Brothers [Hardcover]

Yin (Author), Chris Soentpiet (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 7, 2006 | Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: K and up

When Ming arrives in San Francisco after the long boat journey from China, his older brothers waste no time warning him: "Chinese should not go outside Chinatown." But Ming risks doing just that, and when he meets Patrick, he knows the young Irish boy has a kind heart, and begins a remarkable friendship that brings their two very different communities together.

Illustrated in Chris Soentpiet’s richly detailed watercolor paintings, this long-awaited follow-up to the award-winning Coolies helps to tell the precious, rare story of the first Chinese immigrants and their pursuit of the American Dream.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-5–When Ming arrives in San Francisco from China, he is met at the dock by his older brother Shek, a character first introduced in Coolies (Philomel, 2001). Disappointed that Brother Wong isn't there as well, Ming discovers that times aren't good, and that Wong is again working for the railroad. Shek is running a general store, but not many customers come to buy. Expected to mind the shop while Shek does extra labor on a nearby farm, Ming works hard, but is lonely and begins to explore beyond the Chinatown border. He discovers a school where he longs to go, but Shek explains that Chinese aren't welcome there. One day, Ming meets a friendly Irish boy who teaches him English, and together they devise a way to get more customers to the store. The story is heartwarming, but, unlike Coolies, both the story and the art paint a somewhat idealized picture. It is unlikely that the fortunes of the store could be so easily turned around just by hanging a sign saying that English is spoken there. Soentpiet's illustrations glow with light, and the faces of his characters register authentic emotions, but the settings are a little too perfect–no dirt, little clutter, store shelves bursting with food and other merchandise. Still, the sense of determination that drives the brothers to succeed in this alien environment makes this book a good addition to stories of the immigrant experience.–Barbara Scotto, Michael Driscoll School, Brookline, MA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 2-4. In this sequel to Coolies (2000), young Ming arrives in San Francisco from China, eager to reconnect with his older brothers. Wong has returned to work on the railroads, but Shek invites Ming to help in his struggling Chinatown grocery store. Life is lonely for Ming until he makes friends with Patrick, an Irish immigrant living in a nearby neighborhood. As the friendship progresses, Ming learns some English, which enables him to promote the store to customers outside of Chinatown, greatly improving business. Soentpiet's luminescent, photo-realistic paintings, which provide many vivid setting details, perfectly complement Yin's thoughtful text. An afterward clarifies that this story is fiction and offers further information about Irish and Chinese immigration in the mid-1800s and the development of San Francisco's Chinatown. Great for group sharing, this tale will be welcomed by classes learning about history, immigration, and multiculturalism, as well as how to be a friend. Sally Estes
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Philomel (September 7, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399234063
• ISBN-13: 978-0399234064
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 12.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,169,553 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book introduces to young readers some basic historical facts about immigrants from China and Ireland who came to America, October 5, 2009

By 

American Immigration Council's Community Educ... (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Brothers (Hardcover)

Brothers is a gentle story of a Chinese immigrant boy, Ming, who arrives in San Francisco in the mid 19th century to live with his two brothers and help them run their small store in Chinatown. Ming's desire for friendship pulls him across the boundary of his neighborhood where he befriends an Irish immigrant, Patrick O'Farrell, whose family came to America to escape starvation. The boys teach each other about their respective cultures and languages as well as devise a plan to save Ming's brothers' failing business.

This upbeat tale is narrated in the present tense by Ming and is accompanied by artist Chris Soentpiet's beautifully detailed paintings depicting Ming's new world as a happy, bustling community. Written at a primary level, this book introduces to young readers some basic historical facts about immigrants from China and Ireland who came to America 150 years ago while telling a story of friendship and acceptance. The Soentpiets, a husband and wife author/illustrator team, have also published the picture book Coolies, also about Chinese immigrants.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sweet story of solidarity, February 10, 2008

By 

dnk "dnkboston" (Boston, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Brothers (Hardcover)

The main character in this book is a young Chinese immigrant who comes to San Francisco to help his (slightly) older brothers. Like many immigrants, they live and stay in an isolated community- and like many immigrants, they have good reason to be afraid of those on the outside. However, the young boy yearns for companionship of people his own age, and soon makes a friend of a young Irish immigrant. The two form an instant friendship, and through that the boy is able to save his family's store and eventually reunite his brothers.

In adult American history, much stress is put on the competition for resources and the animosity, resentment and violence that immigrant groups suffered as a result- particularly the very unprotected Chinese. All of that is implied in the older brother's warning that the boy should stay "with his own kind." However, it bears repeating, particularly in a children's story, that cooperation is far better for groups than tooth-baring competition. We can only hope that these two continued their friendship as they grew older and found other ways of bringing such cooperation to both of their communities.

5.0 out of 5 stars MUST READ!!!, January 29, 2007

By 

Book Lover (Columbia, SC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Brothers (Hardcover)

Few children's book today can capture and engage my chidren's interest as much as BROTHERS. The illustrations reminds me of my history books I've collected about China. Obviously the illustrator have done his homework. All the details are richly depicted and accurately painted. If you want to know about Chinese American history or how Chinatown came to be, BROTHERS is a must have. This is a wonderful gift for any teacher or student wanting to learn about multi-cultural history. Although this is a children's book, this book is a welcome addition to all social studies curriculum on elementary, middle-school and high school levels. College art school professors can benefit by sharing with their students the beautiful watercolour and realistic paintings. Very few children's book today can capture the historical sensitivity and realism than Soentpiet's work.