Asia Books - Page 3

The Lotus Seed

Sherry Garland

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 12 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

A wonderful book 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

This has to be one of my favorite children's books and being a soon to be teacher I have read a lot of children's books. One of the reasons it's my favorite is that it touches a subject that is close to my heart, the Vietnamese culture. My mom came to America after the Vietnam war with my sister who was 5 and brother who was 1. I never knew how important the lotus seed could be, but growing up I enjoyed eating the fruit and peeling it off the seed. This book is truely one of a kind and as I read it I learned more about my mom's culutre and just how special it is.

This is one book that I'll keep for many, many years even when I retire from teaching.

Editorial Review:

When she is forced to leave Vietnam, a young girl brings a lotus seed with her to America in remembrance of her homeland. “Exquisite artwork fuses with a compelling narrative--a concise endnote places the story effectively within a historical context--to produce a moving and polished offering.”--Publishers Weekly

Homeless Bird

Gloria Whelan

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 191 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

entertaining, but... 3 out of 5 stars.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.

After returning from a three-week family vacation in India, we listened to this book on tape during a long drive and found it very entertaining. Although there is some romance in this story, it still captured the attention of my teen and pre-teen sons; however, I must admit they were a captive audience. Much of the charm of the story came through listening to an excellent actress (Sarita Choudhury) capture the rhythm and inflection of English as spoken by Indians. Several of the sights, sounds, and smells described in this book reminded us of our time in India.

However, the ending made me wonder how much the author really understood Indian culture. I thought that, while it was a romantic and entertaining ending, it was very American. Though I'm told that love marriages are becoming more common, I couldn't imagine my Indian friends, or the people I met in India, thinking that this would be a normal Indian resolution to the story.

Some parents may not want younger children exposed to several of the more tragic parts of the story. There is also an episode in the story where the main character has put herself in an unsavory situation, and she naively consumes a drink containing a drug. She learns a valuable lesson without excessive hardship, but this may be why the book is recommended for ages 11 or 12 on up.

"Homeless Bird" is the title of a poem by Rabindrath Tagore, and a book of his poems plays a key role in the story. Because of this, I gained a curiosity about and appreciation for his poetry, and I'm poetically challenged! My favorite poem of his is "The Gift", but I also like parts of "Gitanjali." I haven't sampled much of his poetry yet, though.

Editorial Review:

Leaving Home...forever.

Like many girls her age in India, thirteen-year-old Koly is getting married. When she discovers that the husband her parents have chosen for her is sickly boy with wicked parents, Koly wishes she could flee. According to tradition, though, she has no choice. On her wedding day, Koly's fate is sealed.

In the wake of her marriage, however, Koly's life takes an unexpected turn, and she finds herself alone in a strange city of white-sari-clad windows. Her only choice seems to be to shed her name and her future and join the hopeless hordes who chant for food.

Even then, cast out in a current of time-worn tradition, this rare young woman sets out to forge her own exceptional future. And a life, like a beautiful tapestry, comes together for Koly-- one stitch at a time.

Books for the Teen Age 2001 (NYPL) and 2000 National Book Award Winner

Filipino Friends

Liana Romulo, Corazon Dandan-Albano

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Subjects -> Children's Books -> Literature -> Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths -> Multicultural

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Adorable! A Great Cultural Tool 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

I ordered this book for my daughter, who was adopted from the Philippines. Bright, colorful pictures, full of fun facts on culture and language, this book is perfect, particularly for adopted children or Filipino children born in the US. This book would a great asset for introducing Filipino language and culture in an elementary school classroom. I will be buying another copy to add to my classroom library.

Filipino Friends book review 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

My 2 and 3/4 year old son loves this book and requests for it everyday. He specifically loves for me to sing the song "Bahay Kubo" and point out the vegetables pictures in the book. He is actually learning how to sing "Bahay Kubo" even though he really doesn't know what the words mean. The loves the character Sam, and I love to point out pictures which I say in English and Tagalog.

Editorial Review:

Through the eyes of Sam, a Filipino-American boy visiting the Philippines for the very first time, children will learn about Philippine customs and language. Soft, whimsical watercolors—labeled with English words and Filipino translations—bring to light the differences between Western and Philippine lifestyles. Children of expatriate Filipinos as well as expatriate children living in the Philippines will find Filipino Friends indispensable in bridging the gap between the two cultures.

One Thousand and One Arabian Nights (Oxford Story Collections)

Geraldine McCaughrean

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 16 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Avoid 1 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

Ridiculously inaccurate translation that dumbs everything down to the level of children. As you can see from some of the other reviews, most people seem to think they're dealing with kidlit from the outset, but if you value world literature, then castigate Oxford for this pop atrocity. It's certainly not for anyone who loves life and reading. The elegant and sinuous Burton translation is, so far, still the way to go.

Best translation I found 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I have been searching for a decent copy of Arabian Nights for years. I originally bought the really nice, leather-bound, 3 volume collection....big mistake. Most 1001 Nights are translated by Richard Burton, whom you should stay away from at all costs. Although his translation is more accurate, it is HARD to read. It's written in old English with 10-line sentences.

That being said, this translation is much more enjoyable to read. Although it does not have every tale, it has all the major stories you are looking for including: Aladdin, Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves, and Sinbad. This is for younger readers so certain points of the original were left out. For instance, the desire for the slave-girl Jesmin (in Aladdin) was romanticized a bit. Nonetheless, it is far more pleasurable to read than any version I came across. I suppose it's as child friendly as a story about a man murdering every woman in the world after he has sex with them can be.

Editorial Review:

King Shahryar kills a new wife every night, because he is afraid she will stop loving him. But his new bride Shahrazad has a clever plan to save herself. Her nightly stories--of Sinbad the Sailor, Ali Baba, and many other heroes and villains--are so engrossing that King Shahryar has to postpone her execution again and again... This illustrated edition brings together all the Arabian Nights tales in an original retelling by award-winning author Geraldine McCaughrean.

(paperback reissue of ISBN 0-19-274500-X)

Kim / Kim (Biblioteca Tematica)

Rudyard Kipling

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 76 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

This edition of Kim is full of misprints - buy another 1 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Kim is a great story, but this is NOT the edition to buy. It's too bad, because it's a handsome book, sturdily built, and with the largest text out there (which is why I bought it). But unfortunately the text is full of misprints. Random periods, missing letters, wrong words, and a section of repeated text like a cut and paste operation gone astray. It's a bad value, and a worse gift. Move on...

Kim 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This book was well-written. The characters are not as well-rounded as I expected although, by Victorian standards, they are. There are places where the writing is almost juvenile - probably the reason the book is often found on lists for young people - and others where the writing is complex enough for adult enjoyment. If I had to rate an age group for which this book would be appropriate, I would say from those that read at a grade five level to age 90. It is a good adventure book for grade school and a good book for adults seeking a little escapism in an unfamiliar time and place - a Victorian spy story to rival the more modern James Bond.

Editorial Review:

A white youth in India, becomes friends with an old ascetic priest, the lama. The boy juggles Imperialist life with his spiritual bond to the lama, who searches for redemption from the Wheel of Life. KIM captures the opulence of India's exotic landscape, overlaid by the uneasy presence of the British Raj. This edition of Kipling's classic masterpiece features a critically acclaimed Introduction by Edward W.

Daisy Comes Home

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

a very "real" story 5 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

My 5-year-old daughter and I read this with a great deal of delight. The story is exciting, and what makes it very special is its authenticity. Daisy isn't a human-like character, she does only real hen things; Mei Mei isn't a super-clever, cutesy ethnic character, she's a young Chinese girl who loves her hens. Together, they overcome the scary, vulnerable situations they find themselves in just by doing hen and little girl things. All of this with fascinating, rich illustrations of the Li River region of southern China that are also very true to life. A tale for the heart and a treat for the eyes.

Editorial Review:

Mei Mei has the six happiest hens in China. She gives them treats and fresh hay baths, and when she calls to them-gu gu gu gu gu!-they all run to her as fast as they can. But one of the hens, Daisy, is not always so happy. The other hens pick on Daisy and push her off the perch every night, knowing that she is too small to stand up to them. Then one day Daisy accidentally drifts out onto the river in a basket and must quickly learn how to survive. When Daisy finds her way home, this plucky little hen is no longer afraid.
Jan Brett and her husband, Joe, traveled with their daughter-in-law, Yun, and her husband, Sean, to China, the land where Yun was born. During this trip, Jan found the inspiration for Daisy's story.

The Royal Bee

Frances Park, Ginger Park

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

The Royal Bee is a royal treasure! 4 out of 5 stars.
17 of 17 people found this review helpful.

This book's underlying issue is the idea that the pursuit of literacy is, consequently, the pursuit of a dream and a way out of poverty. In fact, Song-ho often repeats the phrase, "If I only knew how to read and write..." The message is clear--through persistence, dedication, and with a kind heart, one can achieve anything he or she puts his or her mind to. I believe this book to be very enlightening for children who have difficulties in school, especially if a classroom teacher or parent discusses the book from a critical, socially aware point of view. Illuminate children to the fact that "poor" children are nonetheless very rich in heart and spirit, and are as hopeful as any child. Also point out that even though this book takes place in the nineteenth century, its theme will resonate for any generation. I recommend this book wholeheartedly!

Editorial Review:

In the days when only wealthy Korean children are allowed to attend school, a poor boy named Song-ho learns by listening outside a schoolroom door, which eventually earns him a chance to better himself and make life easier for his widowed mother.

When My Name Was Keoko

Linda Sue Park

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 37 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

When my name was Keoko 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

"When we chose our new names, I pointed to the letter K. I went around whispering over and over, "Keoko. Kaneyama Keoko. Keoko." I could think about "Kaneyama Keoko" as a name but not as my name." When my name was Keoko makes reading enjoyable for kids eight and above.

Linda Sue Park writes When my name was Keoko to help remind us what happened in Korea during WWII. She writes this book in two different points of view, Tae-yul's and Sun-hee's, a brother and sister. This book focuses on a their life in Korea when it was under Japan's occupation. Koreans are forced to do whatever the Japanese tell them to do. Seeing what the Japanese made the Koreans do like study Japanese at school and speak Japanese everywhere except at home made me realize how cruel some people can be.

This historical fiction novel is filled with adventure. It is an interesting way to learn about a point in history that not many people know about. Change my name, I don't think so!

Editorial Review:

Sun-hee and her older brother Tae-yul are proud of their Korean heritage. Yet they live their lives under Japanese occupation. All students must read and write in Japanese and no one can fly the Korean flag. Hardest of all is when the Japanese Emperor forces all Koreans to take Japanese names. Sun-hee and Tae-yul become Keoko and Nobuo. Korea is torn apart by their Japanese invaders during World War II. Everyone must help with war preparations, but it doesn’t mean they are willing to defend Japan. Tae-yul is about to risk his life to help his family, while Sun-hee stays home guarding life-and-death secrets.

Iqbal

Francesco D'Adamo

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 12 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A gripping tale you just won't put this book down 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Iqbal is a book about bonded labour. It is about Pakistani children Iqbal, Fatima and fourteen other children. They have been sent out to work to pay off the debt, which their family owe to the unkind and evil Hassan Khan.

Hassan Khan tricks these children. Their job is to weave carpets day in and day out. Each child has a slate with lines on it. They have to work hard each day for these lines to be rubbed off. These lines represent the money they owe. Hassan Khan tricks the children. He kept on adding more lines because he knew that they couldn't count. Every day he would inspect, if the children were naughty or the carpet wasn't good enough to sell. He would lock them in the dreaded tomb where snakes, cockroaches and scorpions lived. All kids were chained to their looms. This continued until Iqbal came into the workshop.

Iqbal wasn't very tall and was shabby but he was very talented and brave. He knew that Hassan Khan was cheating them and wanted to get away. He taught the kids that what Hassan Khan was doing was wrong and to fight back. Unfortunately Iqbal was murdered by the carpet mafia on Easter Sunday 1995. He was only 13. Iqbal gave the kids courage and hope to get back to their families.

I thought that this book was touching and was an eye opener to what the world around you is like. You are so protected in your environment that sometimes you don't realize what is happening in this world and when you find out what actually happens you are shocked to discover that there are kids out there who have to work really hard to survive.
When you read Iqbal you can understand why they want to get away. One thing I have noticed is that when you read Iqbal you feel like you are a spy in the background watching everything that is happening. Or you are re-tracing the footsteps of the children. The way that D'Adamo has written this novel you almost feel like you are going through those hardships as well and you are celebrating the successes that they had.
It is a wonderful book and it makes you feel tearful.

By: Rima (New Zealand)

Editorial Review:

When young Iqbal is sold into slavery at a carpet factory, his arrival changes everything for the other overworked and abused chidren there. It is Iqbal who explains to them that despite their master's promises, he plans on keeping them as his slaves indefinetely. But it is also Iqbal who inspires the other children to look to a future free from toil...and is brave enough to show them how to get there.

This moving fictionalized account of the real Iqbal Masih is told through the voice of Fatima, a young Pakistani girl whose life is changed by Iqbal's courage.

Four Feet, Two Sandals

Karen Lynn William, Khadra Mohammad

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

A thoughtful yet serious picturebook, highly recommended for children's public library and personal collections. 5 out of 5 stars.
13 of 13 people found this review helpful.

Based on co-author Khadra Mohammed's experiences with refugees in Peshawar, a city on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, Four Feet, Two Sandals is a children's picturebook about ten-year-old Lina and her young friend who each discover one of a wonderful pair of sandals. Together they must solve the problem of how to share one pair of sandles between four feet! As they wait and hope for their names to appear on a list for a new home, the sandals become a symbol of their fast friendship - a bond that will endure even when one of them finally has the opportunity to escape the hard conditions and live in a new land. The broad brush strokes of illustrator Doug Chayka draw the reader in to the harsh and barren world of the refugees, where positive human relationships are an particular treasure amid the daily difficulty of survival. A thoughtful yet serious picturebook, highly recommended for children's public library and personal collections.

Editorial Review:

When relief workers bring used clothing to the refugee camp, everyone scrambles to grab whatever they can. Ten-year-old Lina is thrilled when she finds a sandal that fits her foot perfectly, until she sees that another girl has the matching shoe. But soon Lina and Feroza meet and decide that it is better to share the sandals than for each to wear only one.

As the girls go about their routines -- washing clothes in the river, waiting in long lines for water, and watching for their names to appear on the list to go to America -- the sandals remind them that friendship is what is most important.

Four Feet, Two Sandals was inspired by a refugee girl who asked the authors why there were no books about children like her. With warm colors and sensitive brush strokes, this book portrays the strength, courage, and hope of refugees around the world, whose daily existence is marked by uncertainty and fear.