The Year of the Dog by Grace Lin

★★★★

I bought this book for Isabelle, knowing she is too young for it now, but figuring I could read it and then put it on her shelf for when she grows older. As it turns out, I read it aloud to her, and we both enjoyed it.

Of course there were many things in the book that Isabelle couldn't really understand. Bits about having a crush on a boy, or what a science fair is. But the chapters are short, and there are many little drawings throughout, and Isabelle loved looking at the pictures. The entire book is strewn with references to Chinese culture, and it was fun to draw connections between the book and her life. "You get red envelopes, too!" "We like to eat rice porridge for breakfast, too!"

Grace Lin says she wrote this book because, "It's the book I wish I had when I was growing up." I feel just that way about this book. At every turn, there was something I could relate to. Things as noteworthy as Thanksgiving dinners with Chinese dishes, and seemingly small things like a circular, compartmentalized Chinese candy tray. I really do wish I could have read this book as a child. Simply by being published, it somehow seems to validate the growing-up experience of Chinese-Americans.

Isabelle, being the second generation Chinese-American born in the U.S., has less in common with the main characters of this book, but it's still worth reading just for the way it introduces readers to Chinese culture. I hope she likes this book when she's older, and maybe it will help her to understand what life was like for me growing up.