Tea with Milk
Tea with Milk
Say,
Allen. Tea with Milk. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1999. ISBN 0-395-90495-1
Plot Summary
Masako, as she
is called by her parents, and May to her friends, struggles to fit in to her
new home when her family moves to Japan, her parents’ homeland. May is expected
to adopt Japanese customs such as wearing a kimono, sitting on the floor and
learning the tea ceremony, even though she grew up in America, eating pancakes
and muffins. She resists the role of a proper Japanese lady and travels to Osaka
where she takes a job in a department store. After helping an English family
who did not speak Japanese, May becomes the store’s guide for foreign businessmen,
which leads her to meeting a man who would eventually become her husband.
Critical
Analysis
Tea with
Milk draws its name
from the way American May enjoyed her tea at her friends’ houses in San Francisco,
and the way Joseph drank tea when he attended an English school in Shanghai. Hot
tea with milk is so much more than just a drink preference, it is also about
the comforts of home and familiarity, the very things you carry with you, no
matter where you make your home. Joseph explains to May that a home is not a
place or a building, but rather what you make it. This picture book will resonate
with anyone who has moved to another country and felt like an outsider.
The watercolors
and overall artwork in Tea with Milk stirs emotions in the reader and is
meticulously detailed, right down to the intricate depiction of the department
store light fixtures and ornate elevator doors. Pages 7 and 9 both illicit the
sadness radiating from May’s expression as she stands alone in her new home and
on the school grounds. As May makes the bold decision to travel to Osaka, she
dons a brightly-colored dress that makes her look like a gaijin, or
foreigner. The vibrant red dress stands out in contrast to the muted colors of
the people on the street. The kimono, tea ceremony and Japanese writing at the
market all add to the cultural authenticity of Say’s book. Skin tones vary in
shades of tan and all characters’ eyes are realistically drown without falling
into the stereotypical, “slanted-eyes.”
Review
Excerpts
“The pages are
filled with detailed drawings featuring Japanese architecture and clothing, and
because of the artist's mastery at drawing figures, the people come to life as
authentic and sympathetic characters. This is a thoughtful and poignant book
that will appeal to a wide range of readers, particularly our nation's many
immigrants who grapple with some of the same challenges as May and Joseph,
including feeling at home in a place that is not their own.”
“Tea with Milk.”
School Library Journal 45.5 (1999): 96. Novelist EBSCOhost,
(accessed November 2, 2020).
“Raised near
San Francisco, Masako (her American friends called her May) is uprooted after
high school when her parents return to their Japanese homeland. In addition to
repeating high school to learn Japanese, she must learn the arts of a
"proper Japanese lady"--flower arranging, calligraphy and the tea
ceremony--and is expected to marry well.”
“Tea with Milk.”
Publisher’s Weekly 246.10 (1999): 67. Novelist EBSCOhost,
(accessed November 2, 2020).
Awards
·
Notable Children's Books - commended 2000
· Notable Books for a Global Society – selection 2000
Connections
·
May
feels different from the other children once she arrives in Japan. She speaks
another language and had different experiences growing up. Discuss times that students
may have felt like outsiders. What was it like? How did you handle it? What are
some things that made you feel better?
·
Use
a Compare and Contrast map to help see the differences and likenesses from life
in America and life in Japan.
·
Read
A Piece of Home by Watts, Jeri Hanel.
Drawn Together
Drawn Together
Bibliography
Le, Minh and Dan Santat. Drawn Together. Hyperion, 2018. ISBN 978-148476760-3
Plot Summary
A young boy
spends an afternoon with his grandfather. As they eat lunch together, they
notice they have very different tastes, and as they watch a television show,
their different interests is obvious. When the grandson begins drawing at the
kitchen table, his grandfather pulls out his sketchbook and draws alongside the
boy. It does not take long for the two to discover they have a shared interest
and let their imaginations and artistic abilities soar. Lê
uses very few words throughout the story and allows the artwork and comic book
style panels to visually tell the story.
Critical
Analysis
This picture
book contains a few cultural markers that portray the Asian Pacific American
heritage. As the story opens and the young boy and his grandfather are eating
lunch, the artist illustrates the drastic difference in food on their plates.
The boy has a hot dog with fries which are considered classic American staples,
while the grandfather’s dish is that of noodles and eggs, vastly different from
his grandson’s lunch. While the drinks are unidentifiable, it is evident that
they are different from one another. Even the utensils are different; the child
uses a fork, and the grandfather has chopsticks and a porcelain soup spoon.
The illustrations
are the heartbeat of the story. While struggling to connect while watching television
together and sitting far apart, the grandson moves to the table and begins to draw.
Upon seeing this, the grandfather gathers his supplies and sits down to draw
too. It is through the combined drawings between the two that their differences
slowly ebb away, as they come to respect what each has to offer. The dragons
are typical of the Thai culture, while the superhero is a classic American
theme. The grandson begins his art in color, while the grandfather uses ink,
but as the two come together, their mediums slowly, almost untraceably, switch
and then combine, allowing both characters to realize their bridge to
understanding one another starts with their art and acceptance of each other.
Review
Excerpts
“Beneath the dynamism, Santat matches the
more delicate emotions the story hinges on; one glance at the boy’s face,
dreading what’s ahead of him as he waits for his grandfather to answer the
door, attests to this. The writer-artist collaboration’s success is also on
display in subtle visual representation of the shifting relationship, as when
the boy and grandfather, coming together in a final battle, exchange artistic
“weapons.” Focus on an underrepresented culture; highly accessible emotions;
concise, strong storytelling; and artistic magnificence make this a must-have.”
“Drawn
Together.” Booklist 114.19 (2018): 109. Novelist, EBSCOhost,
(accessed November 5, 2020).
“Their meeting
is awkward at first since the boy doesn't speak Thai; the older man doesn't
speak English. The reluctant narrator's entrance into his grandfather's home
begins before the title page and continues wordlessly in a series of panels.
Different foods and television programs exacerbate their inability to
communicate verbally, all depicted in spare text and panels of translucent
illustrations.”
“Drawn
Together.” School Library Journal 64.6 (2018): 65. Novelist,
EBSCOhost, (accessed November 5, 2020).
Awards
·
Charlotte Huck Award – commended 2019
·
Anna Dewdney Read Together Award – honor 2019
·
Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature – winner 2019
·
Notable Children's Books – commended 2019
·
Junior Library Guild Selections – arts selection 2018
·
SLJ Best Books of the Year – selection 2018
·
Lasting Connections – selection 2018
Connections
·
A
large portion of Drawn Together is told through pictures only. Choose a piece
of artwork and write a poem or short story about it. Share your story with a
classmate and have them illustrate it. Then share the picture of art you used
for your inspiration. Compare the two.
·
Discuss
communication and the ways we communicate without words. Ask students if they
have encountered a situation where they were not able to speak the same
language. How did they communicate?
·
Play
a game of charades or Pictionary.
·
Read
another wordless book like, Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney.
Mulan Before the Sword
Mulan
Before the Sword
Bibliography
Lin,
Grace. Mulan Before the Sword. Disney Press, 2020. ISBN 978-136802033-6
Plot Summary
Mulan’s younger
sister, Xiu is bitten by a poisonous spider and is close to death. Mulan seeks
out a healer to save her sister and together they embark on a faraway journey
to gather the herbs and flowers needed to save Xiu. She quickly realizes that
there is more to the healer than she knew when he transforms into a rabbit
before her eyes. Mulan and the healer must act quickly before the evil White
Fox destroys them both. Twists and turns abound and secrets are revealed as the
story unfolds.
Critical
Analysis
Chinese
folklore is woven throughout the telling of Mulan Before the Sword. “Lord
Rabbit” or “Jade Rabbit” is a popular figure in Beijing, especially during the
Mid-Autumn Moon Festival. He is known as the Moon Lady’s companion, sent to
Earth to help stop a plague. Lin uses this folktale to aid in the story of Mulan.
The Jade Rabbit is also a healer in this story and shows up in time to help Mulan
stop the poison in her sister’s system, with the added twist that the rabbit
needs healing too. The folk stories told help to illustrate the characters connections
to one another and provides background knowledge needed to understand what
motives each character.
Mulan Before
the Sword contains
cultural markers that showcase Mulan’s Chinese heritage. The Jade Emperor is
described as wearing “…Imperial robes with pearl tassels swinging from his hat…”p.
39. The theme of good verses evil is evident and will have readers cheering for
Mulan and her companions and rooting for the destruction of Daji, who is based
on an actual person from the Shang Dynasty. Food is rarely in the story, but rice
is mentioned a handful of times. Mulan tried to imitate a story her father had
shared with her by pounding rice into flour, except that one grain would not
cooperate so she hit the rice with all her strength and broke the mortar in half,
displeasing her mother who shouted at her to control herself. Mulan is reminded
by her mother that “a girl brings honor by care. Not by boldness” p. 52 after
Mulan explains that she will be going on a quest to find some way to help Xiu.
Mulan’s family finds her ill-behaved and not fitted as a young lady because she
does not fit social conformities. She wants to be her own person and often does
not give much thought to what others think of her; even though she does want to
please her family.
Review
Excerpts
“In the midst of this fast-paced quest, Lin’s distinctive
peppering of folkloric tales throughout the narrative adds engaging layers,
providing backstory and fleshing out characters’ relationships and motives.”
“Mulan Before the Sword.” Publisher’ Weekly 267.5
(2020). Novelist, EBSCOhost, (accessed November 10, 2020).
“As usual, Lin artfully develops captivating characters with
rich histories. Traditional tales are interspersed throughout the tightly
written narrative to gradually reveal a complex web of legends and adventure
that seamlessly blend together into one alluring saga. (A partial bibliography
of Chinese tales and traditions is appended). A legendary tale for a legendary
figure.”
“Mulan Before the Sword.” Kirkus Reviews (2020). Novelist,
EBSCOhost, (accessed November 10, 2020).
Awards
N/A
Connections
·
Read
the author note. Lin mentions her inspiration for Mulan and lists
several books for additional reading. Choose The Eight Immortals Cross the Sea
by Koh Koh Kiang or Tales of the Dancing Dragons by Eva Wong and discuss
the similarities to Mulan.
·
Write
an additional chapter or short story about Mulan’s next adventure.
·
Listen
to Grace Lin read from Mulan at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kwCXObIlrw
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