We are continuing our book roundups as the holidays get closer and closer. Today we are sharing some multicultural books with an Asian theme. The books include a picture book, a book of folk tales and a picture dictionary. These are perfect for classrooms, libraries as well as families. We will start with the picture book. It is We Sing from the Heart: How the Slants® Took Their Fight for Free Speech to the Supreme Court by Mia Wenjen and illustrated by Victor Bizar Gomez. It is recommended for ages 8 to 12.
From the Publisher:
A compelling account of Simon Tam's fight for free speech that ended with a landmark Supreme Court decisionMusic is a way to transcend cultures and divides. Simon Tam used his band's name, The Slants®, to make a powerful statement that racist insults could no longer be hurtful to Asian Americans. But then the U.S. Trade and Patent Office tries to stop him. In his eight-year battle to win trademark protection, Simon would go all the way to the Supreme Court in a landmark case to rout out structural racism in our government systems. Mia Wenjen takes us back to Simon's early days and the formation of the band, to the long battle to claim the name they chose to use. We learn of his motivations and the years-long struggle that leads ultimately to the Supreme Court of the United States. Told using lyrics from the band's hit song about their trademark fight, this compelling story will keep readers riveted until the dramatic ending. We Sing from the Heart gives background and context to the significance of Simon's quest, not just for him and his band, but for free speech rights for us all. Newcomer to children's books, Victor Bizar Gómez, channels the indie music world with dynamic artwork that compliments the storytelling and is sure to draw in readers with his exciting graphic approach.
From Me:
This book shares the story of recent Asian American history. I for one had not heard of it so I am so glad Mia shared it with me. Simon Tam and his Asian American band wanted to trademark their band name, The Slants®. They had to take it to the Supreme Court because the trademark office would not grant it due to the derogatory nature of the name, however they grant other trademarks with derogatory names to people not of that culture. Simon Tam realized he was fighting for free speech and to be able to take ownership of the derogatory term many Asians are called.
The book shares Simon Tam's story as well as the words to the song, We Sing from the Heart which is a song The Slants® wrote about this journey. The words to the song are on each page as well as at the end of the book. The verse on each page is in the large font with the music notes. The story is interesting and will shock some people to realize there is still systematic racism in our country. I know I have had this discussion with my husband. For many white people they believe that most of the racism has been ended, but it has not, and this book shows a recent case.
I feel like this is an important book. It is a book that shows kids that they can fight the system when something is wrong. It shows them they can come together and be different. Simon's parents did not want him pursuing a career in music in the beginning, but he found a way. It also shows that there is still a fight left to fight against racism in our country. I hope schools and libraries will have it on their shelves and share it. I hope families will read it and discuss it. We need to start talking about racism and other issues that our society faces instead of ignoring them or pretending they are not there. This book will help do this. At the end of the book there is information on The Slants® as well as information about others who have fought Anti-Asian racism over time. There is also information about both the author, Mia Wenjen, and Simon Tam. The book also shares bits of history and information throughout the story. For example on the page below the left side of the page has information about Ruth Bader Ginsburg since the book quotes her as well as about the Supreme Court.
Our next book is a book of folktales or fables. Each one has a moral at the end. It is a bilingual book in English and Vietnamese. It is Vietnamese Folktales for Children retold by Tran Thi Minh Phuoc and illustrated by Nguyen Thi Hop and Nugyen Dong. It is recommended for ages 5 to 13.
From the Publisher:
Creative Child Magazine 2024 Book of the Year! - Bilingual Story Books for KidsThe timeless charm and wisdom of Vietnamese folktales in parallel English and Vietnamese versions!
These ten delightful stories bring Vietnam's rich culture and traditions vividly to life. This volume is perfect for story time and read-alouds, and for anyone who loves the imaginative leaps and moral lessons in traditional myths and legends.
This essential anthology includes:
- Thach Sung and the Cracked Earthen Pot — A greedy man learns that it's better to be satisfied with what you have than to yearn for the unattainable.
- The Carp and the Dragon's Gate — A fish turns into a dragon, showing that with hard work and perseverance seemingly impossible goals can be achieved.
- The Toad Is Sir Sky's Uncle — A brave toad saves the world from drought, showing that we should never judge someone by their looks.
- And seven more fascinating tales!
Sure to delight readers of all ages, Vietnamese Folktales for Children is perfect for parents who want their children to absorb the wisdom of Vietnamese folk stories while becoming familiar with the Vietnamese language along the way.
From Me:
I have always been a believer of how folktales share a bit of culture with the reader. These definitely do. I love the range of stories and the morals at the end. Even the morals teach a bit about the Vietnamese culture. One of them is "The power of the gods protects us from evil." It shows a bit of the believes of the culture and their belief in their gods. Many of the stories have magic or gods in them and as other culture fables teach lessons about greed, kindness and more.
The illustrations are colorful and clear. They do their job of helping us visualize the stories and the culture. The stories are about three pages long with both languages and the illustrations. This book is perfect for story time, bedtime, as well as to learn more about Vietnam or to learn the language.
Help the young ones in your life explore the world through folktales like this book. For more books and activities to learn about Vietnam check out these posts.
Our final book for today is a picture dictionary. I have shared picture dictionaries previously (including a Vietnamese one) similar to ones like this. This time however it is Arabic. The book is Arabic Picture Dictionary by Islam Medhat Farag.
From the Publisher:
A fun and helpful resource for anyone interested in learning Arabic—whether you're 5 or 100!This illustrated dictionary presents the 1,500 most useful Arabic words and sentences that beginning learners need to know. The vocabulary is organized into 38 thematic sections. Each section presents 25-35 words and 5-8 sentences demonstrating their usage. Every word and sentence is given in the Arabic script along with a Romanized equivalent to help you pronounce it correctly—along with the English meaning.
Richly illustrated with over 700 color photographs, this useful language tool includes an introduction to the Arabic script and pronunciation as well as an English-Arabic index for quick reference. Free online recordings by native Arabic speakers are available for all the vocabulary and sentences, so students can learn their correct pronunciation!
This colorful picture dictionary includes:
- Hundreds of color photographs
- 1,500 Arabic words and phrases
- 38 different topics—from social media and WiFi to paying and counting
- Example sentences showing how the words are used
- Companion online audio recordings by native Arabic speakers of all the vocabulary and sentences
- An introduction to Arabic pronunciation and grammar
- An index to allow you to quickly look up words
Arabic Picture Dictionary makes language learning more fun than traditional phrasebooks. This resource is perfect for beginners of all ages—curious kids, visual learners and future travelers.
From Me:
Picture dictionaries help learners with a new language. This one includes photos for most of the words. The words are divided into topics that range from many everyday kind of words including food (both Western and Arabic), colors, transportations, travel, animals, and more. The book begins with an introduction to Arabic including notes about the writing system and pronunciation. Then it goes into words about meeting someone. It has words like "to meet", "hello", "what?", "goodbye" and more. The words are in Arabic, Arabic pronunciation and English and most include a photogrpah.
I love how colorful and clear it is. There is a lot on each page, but it is done in a manner that makes it easy and fun to use. There is an online link to download free audio recordings so you can practice the proper pronunciation and hear it. Picture dictionaries are great for children who are beginning to learn a language or are interested in learning a language. Imagine what they can pick up by looking through the book and listening to the audio downloads. The downloads are divided by each topic so the reader/learner can focus on one page at a time.
This book is perfect for anyone trying to learn Arabic. It is also a great book for libraries. It will also be great for a family who is bilingual with Arabic and English so those learning the languages have it as a reference book.
