Goldfish and Chrysanthemums [School & Library Binding]

Andrea Cheng (Author), Michelle Chang (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2003 | Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

Young Nancy is helping Ni Ni (Grandma) in the kitchen when a letter arrives with bad news -- her childhood home in China, with its beautiful garden pond filled with fish and ringed with chrysanthemums, is being torn down. Later that day, at the summer fair, Nancy spots a ball-tossing game, Win a Goldfish! Aiming carefully, she wins one, and then two. Now the question is how to use them to make Ni Ni feel better. Andrea Cheng's sensitive text and Michelle Chang's lovely illustrations show the enduring bonds that can exist across cultures and generations.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2-In this warm story of intergenerational love, a girl re-creates a piece of her grandmother's childhood home in China. Nancy lives in a brownstone with her older brother, their parents, and Ni Ni, the youngsters' grandmother. The woman is sad to learn that her father's house in Suzhou, with its beautiful fishpond surrounded by chrysanthemums, is to be torn down for an apartment building. When Nancy wins two goldfish at a street fair, she decides to build a backyard fishpond. With the help of a kindly neighbor and her brother, she lays out a stone path, sets down an old picnic bench, plants flowers, and surprises Ni Ni. This portrait of a caring family resonates with scenes of sharing and togetherness. The rich golds, greens, and browns of the oil paintings add to the spirit of warmth and security. Use this book in multicultural and family story programs.
Susan Pine, New York Public Library
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

PreS-Gr. 2. Ni Ni, Nancy's grandmother, gets a letter from China telling her that her ancestral home is being razed for apartment buildings. As Ni Ni recalls with melancholy the lovely goldfish pond surrounded by yellow mums, Nancy decides she must do something to raise Ni Ni's spirits. First, Nancy wins a pair of goldfish at a fair. When that doesn't seem enough, Nancy, with help from her neighbor and brother, builds a small pond for the goldfish in the backyard and surrounds it with chrysanthemums. The telling is direct, and the message about bringing happiness to those one loves is clear. Cheng's artwork conveys both the action and the deep familial love without ambiguity, but the decision to give the artwork a golden patina produces a similitude that borders on tedium. Best for larger libraries or ones with immigrant populations that can really appreciate ties to a faraway place. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• School & Library Binding: 32 pages
• Publisher: Lee & Low Books (April 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1584300574
• ISBN-13: 978-1584300571
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,046,698 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars It's a great story!, January 4, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Goldfish and Chrysanthemums (School & Library Binding)

This is a great book. The little girl in this story is very kind and thoughtful. I am learning Mandarin so I understand some of the words mentioned in the story.

4.0 out of 5 stars great family read aloud, February 18, 2005

By 

Melissa Sack (georgia) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Goldfish and Chrysanthemums (School & Library Binding)

Nancy is a little Chinese American girl that lives with her parents and grandmother in the USA. One day her grandma gets a letter from her brother in China. The letter says that they are tearing down the old house where they use to live to make some new apartment buildings. This makes grandmother sad. She tells Nancy that there was a fish pond in the middle of the house that she worked in with her father. Nancy goes to a school fair and wins some goldfish. This gives her an idea. She wants to make grandma a fish pond with a garden like the one she had in China. It's hard work but Nancy and her brother work hard and it makes grandma so happy when she sees the garden!

The story was neat. I liked how the girl loved her grandma and she didn't want her to be sad so we worked hard to make her happy again.

I would recommend this book to others. This is a good story to share as a family and talk about feelings.

5.0 out of 5 stars A Family Story, January 30, 2005

By 

Karen Woodworth Roman "Happy Librarian" (DeKalb, IL) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Goldfish and Chrysanthemums (School & Library Binding)

Nancy decides to make a garden in the backyard like the one that her grandmother remembers from China. The story is a quiet and loving family tale and the illustrations are muted green, orange, and gold. Karen Woodworth Roman www.librarians.info