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| THE YEAR OF THE DOG by Grace Lin |
Author: Grace Lin
Title: The Year of the Dog
Publisher: Little,
Brown and Company
Publication Date: 2006
ISBN: 0316060003
Plot Summary
Frustrated at her seeming lack of talent for anything,
a young Taiwanese American girl sets out to apply the lessons of the Chinese
Year of the Dog, those of making best friends and finding oneself, to her own
life.
Critical Analysis
Author Grace Lin states that she pulled inspiration
from her own life as an Asian living in a mainly Caucasian community for The Year of the Dog: “I wrote it because
it was the book I wished I had had when I was growing up, a book that had
someone like me in it” (Author’s Note). By basing the book on her childhood,
Lin has created a book that shows many characteristics of the Asian American
culture. For example, the novel practically oozes traditional Asian foods:
whole-fried fish, meat dumplings, vegetables shining with oil, steamed buns,
shrimp, and Chinese candy: “It’s very important that the New Year tray is
filled with candy. If it’s full of sweet things, it means your year will be
full of sweet things” (p. 3). And when one celebration ends, there is another
celebration with even more food. Before reading this book, I didn’t realize how
much food was involved in Asian cultural celebrations.
First language is also dominate in the novel as an
Asian American cultural marker. There are several examples of the Chinese
language in the book and all had a translation. Sometimes the explanation of
the first language is written in such a way that the reader learns the meaning
along with Pacy, the main character: “‘Ja-ba, bei?’ he asked us. ‘Have you
eaten yet?’ They kept asking that. Grown-ups were so silly. ‘We’re eating RIGHT
NOW!’ I said. Everyone laughed. I didn’t understand why they were all laughing
at me. ‘What’s so funny?’ I demanded. Mom explained to me that even though
‘Ja-ba, bei?’ meant, ‘Have you eaten yet?’ it was also a Taiwanese way of just
saying, ‘How are you doing?’” (p. 42).
While The Year
of the Dog is a novel, there are some black ink drawings throughout the
book illustrated by Lin. The facial features and hairstyles are consistent with
Asian American culture and were taken from Lin’s memories and pictures from her
childhood. The illustrations add to the story, especially the instructions
found on page 2 on how to draw a dog and the Chinese symbols for tiger and pig
found on page 46.
This is a wonderful book to add to any library
collection. Knowing that the author made this book because it was something she
craved as a young reader only makes it more appealing. Because the book was
written by an Asian American for other Asian Americans gives a peace of mind
that you are offering a culturally authentic text to readers. Thankfully,
author and illustrator Grace Lin is a prolific writer and there are other
titles to foster a love of the Asian American culture.
Reviews
- Booklist (2006): “Lin, who is known for her picture books, dots the text with charming ink drawings, some priceless, such as one picturing Grace dressed as a munchkin. Most of the chapters are bolstered by anecdotes from Grace's parents, which connect Grace (and the reader) to her Taiwanese heritage. Lin does a remarkable job capturing the soul and the spirit of books like those of Hayward or Maud Hart Lovelace, reimagining them through the lens of her own story, and transforming their special qualities into something new for today's young readers.”
- Children’s Literature (2006): “In the age of self-awareness, Grace Lin has written a lighthearted story about Pacey, a young Taiwanese-American girl struggling to find a balance between her American life and her Asian roots. This is a fun and simple coming-of-age story for anyone who feels that they do not quite fit in. This book is sprinkled with entertaining small drawings in the margins that younger readers will enjoy.”
Awards
- 2006 Asian Pacific American Award for Literature, honorable mention (text)
- 2006 National parenting Publications Award, Gold Book, ages 9 and up
Connections
- Learn more about author Grace Lin at her website: http://www.gracelin.com/
- Read The Year of the Dog sequels by Grace Lin titled The Year of the Rat ISBN: 031611426X and Dumpling Days ISBN: 9780316125901
- Teach your students how to draw a dog just like Pacy at: http://www.gracelin.com/media/book/activities_drawdog.gif
Bibliography
Cover,
Mount Juliet, Tennessee. Personal photograph by Amy Wilson. November 12, 2017.
Lin,
Grace. The Year of the Dog. New York,
NY: Little, Brown and Company, 2006. ISBN 0316060003
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