Collection Showcase: Books About Asia

Mr. B is learning about Aisa with his Montessori class so this is a good opportunity to showcase and review the Asia portion of our collection

Mr. B is only 2 years and 8 months old so we have not read most of these books. Also missing are two Kai-Lan books that I lent to his class for storytime.

 

Mr. B isn't really excited about Kai-Lan at this time. He loved Kai-Lan: Under the Stars, a play-a-sound book, when he was 18 months and enjoyed Kai-Lan's Great Trip to China when he turned two. The New Year book is a new addition and Mr. B did not want to read it. 

What else have we read? Mr. Husband and I LOVED Zen Shorts by Jon Muth! Mr. B didn't really get it so we will have to wait a few more months and try again. Zen Shorts is a series of short stories told by a Panda to his neighbors. Each story teaches a Zen principle (very un-Western concepts).

We also read Grandfather's Journey by Allen Say. Mr. B really enjoyed this one. This book is about a boy telling the story of his Grandfather's immigration to and life in the United States and then his return to Japan. This book has beautiful artwork, a very simple storyline and easy to follow text. It got Mr. B thinking about his grandparents and the concept of growing up. Excellent book! 

I'm A Little Panda is a cute little book about a baby panda growing up in the mountains of China. Mr. B loved this when he was little. This might be a fun read-aloud for him to bring to school next week.

Unfortunately, The Story About Ping from Tuesday's haul did not make our collection.  Amidst its glowing amazon reviews, a few negative reviews revealed the fact that this book includes animal cruelty! That's right, the hero of the story: the cute little baby duck gets smacked with a stick! This is not okay. Goodby Ping!

We have a lot of reading ahead of us. I'll need to review the rest of these to see if Mr. B is ready to read them soon.