A Kid's Guide to Asian American History

May 1, 2007
Gr 3-7-A collection of games, crafts, and activities from China, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, India, and Southeast Asia. Arranged by nationalities, each section gives a historical overview of the particular group and their immigration to America. The author touches on topics such as religion, clothing, food, racism, and contributions to society. Offset text boxes highlight prominent as well as lesser-known Asian Americans. The section on China includes recipes for honeydew bubble tea and Nian Gao (Chinese New Year cake); craft projects for paper cutting, lai see (red envelope for Chinese New Year), and a dragon lantern. Projects representing Japanese Americans include origami, face painting (kabuki style), and ikebana (flower arranging). The historical information includes discussion of the various Japanese festivals and internment camps. Similar projects and activities are included for the other countries. Some of the recipes and crafts note that adult supervision is required, and are fairly complex. The writing contains broad generalizations at times, such as Tea is very important to Chinese Americans, and it is served at every meal. Sometimes terms are not explained. When discussing religion in India, it is noted that Asian Indians may also be Christian or Zoroastrian, but the latter term is not defined or included in the glossary. The organization is at times confusing, as historical and current facts are interspersed with the activities in a haphazard manner. This is an ambitious offering that may fill a need in specialized collections, and useful for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month."DeAnn Okamura, San Mateo County Library, CA"

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