I Hate English! (A Blue Ribbon Book) [Paperback]

Ellen Levine (Author), Steve Bjorkman (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up | Series: A Blue Ribbon Book

"With unusual sympathy and humor, Levine presents the stages of learning the language of a new country.... Right on target and sure to be useful." - Kirkus Reviews, starred review

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"Such a lonely language. Each letter stands alone and makes its own noise. Not like Chinese." Mei Mei, a bright and articulate immigrant from Hong Kong, is having much difficulty adjusting to the new language and culture at school in New York City. When she hears a story in English about traveling by covered wagon, Mei Mei cries. "She didn't want English to have words that she didn't know in Chinese. . . . She felt she might lose something." A sensitive teacher takes Mei Mei under her wing, literally bombarding the girl with words, and succeeds in breaking through her fear of losing her identity. This story of cultural adjustment rings true, and Mei Mei's dilemma is strongly affecting. Her disgruntlement with English, the fun of an outing to Jones Beach, to cite two contrasting examples, are brought vividly to life by Bjorkman's cartoon-style illustrations (watercolor with pen-and-ink outline). Differentiating carefully between the Asian and Caucasian characters, the breezy humor of the pictures alleviates what otherwise would have been a burdensome bibliotherapeutic message. Ages 5-7.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

ELLEN LEVINE's award-winning books are Henry's Freedom Box, Freedom's Children, winner of the Jane Addams Peace Award and an ALA Best Book for Young Adults; and Darkness Over Denmark, a Jane Addams Peace Award Honor Book and an ALA Best Book for Young Adults. She lives in New York City and Salem, New York.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks (September 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0590423045
• ISBN-13: 978-0590423045
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 10 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #225,422 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #47 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Multicultural Stories > Asian & Asian American
  • #95 in Books > Children's Books > Travel & Cultures > Multicultural Stories > Asian & Asian American

More About the Author

Ellen Levine has always been drawn to stories of people who struggled for justice, and of ordinary people who did extraordinary things. She was fascinated by Henry "Box" Brown, whose escape is recounted in The Underground Railroad by William Still, first published in 1872. Ms. Levine was awed by Henry's ingenious idea and moved by his incredible courage. Among the author's award-winning books are Freedom's Children, winner of the Jane Addams Peace Award and an ALA Best Book for Young Adults; and Darkness Over Denmark, a Jame Addams Peace Award Honor Book and an ALA Best Book for Young Adults. She lives in New York City and Salem, New York.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book!, December 29, 2001

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: I Hate English! (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition) (School & Library Binding)

I have not run into many children who have felt this way in my short career as an ESOL teacher but students similar to Mei Mei are out there. This book is very helpful to teachers with ESOL students in their classroom who are not trained in TESOL practices. Students often go through a silent period where they are listening to the language and just taking English in before they begin speaking it. The story of Mei Mei gives an indication what may be going on in their minds at the time.
When I lived in Thailand, I often became frustrated and angry when I wanted to answer someone in Thai and tell them what I understood or knew about a subject, but was trapped by my lack of fluency in their language. I used to think, "Boy! If they could only understand me in English, then I'd tell them!" People would often mistake my lack of ability to communicate with lack of intelligence, which would frustrate me further. I will share this book with my students and hope I understand what they going through at times.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent for public school teachers to understand ESL, May 12, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: I Hate English (Hardcover)

Recently I used this book in an ESL teacher training class to help public school teachers understand culture shock for their ESL students. I read this book to a class of 28 adults and they were fascinated. Once, when I looked at them, they were sitting there like a class of children listening to a fascinating story. It was great!! In the evaluations, many mentioned the book as being very helpful to them.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for use with any second language learner, July 31, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: I Hate English (Hardcover)

I teach English as a Second Language to Spanish-speaking elementary students. We begin the year by reading this book and discussing how the students feel about learning English. We often refer back to the book throughout the year as we identify our own stages of language acquisition. This book is very realistic and motivational.