Born Naughty: My Childhood in China gives children an understanding of the culture and experiences of a child growing up in China in 1982. From the very first page, Jin’s story hooks the reader. “When I was young I lived with my family in a mud house so tiny we barely fit inside. Our house had just one room, filled mostly with the bed we all shared—my mother, Ma, Die (meaning “father”) my two younger brothers, and I.” When I read this aloud to a class of 3rd and 4th graders, they immediately had questions about how five people could sleep together on such a small bed in a tiny one-room house. The black and white illustrations by Anisi Baigude helped them imagine the scene. The illustrations are expressive and action packed, adding details that illuminate the story.

Each chapter in the book evoked more questions from the students especially the description of what water was available to drink. “Because we had so little of it, water was a big, big thing… To save it, my family drank hardly any. Ma set most aside for cooking and washing clothes. We took baths once, maybe twice a year and shared about three cups of water each day for washing hands. I let my hands get very dirty before I washed them. But—Ma’s big rule—always before we ate we had to wash our hands.” The children listening to this part of the story were incredulous — a bath once or twice a year? Continue reading →