of April 17, 1906, neither eight-year-old Henry nor his friend Ching is aware that the earth beneath their San Francisco homes is shifting. Devotees of "penny dreadfuls," both boys long for excitement, not their fathers' ordinary routine lives.

Reviews accessed at:
http://www.amazon.com/Earth-Dragon-Awakes-Francisco-Earthquake/dp/0060275243


CONNECTIONS
Related websites
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/wwatch/earthquakes/

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/nca/1906/18april/index.php

GRANDFATHER'S JOURNEY

Say, Allen. 1993. GRANDFATHER’S JOURNEY. Boston, Mass: Houghton Mifflin.
ISBN-10: 0395570352

PLOT SUMMARY
Based on his grandfathers life. Allen Say tells a touching story of a man caught between to lives, the one he leaves in Japan and the new one he finds in America. We follow the young man as he leaves the safety of his home and ventures out to a new land full of “enormous sculptures that amaze him’ and huge cities of factories and tall buildings that bewildered and excites him”. After making a home for himself he returns to his homeland to marry. He then returns to America with his bride and lives contently for many years. However, he begins to miss his homeland and returns with his family. While happy with his life in Japan he can not get his adopted home out of his mind and lives the remainder of his life hoping to return one day.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Say’s Caldecott winning picture book gives the reader a personal look at a man torn between two worlds. Rather than focusing solely on the grandfathers story Say incorporates three generations of the family and how they too are torn between two countries. The simple straight forward text tells a lot without distracting from the beautifully done watercolor illustrations. Say has chosen to use sepia colors much like old photographs. This technique helps to give the reader the sense of the past. It is as if the reader is looking through a family photo album listening to someone tell a story. Because this is Say’s family story he has an insider perspective. He has made sure to accurately show the clothing, housing, and landscape of the countries. He has also been sure to depict the characters with the proper facial expressions and skin color both in America and Japan. Overall, this is a lovely story that not only is a wonderful addition to Asian American literature, but a wonderful tool in teaching about immigration and the mix of two cultures.

REVIEW EXCERPTS
Amazon.com
Home becomes elusive in this story about immigration and acculturation, pieced together through old pictures and salvaged family tales. Both the narrator and his grandfather long to return to Japan, but when they do, they feel anonymous and confused: "The funny thing is, the moment I am in one country, I am homesick for the other

From Publishers Weekly
Say transcends the achievements of his Tree of Cranes and A River Dream with this breathtaking picture book, at once a very personal tribute to his grandfather and a distillation of universally shared emotions. Elegantly honed text accompanies large, formally composed paintings to convey Say's family history; the sepia tones and delicately faded colors of the art suggest a much-cherished and carefully preserved family album.


Reviews accessed at:
http://www.amazon.com/Grandfathers-Journey-Caldecott-Medal-Book/dp/0395570352

CONNECTIONS
The following sites include lesson plans and activities.
http://www.mcps.k12.md.us/curriculum/socialstd/MBD/Grandfathers_Journey1.html
http://teacher.scholastic.com/lessonrepro/lessonplans/profbooks/grandfatherjn.htm

THIS NEXT NEW YEAR

Wong, Janet S. 2000. THIS NEXT NEW YEAR. Ill. by Choi, Yangsook. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
ISBN-10: 0374355037

PLOT SUMMARY
Wong has written a wonderful story describing a young boys preparations for Chinese New Year. Our young narrator explains how Chinese New Year is different then the New Years Day that he celebrates on January 1st. We learn how his family prepares for their celebration by cleaning the house and cooking special meals. The reader is also introduced to some of the traditions of the holiday such as receiving money in red envelopes and the belief that if your palms itch you will be coming into money. Just like New Years Day on January 1st or main character looks forward to s fresh new start with the new year and “making all his dreams come true.”

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Wong does a wonderful job explaining the tradition of the Chinese New Year to an younger audience. She is able to take a subject that could be a bit dry and add humor so that an younger child can relate. Her explanation of the young boy’s palms itching is typical of all children. “My brother thinks it’s warts, but I know the luck is coming.” It is passages like this that make the reader realize that our young narrator is no different then any other American boy. Another cultural marker Wong uses in the story is the fact that our character ask for luck with school. He is not shown as the “smart Asian student” he obviously could use all the help he can get. A nice addition to the story is the author’s note at the end in which she explains her own memories of the holiday.
Choi’s illustrations work well with Wong’s story. She uses warm colors to show the excitement of the holiday. Though the illustrations are simple they have lots of action showing the excited preparations that most people face before the holidays. The characters are shown with warm tan to brown complexions. Some do appear to be of Asian decent but they are not drawn as the stereotypical Asian.
Overall this is a wonderful book to reads to introduce the custom of Chinese New Year. It is simple enough for younger students yet would be a great jumping point for older students who want to learn more.

REVIEW EXCERPTS
Amazon.com
A spunky young boy makes plans for "this next new year" in Janet S. Wong's festive, truly engaging story of the Chinese Lunar New Year, celebrated annually in late January or early February. "And all day tomorrow, Lunar New Year's Day, I will not say one awful thing, none of that can't do/don't have/why me because this is it, a fresh start, my second chance, and I have so many dreams I'm ready now to make come true." So he flosses his teeth and helps his mom scrub the house "rough and raw so it can soak up good luck like an empty sponge," and plans to be brave when his family sets off firecrackers at midnight. The Chinese Korean boy tells us, in a funny, fresh, first-person voice, how his best friends, a German French boy and a Hopi Mexican girl, like to celebrate the Chinese New Year, too. Yangsook Choi's artfully composed, action-packed paintings add uplifting color to the happy spirit of the holiday, and an author's note provides more details about the Chinese New Year and Wong's childhood memories of the celebration.
From School Library Journal
Youngsters will enjoy the bright colors and the sense of motion and activity conveyed as the boy helps his mother clean, flosses his teeth, and cringes from the noise of the firecrackers. A good choice for anyone getting ready to celebrate Chinese New Year.


Reviews accessed at:
http://www.amazon.com/This-Next-Year-Janet-Wong/dp/0374355037

CONNECTIONS
Sam and the Lucky Money ISBN-10: 1880000539
The Dancing Dragon ISBN-10: 1572551348

The Birchbark House

Erdrich, Louise. 1999. THE BIRCHBARK hOUSE. New York: Hyperion Books.
ISBN-10: 0786803002


PLOT SUMMARY
Omakayas lives with her family on the Island of the Golden Breasted Woodpecker. Their lives are controlled by the seasons. In this tale we follow Omakayas and her family as they prepare for each season by hunting, fishing, and preparing their home. Life seems to be moving along smoothly for the family until a stranger comes to the village and brings small pox. Many of the tribe members catch the illness including Omakayas’ mother, father, sister and younger brother. However, the most devastating is the illness of her baby brother. With the help of her grandmother they nurse the family back to health. All accept her baby brother. Devastated by the loss and the hard winter the family struggles not to starve and return to normal. It is during this time that Omakayas learns of her special powers to heal and her past that lead her to her family and the completion of the circle.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Endrich wrote this story almost accidentally. She was researching her family’s tribe the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwa with several family members and decided to take what she learned and turn it into the first adventure of Omakayas. She spent much time listening to elders and visiting the island to make the story authentic. One example that helps to make her story authentic is her use of language. Native Americans spend much of there life guided by the seasons so it was nice to see that the book was divided up into sections that are named after the seasons in Ojibwa. There are many more examples of her use of the Ojibwa language through out the story such as the name she calls her father Deydey. Another example that helps with the authenticity is her description of the daily routine of the family. The way the hunted and gathered for the season helps to make this story more than a good read. Readers are learning about the culture of a specific Native American tribe. Endrich also contributed the illustrations to the book as well. The simple drawings help to give the reader a peak at what the author had in mind when creating the characters.
Overall this is a good story for upper grades to read. The author’s note and the glossary help to aid the reader and teacher in better understanding the story.



REVIEW EXCERPTS
Amazon.com
Readers will be riveted by the daily life of this Native American family, in which tanning moose hides, picking berries, and scaring crows from the cornfield are as commonplace as encounters with bear cubs and fireside ghost stories. Erdrich--a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwa--spoke to Ojibwa elders about the spirit and significance of Madeline Island, read letters from travelers, and even spent time with her own children on the island, observing their reactions to woods, stones, crayfish, bear, and deer. The author's softly hewn pencil drawings infuse life and authenticity to her poetic, exquisitely wrought narrative. Omakayas is an intense, strong, likable character to whom young readers will fully relate--from her mixed emotions about her siblings, to her discovery of her unique talents, to her devotion to her pet crow Andeg, to her budding understanding of death, life, and her role in the natural world

From Publishers Weekly
Erdrich's (Grandmother's Pigeon) debut novel for children is the first in a projected cycle of books centering on an Ojibwa family on an island in Lake Superior. Opening in the summer of 1847, the story follows the family, in a third-person narrative, through four seasons; it focuses on young Omakayas, who turns "eight winters old" during the course of the novel. In fascinating, nearly step-by-step details, the author describes how they build a summer home out of birchbark, gather with extended family to harvest rice in the autumn, treat an attack of smallpox during the winter and make maple syrup in the spring to stock their own larder and to sell to others. Against the backdrop of Ojibwa cultural traditions, Omakayas also conveys the universal experiences of childhoodAa love of the outdoors, a reluctance to do chores, devotion to a petAas well as her ability to cope with the seemingly unbearable losses of the winter. The author hints at Omakayas's unusual background and her calling as a healer, as well as the imminent dangers of the "chimookoman" or white people, setting the stage for future episodes. Into her lyrical narrative, Erdrich weaves numerous Ojibwa words, effectively placing them in context to convey their meanings. Readers will want to follow this family for many seasons to come

Reviews accessed at:
http://www.amazon.com/Birchbark-House-Louise-Erdrich/dp/0786803002


CONNECTIONS
The second book in the series.
The Game of Silence
ISBN-10: 0064410293