THE YEAR OF THE DOG by Grace Lin

Lin, Grace. The Year of the Dog. New York: Little Brown. 2006.  ISBN 0316060003.

Grace Lin is an established contributor of multicultural literature.  Preceding her Caldecott Honor book Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, she wrote The Year of the Dog, a charming autobiographical look at a young Taiwanese American girl navigating her place within two cultures. 

The title of the book references the Chinese New Year, and the cover of the book mimics the Hong Bao;  red envelopes filled with money that are exchanged during the Chinese New Year.  During the Year of the Dog, Pacy, also called Grace, is expecting to “find herself” and her talent and decide what she will be when she grows up.  The story takes us through the entire year and entertains us with humor and charm.   

The cultural markers of authenticity are prolific in Lin’s text and illustrations.  The Hong Bao, chop sticks, traditional Chinese clothing, and Chinese characters occur in the sweet and simple black and white sketches throughout the book.  The text also reminds us of the Chinese influence in Grace’s life by the short vignettes of the stories her mom tells her such as, “Mom’s First Day of School,” and “Mom’s First Friend.”  

A poignant moment in the story occurs when Grace’s world “goes silent” when one of her friends tells her she can’t be Dorothy in the school play, The Wizard of Oz, because Dorothy was not Chinese.  “Like a melting icicle, my dream of being Dorothy fell and shattered on the ground….I was SO dumb.  How could I have even thought about being Dorothy?” (page 70)  This event, as well as others, is a perfect stepping stone into the waters of awareness of students who claim more than one culture.  It helps us see their world as well as ours with more sensitive filters.  

The author’s motivation in writing this story was the fact that when she was growing up, she did not see herself on the pages of the literature available to her.  She has successfully remedied that for the future generation as Kirkus reviews it as “a treat for Asian-American girls looking to see themselves in their reading.”  Well done Ms. Lin.