Customer Reviews

Angel Child, Dragon Child (Reading Rainbow)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is a wonderful story about a Vietnamese child trying to adjust to life in the USA. Ut has trouble with children at school because she is different. Haven't we all been there? Angel Child, Dragon Child is very realistic. Many children are brought to the USA by their families looking for a better life for themselves and their children. Unfortunately, not all people are accepting of those that are different. Surat does a terrific job of showing how UT sees herself as both an angel child and a dragon child. This story is one that should be used in classrooms across the country. Children can learn from this book that just because people look or dress differently, does not mean they do not have the same feelings as everyone else. Surat portrays how communities and people can come together to survive life. This is a wonderful story of accepting differences in others that children and adults should read.

Angel Child, Dragon Child is a wonderful story about a Vietnamese child trying to adjust to life in the USA. Ut has trouble with children at school becasue she is different. Ut has difficulty speaking English and her clothes are different from what American children wear. After fighting with a boy, she is forced to sit in a room and talk to the boy. Can they work things out? This story is very realistic. Many children are brought to the USA by their families looking for a better life for themselves and their children. Unfortunately, not all people are accepting of those that are different. Surat does a teriffic job of showing how Ut sees herself as a dragon child, when she is feeling or thinking mean thoughts, and as an Angel child, when she is being kind to others. This story is one that should be used in classrooms across the country. Children can learn from this book that just because people look or dress differently, does not mean they do not have the same feelings as everyone else. By having the whole school pull together to try to raise money to bring Ut's mom over, Surat is portraying that communities and people need to work together to survive life. This is a wonderful story of accepting differences in others that children and adults should read.

The "Angel Child,Dragon Child" story is about a little girl named "Nguyen Hoa" and her mom was far away in Vienam, so she had to go to a American School. The lesson it taught was that dont be scared to make changes. The Age Level is about 8 years old. I think the book was really good because it teaches alot of people how it is to change everything around you.

I found this to be a delightfully illustrated, sensitive book that looks at the realities of an immigrant family from Vietnam. It shows w/ pastel like illustrations the home environment, but also the school children becoming aware of a new culture being introduced to them.

And, even a bully can become a friend.

I'm not going to sell my copy of this book, like I do most books. I'm going to save if for my daughter who is studying to be an elementary school teacher.

I would highly recommend this book.

Will she be a good Angel Child, or put on her Dragon Child face as she deals with the issues of American school recently coming from Vietnam? Hoa and her sisters deal with the problems of being in a new American school and not having their mother with them, since she had to stay in Vietnam. Hoa needs to make friends, but she is sad because she misses her mother, and the school she goes to comes up with an idea with help. This Reading Rainbow book has engaging illustrations and although there are sad aspects it turns out well.

Angel Child, Dragon Child was used in my elementary school. I remember enjoying it very much, and when I think back, I realize that it teaches a great lesson in tolerance.
By the way, Mrs. Surat is a teacher at my school (Maggie L Walker Governor's School for Government and International Studies). I'm not in her class, but I've heard she's a good teacher.

My son is 5 years old and the media director read this book to his kindergarten class one day in media center. It is all I have heard about since, he made me go to the school and read the book so I could see for myself how good it was, and of course I had to find it for him for his home library. This is the first time he has ever wanted a book so badly.

A modern picture book about an immigrant child trying to fit in at school despite prejudice and bullying? From Scholastic? Why, my eyes were rolling so hard I very nearly blinded myself! But that is NOT what I found when I regained my sight and started to read. Instead I found a flat out gorgeously illustrated tale of the youngest daughter of an immigrant Vietnamese family so poor that they had decided to leave the Mother behind in order to bring all six children over to America with the Father. (According to a note in the back, this was partially based on a true story.)

Missing her mother every single day (she carries her photo around in a wooden match box), Hoa Nguyen struggles to fit in at school and to ignore the (probably, for the most part) unintentional cruelty of her clueless classmates, as she knows her mother would command. But one boy in particular makes a point of teasing her until she finally snaps. The resulting fight lands them both in detention with the unusually clever punishment of being ordered to stay there until they can work together well enough to produce a report about Vietnam, Hoa telling, Raymond writing.

In the process they come to know and understand each other a good deal better. So the next day when the principal reads their story aloud to the entire class, it is Raymond of all people who thinks of a solution to the problem (and proceeds to shout it out without raising his hand first, of course.)

Some have complained that Raymond's behavioral change is unrealistic for a true bully, but I wouldn't call him a true bully. He struck me more like the clueless young boy of olden times who thought the best way to impress a girl he secretly liked was to dunk her ponytail or pigtails in the inkwell. As such, a behavioral modification in response to Hoa's spontaneous act of kindness (and finally noticing that she had become fairly fluent in English; the doofus apparently feared being stuck in detention forever because he'd never be able to understand anything she said!) struck me as a lot more plausible. Besides, as a Christian, I am skeptical of all pronouncements that begin with, "Fill-in-the-blank people can't change." I'm sure it often looks that way, but if so, it is not because they can't,...

it is because they won't.

A charming and uplifting tale that teaches a gentle lesson without trying to cram it down your throat.

Great book! I read it to my third grade students. Afterwards, they worked together as partners and listened to each other talk about their families. Then they drew a picture and shared what their partner had told about their family. Also a great way to learn more about the Vietnamese culture.

This is probably better suited for the older end of the 4-8 range. It's a bit wordy, and my nieces didn't get into it at all. I'll shelve it until they're older.

The ending of this story is slightly contrived. In my experience, bullies don't miraculously become your best friend, no matter how many cookies you offer them. And they don't help your mom come to you either.