Multiracial Families in Children's Books

The Dancer by

Fred Burstein

Burstein, Fred. The dancer / by Fred Burstein ; illustrated by Joan Auclair. New York : Bradbury Press, 1992. Ages 2 - 4.

Interesting look at what is presumably a Japanese/Hispanic American family as a father takes his young daughter to dance class. The very simple text is presented in English, Spanish, and Japanese. Excellent book for introducing a child to a few words in another language.

Crutcher, Chris. Whale talk / Chris Crutcher. New York : Greenwillow Books, c2001. Ages 12+.

A multi-racial Japanese-American starts a swim team for the school outcasts.

Cheng, Andrea. Grandfather counts / by Andrea Cheng ; illustrations by Ange Zhang. New York : Lee & Low Books, 2000. Ages 4-10.

Cheng's first book explores the relationship that grows between biracial (white/Chinese) Helen and Gong Gong, her grandfather, when he come from China to live with her family. Zhang's acrylic illustrations are soft and comforting as a security blanket.

Czech, Jan. An American face / by Jan M. Czech ; illustrated by Frances Clancy. Washington , DC : Child & Family Press, c2000. Ages 4-7.

A Korean boy, adopted by white parents thinks he will get a new face to match theirs when he becomes an American citizen. Custom borders around the illustration and text emphasize elements of the scene.

Czech, Jan. The coffee can kid / written by Jan M. Czech ; illustrated by Maurie J. Manning. Washington, DC : Child & Family Press, c2002. Ages 2-6.

A Korean American girl asks her adoptive dad to retell the story of her birth mother. Illustrations are dreamy and idealistic.

Igus, Toyomi. Two Mrs. Gibsons / story by Toyomi Igus ; pictures by Daryl Wells. San Francisco : Children's Book Press, 1996. Ages 4-8.

Young Japanese African American girl tells of the two Mrs. Gibsons in her life. Her mother from Japan and her grandmother from Tennessee.

Iijima, Geneva Cobb. The way we do it in Japan / written by Geneva Cobb Iijima ; illustrated by Paige Billin-Frye. Morton Grove , Ill. : A. Whitman, 2002. Ages 4-8.

Tells of Gregory moving to Japan with his mother from Kansas and his father from Japan. While a bit too sweet and optimistic, The Way We Do It in Japan does show everyday Japanese culture and school activities. Billin-Frye's illustrations are appealing and well researched.

Lewis, Rose A. I love you like crazy cakes / written by Rose Lewis ; illustrated by Jane Dyer. Boston : Little, Brown, c2000. Ages 4-8.

A single woman goes to China to adopt her new daughter. Illustrations are highly patterned watercolors emphasizing a mother's love.

Little, Mimi Otey. Yoshiko and the foreigner / Mimi Otey Little. New York : Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1996. Ages 6 - 10.

I had put off reading this book because the title is off-putting to one who is familiar with Japanese culture. Many Japanese call foreigners gaijin or literally outside people. When a foreigner first arrives and she does not fit in, she will hear it a lot so it may be one of the first Japanese words she learn. A more respectful or appropriate word for foreigners is gaikokujin, which means outside nation people. So it was with these thoughts that I began reading the story. Sure enough, right away there is the Japanese word gaijin in the story. It tells of a young African American soldier in Japan meeting and falling in love with a "good Japanese girl". The young man wins the girl and her family by showing sensitivity and respect for Japanese ways. So while I cringe at the soldier's beginning attempts at speaking Japanese, anyone who has learned a language well as an adult will have stories similar to those related here. My old room mate once asked for a coke with out much mold (kabi) when she meant to say ice (kori). The soldier in this story reportedly said, "You see, I am a boiled pepper." It is obvious that this is a story of love that has been passed down to a daughter and for this reason, I think the book is worth reading. The illustrations also have the look of a back in the old country paradise that is remembered or told of in family lore. The story may be especially enjoyed in families where two cultures have come together.

Say, Allen. Allison / Allen Say. Boston : Houghton Mifflin, 1997. Ages 4-8.

Allison deals with looking different than her adoptive parents. Illustrations are classic Say.

Say, Allen. The ink-keeper's apprentice / by Allen Say. New York : Harper & Row, c1979. Ages 12-16.

Kiyoi's father is Korean and his mother is Japanese and they are divorced. This makes life hard for Kiyoi. He is thirteen and living alone in Tokyo! One day, he boldly asks the greatest cartoonist in Japan to be his mentor.

Shin, Yung Sun. Cooper's Lesson / by Yung Sun Shin ; illustrated by Kim Cogan; Korean translation by Min Paek. San Fransisco : Children's Book Press, 2004. Ages 6-10.

Biracial Cooper inappropriately deals with not understanding Korean. The experience eventually leads him to explore his feelings about being half Korean and not understanding much Korean. Shin's story overtly explores the feelings of children who don't speak the language of their immigrant parents and neighbors and leads to intergenerational understanding. Kim Cogan's oil illustrations wonderfully depict the story, but the whole book design is a little dark.

Wong, Janet S. This next New Year / Janet S. Wong ; pictures by Yangsook Choi. New York : Frances Foster Books, 2000. Ages 2-8.

Chinese/Korean American family celebrates the Lunar New Year. An author's note explains the significance of such new years traditions as tangerines, peaches, and fish. Tries a little hard in celebrating multiculturalism in the beginning, but the simple text is poetic and expresses a small boys hopes and dreams. The less realistic of Choi's illustrations are the most enjoyable.

Yep, Laurence. Angelfish / Laurence Yep. New York : Putnam's, 2001. Ages 10+.

A half Chinese and half white ballet dancer, is accused of being a half person by a bitter shopkeeper named Mr. Tsow after she breaks his window.