Chinese Americans

Tricky Chopsticks

A young Chinese American girl, Jenny, finds herself facing a dilemma as she struggles with the slippery and tricky nature of chopsticks. With her cousin Victor’s birthday party approaching, along with her family’s annual chopsticks challenge, Jenny is determined not to be the only Chow who can’t use the utensils. Fueled by determination and creativity, Jenny embarks on a series of STEAM-powered experiments to conquer the chopsticks. From engineering contraptions to using scientific principles, Jenny explores various techniques to improve her skills, despite wobbling and fumbling along the way. With humor and charm, “Jenny Chow and the Chopsticks Challenge” celebrates perseverance, creativity, and the importance of family traditions in a multicultural context.

Four Treasures Of The Sky: A Novel

Daiyu never wanted to be like the tragic heroine for whom she was named, revered for her beauty and cursed with heartbreak. But when she is kidnapped and smuggled across an ocean from China to America, Daiyu must relinquish the home and future she imagined for herself. Over the years that follow, she is forced to keep reinventing herself to survive. From a calligraphy school, to a San Francisco brothel, to a shop tucked into the Idaho mountains, we follow Daiyu on a desperate quest to outrun the tragedy that chases her. As anti-Chinese sentiment sweeps across the country in a wave of unimaginable violence, Daiyu must draw on each of the selves she has been-including the ones she most wants to leave behind-in order to finally claim her own name and story. At once a literary tour de force and a groundbreaking work of historical fiction, Four Treasures of the Sky announces Jenny Tinghui Zhang as an indelible new voice. Steeped in untold history and Chinese folklore, this novel is a spellbinding feat.

Ten Blocks to the Big Wok: A Chinatown Counting Book

This sweet story about a girl, her uncle, and a little cat they meet on the way accomplishes multiple fun and useful aims: It’s a fully bilingual counting book that teaches readers the numbers one through ten in both simplified Mandarin and English. It provides a fun tour of a typical Chinatown–a beloved neighborhood in many cities around the world. Children will enjoy spotting the kitten in every illustration as it trails Mia and Uncle Eddie through the streets. And with each item that Mia encounters on her walk, the book introduces some fascinating new aspect of Chinese culture or myth, as explained in the friendly backmatter. Join Mia and Uncle Eddie as they wander Ten Blocks to the Big Wok!

Front Desk

It will take all of Mia’s courage, kindness, and hard work to get through this year. Will she be able to hold on to her job, help the immigrants and guests, escape Mr. Yao, and go for her dreams.

Featured in WOW Review Volume XI, Issue 1.

Escape to Gold Mountain: A Graphic History of the Chinese in North America

This is a vivid graphic history of the Chinese experience in North America over the last 150 years, beginning with the immigration of Chinese to “Gold Mountain” (the Chinese colloquialism for North America) in the 1800s that resulted in decades of discrimination, subjugation, and separation from loved ones. Based on historical documents and interviews with elders, the book is also the epic story of the Wong family as they traverse these challenges with hope and determination, creating an immigrant’s legacy in their new home of North America.

The Year Of The Rat

In this sequel to Year of the Dog, Pacy has another big year in store for her. The Year of the Dog was a very lucky year: she met her best friend Melody and discovered her true talents. However, the Year of the Rat brings big changes: Pacy must deal with Melody moving to California, find the courage to forge on with her dream of becoming a writer and illustrator, and learn to face some of her own flaws. Pacy encounters prejudice, struggles with acceptance, and must find the beauty in change.Based on the author’s childhood adventures, Year of the Rat, features the whimsical black and white illustrations and the hilarious and touching anecdotes that helped Year of the Dog earn rave reviews and satisfied readers.