Name of Book by Janet Wong	Book Reviews
Hide & Seek	Hide & Seek is an early childhood counting book about a boy and dog that are trying to find hiding places while daddy counts to ten. The author, Janet Wong, uses simple rhyming phrases that would be a great teaching tool to introduce rhyming. Wong uses humor in this book when the child tells the dog "No, not the trash can- you want to stink?" The words are in bold black writing and are spaced out all over the page incorporating the illustrations. Caldecott Honor Winner, Margaret Chodos-Irvine is the illustrator for this book. She uses printmaking techniques with bold colors to convey the story. The illustrations tell the ending of the story as the oven says "Bing!" the cookies are done and the last page shows the dad handing the boy a cookie with no words. The numbers 1-10 are written in word format and also illustrated in numeral form. With an adult’s help, the listener can find the objects that correspond to the number that the dad is counting on each page. On the cover, Chodos-Irvine illustrates a boy peeking out from layered cut outs. This is a fun book that would be a great addition to anyone’s collection of counting books. Although Wong is from a Chinese culture, this book does not show any cultural markers. The boy and dad are making chocolate chip cookies and they both have light skin color. The little boy has blue eyes and blond hair.
Apple Pie Fourth of July	Apple Pie Fourth of July is written by Janet S. Wong and illustrated by Margaret Chodos-Irvine. (A previous award-winning book, Buzz, was also written and illustrated by the same author/illustrator team.) Wong wrote this book as an apology to her parents who were not born in the United States and own a Chinese restaurant in rural Oregon.* Wong uses numerous cultural markers in this book that involve her Chinese heritage. Chinese foods such as sweet and sour pork, egg rolls, chicken chow mein, and noodles are illustrated and written into this book. Wong writes, “My parents do not understand all American things” showing that the child in the story is aware of the cultural differences in her daily life. Dad does point out that the fireworks that Americans use on the Fourth of July are Chinese. The artwork resembles cut outs on paper collage and has a large range of colors. The child and parents have dark hair and skin color that is consistent with the Chinese ethnicity. The Fourth of July is usually celebrated as an Anglo-American holiday celebrating the American Revolution.   It’s nice to have a book that shows a different way to celebrate the holiday, since diversity is what our country is founded upon. *taken from book reading by Janet Wong at White House for the 2003 Easter Egg Roll.  See fireworks on previous page for link.
This Next New Year	This Next New Year has numerous culture markers in the writing and illustrations. The protagonist is half Korean and his mother cooks him duk gook, a Korean new year soup. His French and German friend celebrates the lunar new year by eating Thai food. The boy’s Hopi and German friend celebrates the lunar new year by getting a red envelope with money from a neighbor from Singapore. The author, Janet Wong, uses superstitions and humor in this book. When the boy’s hands itch, he thinks that means that money is coming while "my brother thinks it’s warts." Mom also cleans the house to make room for luck in the coming year. The illustrations, by Yangsook Choi, are bright, energetic two page paintings. Choi includes dragons in the New Year parade and a sash with oriental writing on it. Wong includes an author’s note at the end of the book that explains that the lunar new year does not always fall in the same month, because it depends on the new moon, not the calendar. She also explains certain symbols in her culture during this celebration such as peaches bringing "long life, the way noodles would." This is a colorful, authentic book that would be wonderful to share with children to show diversity.
Comparing the three books	All three of the books by Janet Wong are for early elementary children.  Each book has different strengths in different areas, but can be used throughout the year.  Hide and Seek should not be used as a multi-cultural book, since there are no cultural markers.  But, Hide and Seek would be a great book to teach rhyming words and numbers.  Apple Pie Fourth of July mainly focuses on the Chinese culture by centering around American and Chinese foods.  This Next New Year talks about many cultures and how they celebrate the same holidays different ways by food or rituals.  So both Apple Pie Fourth of July and This Next New Year are good books to incoporate multi-culturism into the classroom.  Janet Wong shows her many talents in these three books by Apple Pie Fourth of July being a narrative book and This Next New Year and Hide & Seek incorporating poetry.

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