Mei-Mei Loves the Morning [Hardcover]

Margaret Tsubakiyama (Author), Cornelius Van Wright (Illustrator), Ying-Hwa Hu (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

Tsubakiyama's simple story, set in a contemporary city in China, depicts a typical morning in the life of young Mei-Mei and her grandfather. The warm and engaging watercolor illustrations bring this intergenerational story to life. Full color.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Tsubakiyama's first picture book offers a glimpse of a girl in modern urban China. After sharing a breakfast of rice porridge and pickled vegetables, Mei-Mei and her grandfather hook their songbird's cage on Grandpa's bicycle and ride it through the city streets, joining the throng of bikers. Once they reach the park, the two hang the birdcage on a branch of a plum tree, alongside a number of other cages, and join a multi-generational group in a tai-chi session. Though the backgrounds of the illustrations are sometimes undefined or sketchy, the artists' realistic, closely focused portraits of the happy child and her loving grandfather are the highlight of the full-spread watercolor-and-pencil artwork. Paired with a gentle, descriptive narrative imbued with the affection shared by grandfather and granddaughter, these emotion-charged paintings make it easy for readers to understand why Mei-Mei loves the morning. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2-This skillful blend of art and text turns a young Chinese girl's early morning routine into a joyous adventure. While Mei-Mei's parents sleep, Grandpa prepares rice porridge and the child wakens and feeds their pet songbird. After breakfast, Grandpa rides Mei-Mei to the park on his bicycle through a bustling city, the covered birdcage swinging from his handlebars. In the park, the cage hangs with others from the branches of a plum tree while the girl and her grandpa join friends young and old to practice tai-chi. Although there is no conflict and very little suspense, the simple, brief text maintains an engaging momentum, paired as it is with impressionistic paintings celebrating urban life in China. The illustrations develop Mei-Mei and Grandpa into fully rounded characters whose lives are rich in affection for one another and the friends they meet each morning. Like Niki Daly's Not So Fast, Songololo (McElderry, 1986), Mei-Mei's story builds an accurate picture of a specific place, using salient details, then rises above the particular to portray a universal daily experience-a grandparent and grandchild relishing life together.
Margaret A. Chang, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, North Adams
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company (March 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807550396
• ISBN-13: 978-0807550397
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.3 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #975,222 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful description of a child's morning in China, October 28, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Mei-Mei Loves the Morning (Hardcover)

This beautifully written and illustrated book describes a typical Chinese child's morning. Mei-Mei eats a breakfast of rice porridge with grandfather while mommy and daddy sleep. Then she helps her grandfather care for his songbird, rides with him on his bike to the park where they practice Tai Chi with their friends and drink tea, and rides home again, visiting one of the local street vendors to buy pancakes. It's a lovely story with beautiful illustrations and has quickly become one of our 4-year old daughter's favorite books. We also love it because it teaches her about life in another country in such a nice way.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great intro to life in China through a child's eyes., April 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Mei-Mei Loves the Morning (Hardcover)

Excellent! A great multicultural family story. This book shows life in modern China through a little girl's eyes. The book shows the loving relationship between kindergarten-aged Mei-Mei and her grandfather. In it, we see that loving family relationships truly transcend cultural boundaries. Mei-Mei and her grandfather share many activities that American children may share with their grandparents: eating meals together, going to the park, caring for pets. But their breakfast is rice, not cereal; their pet is a beautiful songbird, not a dog or cat. In their everyday activities, we see their love for each other. A great multicultural family story!

5.0 out of 5 stars Love the Book!, April 30, 2009

By 

E. Eubanks (New Jersey) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mei-Mei Loves the Morning (Hardcover)

A book I quickly needed for school. It arrived swiftly and it was in great condition.