Have you ever thought about what it might be like to be an immigrant? How about an immigrant child? Often the children of immigrants have to take on a role of translator, navigator, and advocate. Today we are sharing a new picture book (releasing tomorrow) that shares the special bond that is often formed by immigrant parent and child. The book is called Navigating Night by Julie Leung and illustrated by Angie Kang. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8.
About the Book:
A girl guides her dad on his route delivering Chinese take-out food in this touching picture book -- written by an APALA award winner and illustrated by a Caldecott Honor winner -- that celebrates the unique bond between immigrant parents and their children.Every night, a girl must help her dad, whose English is not as good as hers, make deliveries for their small family restaurant. Sitting next to him in the car, she studies a map and gives him directions in Cantonese. She helps him get to the places he needs to go.
She hates doing this, though. Hates carrying grease-stained boxes of Mongolian beef and moo goo gai pan to customers' doors. Hates being different from the kids behind these doors. Why can't her family be normal like everyone else’s?
But when her dad tells her about how he immigrated, all alone as a teenager, to the United States, she comes to better understand him, and appreciate how he has made her American life possible.
From Me:
A young Chinese American girl has to go with her father each night to make food deliveries for the family restaurant. She hates it. One night though her father tells her his story. It is about the night things changed in China for his family. How he was the one picked to escape to America. It opens her eyes to a bit of what he has gone through and helps her appreciate the sacrifices he has made. It shares a bit of the bond of a immigrant parent and child.
I know several people who are the children of immigrants. Their parents struggle with English and often need an interpreter or translator. They need an advocate when they are dealing with medical issues or governmental issues. These roles often fall on their kids who speak English better and know their way around better. Kids can resent being put in this position. They want to be normal kids. They don't want to have to go to appointments with their parents or help deliver food. This book shares the point of view of the child and the resentment.
However, when the father opens up about his own experiences, the young girl starts to see what he has been through. That what he has done has made her life better. She gets a bit of an understanding of why she needs to help him and begins to feel more of a bond to him.
In the Author's Note Julie shares that she wrote this story based on her own experiences of delivering food with her father back in the 1990s. She shares a bit of the reason she wrote this book. In the Illustrator's Note, Angie shares a bit of her own experience as a child. She used her own experience as well as that of her parents to create the illustrations to make them as true as she could. She also shares a bit about her artwork and how and why she created some of the pictures and especially the rain. It is a wonderful book that is a bit eye opening. It shares an experience that many kids do not have but may help if they understand. Hopefully this book will help normalize the roles that children of immigrant parents have and help other children understand why their friends of immigrant parents may not be as free as they are with their time. This book is perfect to share at home and discuss as well as a classroom to learn about different cultures and gain some empathy for others.
