Critical Review

Insider and first grade teacher, Alicia Hue, wrote this critical review in The Horn Book Magazine. Hue writes this review from the perspective of a teacher of emigrant Asian American students struggling with cultural, religious and language differences. Her students clearly do not feel they belong here in America. Thus, the children in her class impact and inspire her to search for books portraying Asian Americans. She reviewed In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson, Yang the Youngest and His Terrible Ear, El Chino, and A Visit to Amy-Claire. The books she cited are some of her favorites. She has shared them with her students, who were able to relate them to their own experiences. Hue believes that literature can help children to feel that they belong.

Two of the books she reviewed are ones that I have also read and analyzed. Hue believes that Asian American students can relate to the high expectation of Yang’s parents and the vulnerability felt in Yang the Youngest and His Terrible Ear. Furthermore, this book can be valuable for students who are not of Asian American decent. These students can begin to see a familiar world through a different lens. The second story I also included in my review is El Chino. Hue believes this book demonstrates expectations that come with being Chinese. It helps readers to see “power within themselves” (Hue, 1995) in identifying with cultural identity. Hue related this to her own experience traveling to China and being recognized as an American. She felt pride and a sense of identity. Reading the review of these two books from Hue’s perspective was an interesting and thought-provoking experience.

Hsu, Alicia. "It's Our Train." The Horn Book Magazine Mar. 1995: 240-45.