The Dragon's Gate
by Laurence Yep
A. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Yep, Laurence. 1993. DRAGON’S GATE. New York: HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 0060229713.
B. PLOT SUMMARY
Leaving his homeland of China, a young boy is sent to America to work with his father and uncle on the transcontinental railroad. Otter finds himself the victim of discrimination, harsh work, hunger and being treated as if he were enslaved. He is disillusioned by both America and his uncle. However, enduring the hardships that he encountered only served to strengthen and mature Otter for his life ahead.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Critically-acclaimed author Laurence Yep does a great job capturing the harshness of the transcontinental railroad construction many Chinese laborers endured during the 1800's across the Sierra Nevada. He starts the novel with a preface to set the scene historically and finishes it with an afterword with notes for the reader.
There are many cultural markers in Dragon's Gate. The first marker is the title - Dragon's Gate. In China the dragon plays a vital role in both the culture, folklore, and even in religion. The language is not written with an accent but the phrasing does lend itself to the rhythm of the Chinese language. There are references throughout to beliefs of the Chinese workers, for example, "'Demons' was the word that ignorant and superstitious people use for westerners. My English instructor had made a point that is was the wrong term, because in English is was equated with evil creatures called demons, while in the T'ang language it referred more generally to creatures who were ghosts or spirits." There are also many names that are cultural markers such as Otter, Shrimp, Lion Rock, and Foxfire.
As this is a novel, there are not any illustrations except for the front cover. However, the cover does display a boy in traditional clothing for the 1800's, especially his hat and jacket. The image of the boy depicts his hair, eyes and skin complexion as that of one of Chinese descent.
DRAGON'S GATE is fast-paced and gives a good historical look at an often-overlooked time and event in our nation's history. So often people think of discrimination and only think of African-Americans - this story demonstrates it happens to all cultures but is sometimes not as well-known. It is not overly dramatic or melancholy - as it could become - but rather a good depiction of one boy's experiences in a historical setting. DRAGON'S GATE is geared for ages 10 and up and would be a good choice for 5th grade and higher.
D. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Publishers Weekly: "This 1994 Newbery Honor Book, a prequel to Dragonwings, tells of 14-year-old Otter's 1865 emigration from China and subsequent travails in California."
School Library Journal: “Yep uses the lively storytelling techniques of his "Dragon" fantasy-adventure novels to re-create a stirring historical event-here, the construction of the transcontinental railroad.”
E. CONNECTIONS
Visit these sites to learn more about Laurence Yep and his publications:
Hear an interview with Laurence Yep:
Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds:
The Sammy Lee Story
by Paula Yoo
A. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Yoo, Paula. 2005. SIXTEEN YEARS IN SIXTEEN SECONDS. Ill. by Dom Lee. New York: Lee & Low Books. ISBN 1-58430-247-X
B. PLOT SUMMARY
Sammy Lee has a goal for himself: win an Olympic gold medal. His father has another goal in mind for Sammy: become a doctor. This picture book tells Sammy's story, how he overcame the discrimination he faced, and how he accomplishes his goals.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Told in simple, yet direct language, Paula Yoo and Dom Lee have created a fantastic book. Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds is the story of Sammy Lee, a Korean-American who overcame racial discrimination to achieve two major goals: becoming a doctor and winning an Olympic gold medal in diving. Perhaps the most noticeable cultural marker is the story of the discrimination Sammy Lee endured. The public swimming pool where he practiced was only open one day a week to "nonwhites" - a common policy in the United States in the 1930's and 1940's. Throughout the story there is also the underlying theme of Sammy's determination to prove that anyone can achieve their dream if they just want it bad enough and work hard enough.
The text does not really lend itself to any cultural markers but some of the illustrations do in regard to the characters skin-tone, facial features and hair.
This a rather enjoyable book both when read independently or as a read-aloud. I shared this book aloud with a group of 4th graders, some of whom are Asian-American and an insightful discussion sprang up. The illustrations are beautiful and lend themselves to the feeling of being from the past with the sepia tones that are used by the illustrator in his work. The story has a good message, one that is still needed today: "In American, you can achieve anything if you set your hear to it."
D. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Horn Book: “With their textured effect, Dom Lee’s scratchboard illustrations (using beeswax, acrylic, oil paint, and colored pencil) convey immediacy—one can feel the prickliness of the sand or the heat of the California sun—while the brown and gold colors and sepia tones make it clear that these are past events. Yoo smoothly incorporates the historical context through Sammy’s reactions to pervasive racism. She creates a picture of a person who succeeded through determined hard work—not a larger than-life hero, but an ordinary person of great achievement.”
School Library Journal: “Yoo brings the biography to a dramatic conclusion with the 16 seconds of a three-and-a-half somersault dive. Lee's painterly illustrations give texture and depth to the full-page spreads. More than a story about discrimination and unfair treatment, this story shows one young man's determination and resolve toward accomplishing a goal in life.”
E. CONNECTIONS
Website for US Olympics Diving
Encyclopedia Britannica article on Dr. Sammy Lee
The Tree of Cranes
by Allen Say
A. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Say, Allen. 1991. TREE OF CRANES. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. ISBN 0-395-52024-X
B. PLOT SUMMARY
A young boy in Japan experiences his first Christmas celebration. His mother shares how she celebrated Christmas in the United States as a child, including origami cranes and a Christmas tree.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
A sweet story between a mother and her son, this non-traditional Christmas story is a delight to read. The main character, a young boy, goes out to play and is soon drawn to the neighbor's carp pond. He knows he's not to go there - yet, like so many young chilren, he does. He does not enjoy the experience because "The last time I went here was a gray winter day, too cold for the fish to move around. They never came out from under the rocks, and all I caught was a bad chill." He is afraid to go home to his mother because he knows she will be angry with him for disobeying her.
He does end up returning home and assumes his mother's silence is anger. However, it is that she simply is lost in thought and preoccupied with the surprise she has for him.
From the very beginning the cultural markers jump out at the reader of this picture book by Allen Say. The pictures depict a traditional Japanese home - with sliding doors, the boy's bed on the floor and the Japanese garden. Even the bathtub is different that what we are used to seeing in the United States. The clothing is what is thought of as traditional Japanese clothing as is his skin tone and haircut, too.
Other cultural elements include the gift of the samurai kite, the origami cranes his mother creates and even the eating utensils - chopsticks! The beautiful watercolor illustrations depict a traditional Japanese home for the reader. All of the markers are woven seamlessly into the story so that they help create the setting and mood and do not in any way overpower or hinder this story of a mother sharing with her son.
D. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Publishers Weekly: "Heedless of Mama's warnings, a Japanese boy cannot resist playing at an ice-cold pond "filled with carp of bright colors." When he comes home, he is immediately treated for a cold, with a hot bath and rice gruel. His mother's attitude chills him more than the weather, though; he cannot understand why she seems to be ignoring him. Hearing a noise in the garden, the boy spies Mama digging up the pine tree that was planted when he was born. She brings it inside and decorates it with paper cranes and candles. It is a Christmas tree, the first for the boy, and the first in many years for his mother, who tells her son she comes from "a warm place called Ca-li-for-ni-a." The story is a poignant one, illuminated with finely drawn illustrations reflecting the serenity of a Japanese home and the quiet love between mother and son. Say, who came to this country from Japan when he was a teenager, again exhibits a laudable sensitivity to Eastern and Western cultures--and to both the differences and the similarities between them."
Horn Book: "Strong horizontal lines, uncluttered scenes with a minimum of detail, and a feeling of spaciousness induced by the oversize format are the visual elements that help to create this sense of serenity. The lack of details focuses attention, too, upon the centerpiece of the story: the interplay between the two characters…While the Japanese love of order and of form are evident in the pictures — as depicted, for example, in the precise placement of the items on the tray of food the mother brings to her son — the dialogue is distinctly American."
E. CONNECTIONS
Official website for Allen Say:
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