A Song for Ba [Hardcover]

Paul Yee (Author), Jan Peng Wang (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up

In the Chinese opera, men traditionally sing both male and female parts. Wei Lim's father, Ba, however, usually plays masculine characters and sings in a deep bass voice. But Wei's grandfather played female roles, and has secretly taught Wei to sing these difficult parts. When the New World's entertainments begin to cause a shrinking audience for the opera company, and Ba is forced to play female characters, which can help him learn to sing in such high tones? Color illustrations help bring Wei's tale, and this ancient art form, to life.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-5–This story is set in the early part of the 20th century, when Chinese immigrants to the Pacific coast struggled to keep the ancient art of Chinese opera alive. Motherless Wei lives with his father and grandfather, both of whom are opera singers. Ba always plays the part of a brave, powerful general; Grandfather, following Chinese tradition that kept women off the stage, used to play female roles. Although Wei longs to follow them onto the stage, Ba believes that there is no future for his son in this dying art form and refuses to instruct him. However, Grandfather secretly teaches young, high-voiced Wei the women's songs he sang long ago. After Grandfather returns to China, Ba's troupe hits hard times, and a shortage of performers forces him to play both general and lady. Using the skills Grandfather taught him, Wei coaches his father for the unfamiliar role, and then shares in his success on opening night. The illustrations, done in oils on textured canvas, realistically depict the characters as they look offstage, as well as in their traditional costumes and makeup. Double-page, soft-focused paintings, executed in muted colors, convey the mood of nostalgia and loss inherent in this backstage tale. Pair this story with Aaron Shepard's Lady White Snake (Pan Asian, 2001) and films of Chinese opera to introduce this art form, so central to traditional Chinese culture.–Margaret A. Chang, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, North Adams
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 2-5. Wei Lim lives in "a large city by the Pacific ocean" with his grandfather and father, Ba, a singer in a Chinese opera troupe. Ba does not want Wei Lim to follow the family tradition, as he sees no future for Chinese opera in their adopted country. However, Grandfather teaches Wei Lim the melodies, movements, and techniques. When his father struggles to learn a new role, Wei Lim coaches him, recalling his grandfather's lessons. The concise, well-paced narrative presents background about Chinese opera without turning the story into a lesson. Instead, the focus is always on Wei Lim and his relationship with his father. The realistic paintings work well with the text, and readers will be fascinated by Ba's metamorphosis as he takes on one of the women's roles in the production. The artwork also provides a vivid contrast between the family's simple home and clothing and the rich pageantry and dazzling costumes of Chinese opera. An excellent choice for music and multicultural studies, this is also a poignant father-and-son story. Linda Perkins
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Groundwood Books (April 13, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0888994923
• ISBN-13: 978-0888994929
• Product Dimensions: 12.3 x 9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,848,901 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Coming of age for a child and a way of life, January 30, 2005

By 

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

This review is from: A Song for Ba (Hardcover)

Wei, the child in this story, is the son and grandson of Chinese opera singers. At the beginning of the story, he idolizes the way of life his father and friends lead. His father, however, is nervous about the future of the Chinese opera in the new world, and steers his son towards excellence at school. His grandfather, however, secretly teaches Wei how to sing. The crucial difference between Wei's father and grandfather is that the former always sings the male roles and the latter always the female.

After his grandfather leaves, Wei is forced to see the downside of his father's job and what the opera's fading popularity might mean to his father and his own future. At the end of the story, Wei is able to save the day (or at least the performance), but the reader is left uneasy about Wei's (and his community's) future.

Though the author does not belabor the issues, he does drop hints about immigration, prejudice and class differences. While these might be lost on a younger reader, they will provide food for thought (and hopefully discussion) for the slightly older reader.