The Year of the Dog

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Lin, Grace. 2006. THE YEAR OF THE DOG. New York: Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 0316060003

PLOT SUMMARY
As she celebrates the Chinese New Year Pacy learns that the year of the dog is meant to be a year of finding yourself and making new friends. She sets out on a mission to discover her talents; she tries acting, being a scientist and finally discovers she can be a writer and illustrator. Along the way Pacy learns more about herself and what it means to be a Chinese-American.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS (INCLUDING CULTURAL MARKERS)
The plot of this story is very easy to follow and will engage readers through the whole story. Although there are many cultural markers, it will be easy for readers from any culture to enjoy this book. One cultural marker found in this book is the fact that Pacy and her sister have different names they go by at home and at school. Pacy's school name is Grace and Lissy's school name is Beatrice. Her sister explains to her that it is easier to go by a different name at school so their names don't get mispronounced all the time.

There is some Taiwanese language found in the book, but all of it is directly translated so the reader doesn't have to guess the meaning. For example, "Gong xi-gong xi! Sin-nian kuai le!" means "Happy New Year." There is some confusion when Pacy is asked over and over "Ja-ba, bei?" which she thinks means "have you eaten." Her mother has to explain to her that although that is the literal translation it is also intended to mean "how are you doing?"

The families eat many authentic foods all through the story. At the red egg party they have "brown stir-fried noodles; cooked duck shiny with oil; fresh lychees with their prickly pink skins; eggplant in brown sauce..." At home one night Pacy had "wonton soup, stir-fried green cabbage, white rice and sticky red-brown spareribs." One tradition that is shown in the book is the red egg party to bring good luck to baby Albert. Everyone puts money in the baby’s crib instead of bringing presents to the part. Not only will Chinese and Tiwanese readers be able to identify with traditions found throughout this book, but readers from other cultures will learn more about these long-standing practices.

When Pacy is told to fill the New Year's dish she runs out of the special Chinese New Year candy so she fills the rest with M&Ms. She is worried that she would get in trouble for putting M&Ms on the special tray but her dad reassures her that it is okay. He says, "This way is good. We should have both Chinese and American candy for the new year. It's like us - Chinese-American." This is very symbolic of many people here in America. They want to hold on to the traditions of their culture, but they also want to embrace the American culture as well. This book has quite a few instances showing the family keeping traditions from their culture, but also learning new traditions from the American culture.

When her school is putting on the play "The Wizard of Oz" Pacy decides she wants to be Dorothy. She practices her lines and songs preparing for the audition. Pacy was hurt when Becky said to her, "You can't be Dorothy, Dorothy's not Chinese." After this she begins to wonder why she doesn't see "real" Chinese people in books, plays and movies. In an author's note at the back of the book Grace Lin says that the main reason she wrote THE YEAR OF THE DOG is so that Asian children can see themselves in a book.

The small drawings throughout the book add a light-hearted feel to the story and remind you of doodles you might find in a child's notebook or journal. An interesting writing style found in this book is the telling of a separate story within the story. They are usually told by another person to explain the way something is to Pacy. The stories start with, "Did I ever tell you about....," then in a different font the story is told from that person's point of view. This is a neat way to include other points of view into the story, and is something that most young people can relate to. Parents often use stories to explain situations and feelings to young kids.

Another way Asian children will relate to this story is when they read about Pacy's experience at the Taiwanese-American camp she attends with her family. Although her family keeps many of the traditions from their culture, they have in many ways assimilated into the American culture. While attending an art class, Pacy gets made fun of and told she is too "American" because she does not speak Chinese or Taiwanese. The other kid tells her that Americanized Chinese people are like Twinkies, "Yellow on the outside but white on the inside." This really hurts Pacy's feelings and makes her feel like she doesn't belong. Many Asian readers will be able to relate to this because they might get made fun of by their peers for trying too hard to fit into the American culture.

REVIEW EXCERPTS
ALA Notable Children's Book
Asian Pacific American Librarian Association Honor

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “A lighthearted coming-of-age novel with a cultural twist. Readers follow Grace, an American girl of Taiwanese heritage, through the course of one year–The Year of the Dog–as she struggles to integrate her two cultures… Small, captioned, childlike black-and-white drawings are dotted throughout. This is an enjoyable chapter book with easily identifiable characters.”

BOOKLIST Starred Review: “Told in a simple, direct voice, her story follows young Grace through the Year of the Dog, one that Grace hopes will prove lucky for her. And what a year it is!... Most of the chapters are bolstered by anecdotes from Grace's parents, which connect Grace (and the reader) to her Taiwanese heritage.”

CONNECTIONS
-Talk to students about traditions they celebrate at home. Have them talk to their parents about the origin of those traditions.

-Grace Lin has created an educators guide. http://www.gracelinbooks.com/files/Year_of_The_Dog_EduGuide.pdf

Other books by Grace Lin:
THE YEAR OF THE RAT. ISBN 9780316033619
WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON. ISBN 9780316038638