by Monique Storie, University of Guam
I spend a lot of time lurking in bookstores. When I am not picking up the latest and greatest new arrival, I am usually looking for Asian and Pacific children’s literature. In doing so, I have found some themes that resonate across the Pacific. For example, in Too Many Mangos: a Story About Sharing (Paikai, 2009), each time Kama and Nani share their grandfather’s mangos with neighbors, they receive a thank-you gift in return. By sharing with others, the children learn how reciprocal exchanges help everyone to get what they need and create a community. Similarly, Cora Cooks Pancit (Gilmore, 2009) and Lola: a Ghost Story (Torres, 2010) highlight family unity in everyday life and in times of loss. Other books, like Ki’i and Li’i: a Story from the Stones, hint at how details of the region’s earliest history may have been lost to time and change but that they represent (as well as shape) current identities. These stories make Asian and Pacific lives visible and highlight commonalities in cultural values throughout the Pacific. However, as universal as these themes are and as enriching as these stories might be to a Pacific Islander, I have learned is that sometimes “Pacific” is just not specific enough.
In some cases, Pacific stories emphasize the distinctions in Pacific cultures. Pacific cultures are vastly different, many of which do not have similar histories and languages (Yamate, 1997). The tones, word choices, idiomatic expressions, and imagery used in the stories from New Zealand rarely resemble those from Fiji or Palau or Hawaii. At times, the differences can be so resounding that a reader requires a dictionary or the Internet to shed light on what he or she has read. In these instances, Pacific stories are so foreign that sometimes other Pacific Islanders find making meaningful connections difficult.
Even when the stories come from neighboring communities with similar cultural traits, sometimes the slightest nuances can trigger a feeling of confusion. Take Too Many Mangos as an example. In Guam, lips will smack at the idea of banana macadamia nut muffins and guava jelly, but “mangos with shoyu, vinegar, and chili pepper water” and “mangos in li hing powder” result in confused eyebrows and sometimes a “Wait, where IS that? Is that Guam?!” The feeling is similar to being jolted awake from a dream that you thought was real—you feel like you are right there and then all of a sudden you’re not. You’re in and then you’re out and you don’t quite know what happened.
In contrast, stories that are culture specific create a host of positive responses. For example, Grandma’s Love has a grandmother sharing words of wisdom with her grandchildren before reminding them to be anything they want to be. I have watched adults clutch that story to their chests and stroke the book gingerly as if it was their most prized possession. Similarly, Lola’s Journey Home is about a young girl who comes home to Guam, develops a close relationship with her grandmother but still struggles to find her place within the family and community. Teachers have shared (and I have seen firsthand) how reading this story aloud captures the attention of students so fully that you could hear a pin drop.
Pacific stories do have the ability to remind Pacific readers of home. However, culture-specific stories mesmerize. They create feelings of excitement and awe. They develop pride and a sense of place. In as much as individual readers can identify with universal themes and find connections with stories from other communities, every community needs their own stories (Moore, 1990) and stories that are halfway there just don’t work.
References
Gilmore, Dorina K Lazo. (2009). Cora cooks pancit. Illustrated by Kristi Valiant. Walnut Creek, CA: Shen’s Books.
Gruenberg, Jeremiah, Ho’oku’u. (2001). Ki’i and Li’i: a story from the stones. Honolulu, HI: Goodale Publishing.
Leon Guerrero, Victoria-Lola. (2005). Lola’s journey home. Illustrated by Maria Yatar McDonald. Guam: Estorian Famagu’on.
Moore, Barbara. (1990). “Tukuni Mada Mai: Towards a Children’s Literature for the South Pacific.” In Spencer, Mary, Aguilar, Viviana, and Woo, Ginlin (eds.). Vernacular language symposium on new and developing orthographies in Micronesia. Mangilao, Guam: University of Guam Press, pp. 81-90.
Paikai, Tammy. (2009). Too many mangos: a story about sharing. Waipahu: Island Heritage Press.
Torres, J., Or, Elbert. (2009) Lola: a ghost story. Portland, OR: Oni Press.
Winterlee, Dottie. (1994). Grandma’s Love. Illustrated by Judy S. Flores. Hong Kong: Knowledge Craft Ltd.
Yamate, Sandra. (1977). Asian Pacific American Children’s Literature: Expanding Perspectives of Who Americans Are.” In Violet Harris (ed.) Using multiethnic literature in the K-8 classroom. Norwood, MA: Christopher Gordon Pub. Co., pp. 95-125.
Journey through Worlds of Words during our open reading hours: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Themes: Jeremiah Ho’oku’u Gruenberg, Ki’i and Li’i: a Story from the Stones, Monique Storie
- Descriptors: Books & Resources, WOW Currents