Angel Child, Dragon Child

I chose to read this book Angel Child, Dragon Child because I could relate to it. This book follows the story of a young Vietnamese girl, Ut, on her first day of school. On her first day of school, she is bullied because she is different. She gets made fun of for her name and the traditional Vietnamese outfit that she wore. Throughout the story we find out that Ut's mom is still in Vietnam. The children in the story host a fundraiser in hopes of reuniting Ut's mom. This book was a celebration of diversity and how our differences make us beautiful. For me, this book relays the idea that our differences are what make us special, and we should respect everyone's differences. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in show more reading it because it is a very heartwarming story, and I think that everyone will take something away from reading it. show less

Immediately I was struck by the illustrations with the soft edges and detailed faces as well as words being intertwined within the drawing. The story itself, in the beginning, makes one want to reach out and hug the young girl while at the same time giving an evil glare to the children that are making fun of her! However it turns around when Ut and Raymond are able to settle their differences by learning about one another. This book messages the importance of learning about and embracing those that are different from yourself. So often are families torn apart by circumstance and this story shows the pain and desperation that can come to children that are left without a parent. A beautiful and striking tale.

This is a great book about a girl named Ut who is a immigrant and has to learn all about a new culture and way of life without her mother, who she misses dearly. At first, the girl is made fun of for what she is wearing at her new American school. The children say she is wearing pajamas. She then finds comfort in her new home and becomes friends with the little red head boy who once made fun of her. This is a great story of friendship and I would recommend it to anyone.

I chose this book because of the Vietnamese population in New Orleans. There are many students and families that can identify with the journey, but countless more that will better understand what it's like to enter a new place with new languages and customs. Ut travels to American and begins school, but her mother remains in Vietnam. She dearly misses and her contends with social challenges at school. Ut's clothing is unusual and children laugh at her "pajamas." She is learning English and the text helps the reader to understand the challenges of a new language with quotations. Eventually Ut works with her primary tormentor, Raymond and they learn about one another. Raymond becomes very interested in her and she understands more about show more Raymond. Surprising perhaps even himself, Raymond helps her in an enormous way, sending a message about talking, overcoming differences, and working together to share experiences and grow community. It would be a wonderful story for the beginning or middle of the year when students are stretching and straining to develop socially. show less

The book, Angel Child, Dragon Child centers around the story of a young Vietnamese girl named Ut, who comes to America with her family. She's in a foreign land, without her mother (who had to stay in Vietnam because of a shortage of money) and after starting her first day of school, has to deal with a bully named Raymond. Ut struggles with trying to adjust to her new life in America and its worsens when classmates tease her. One day, Ut and Raymond get into a fight and are forced into the same room together. The two children end up becoming friends and with that, Ut eventually become friends with the other children as well. The end of the story focuses on the children hosting a fair to help raise money for Ut's mother to come to show more America. The illustrations in the book are very light, with warm colors to highlight the soft tone of Ut's character. While the story seems unrealistic, it still has a great message for children about being accepting of others. Just because someone is different from you, doesn’t mean that it’s alright to be mean to them. show less

Angel Child, Dragon Child is a story about a Vietnamese girl who is attending and American school for the first time. Her differences from the rest of the White students catch the attention of a bully but they become friends by the end of the book. The class even helps her with a fundraiser for her mother. Although I feel like accepting differences is an important lesson, especially in a classroom setting, this story seems just a bit unrealistic. I do really like the illustrations in the book. The pictures are very vivid and looks like they are drawn in colored pencil which is special because students have those materials in their own houses and classrooms. In a classroom I would use this story with 1st through 3rd graders to teach show more lessons and open up discussions about the multicultural world we live in and how not only should we tolerate differences but embrace them. show less

Overall, I really enjoyed Angel Child, Dragon Child. I thought it was a great story that’d be the perfect addition to multi-cultural classroom because in the story, the main character Ut, is from Vietnam and is adjusting to life in America. The book explores cultural differences between Vietnam and America and how that impacts Ut’s life at school. I think students will learn a lot about Vietnamese culture from the story, as well as how to treat new students and be aware and understanding of differences. I also enjoyed the water color illustrations because they were beautiful and really helped convey the story well. You could really get a sense of the characters and their feelings by looking at the illustrations. I also enjoyed the show more overall message of friendship and faith because it shows how positive interactions and remaining hopeful can lead to happiness.

I would recommend this story for students in first through third grade. The story was a pretty easy read and the message wasn’t difficult to understand. I think younger students would enjoy it and be able to have great discussions about cultural differences, how the characters were feeling throughout the story, and using predictions and inferences throughout the story to understand the plot. show less