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At the Beach

Name: At the Beach
Author: Huy Voun Lee
ISBN: 9780805058222

by Huy Voun Lee

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Overview

A little boy and his mother go to the beach. There she teaches him how to make Chinese words by drawing pictures in the sand. Young readers can learn ten Chinese characters in this wonderfully innovative picture book.

A mother amuses her young son at the beach by drawing in the sand Chinese characters, many of which resemble the objects they stand for.

Synopsis

Publishers Weekly

The backdrop is a day by the sea, the set design features impeccably executed cut-paper collages, and the mild drama centers on young Xiao Ming, who is learning to write Chinese. His mother, wisely referring to the various activities around them, helps him draw relevant characters in the sand. Water, sky, person, child, woman--one by one they record the Chinese symbol and talk of how best to remember each. The character for person , for example, looks like ``someone walking'' and water looks like ``a big splash.'' A graceful marriage of the general (the sweeping scenes of a carefree crowd at the beach) and the specific (the lesson in Chinese), this picture book debut can be enjoyed on several levels. Lee's mellow-hued collages feature a multicultural crowd of beachgoers, while elaborate cut-outs grace the borders, echoing the fluid line of the Chinese characters. It's a remarkably unified effort: everything works together to create a flawless picture book. Ages 4-8. (May)

About the Author, Huy Voun Lee

Huy Voun Lee is the author and illustrator of In the Park and In the Snow. Originally from Cambodia, Ms. Lee now lives in New York City.

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Editorials

From the Publisher

"A remarkably unified effort: everything works together to create a flawless picture book." --Publishers Weekly, starred review

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

The backdrop is a day by the sea, the set design features impeccably executed cut-paper collages, and the mild drama centers on young Xiao Ming, who is learning to write Chinese. His mother, wisely referring to the various activities around them, helps him draw relevant characters in the sand. Water, sky, person, child, woman--one by one they record the Chinese symbol and talk of how best to remember each. The character for person , for example, looks like ``someone walking'' and water looks like ``a big splash.'' A graceful marriage of the general the sweeping scenes of a carefree crowd at the beach and the specific the lesson in Chinese, this picture book debut can be enjoyed on several levels. Lee's mellow-hued collages feature a multicultural crowd of beachgoers, while elaborate cut-outs grace the borders, echoing the fluid line of the Chinese characters. It's a remarkably unified effort: everything works together to create a flawless picture book. Ages 4-8. May

Children's Literature - Beverly Kobrin

Ms. Lee's blend of fact and fiction introduces readers to ten Chinese characters and their Mandarin pronunciation. Young Xiao Ming's mother draws the ideograms in the sand and explains how closely they resemble what they name: The symbol for water, for instance, looks like a big splash.

Children's Literature - Yumiko Bendlin

This book provides great insight into Chinese characters. Xiao Ming's mother teaches him to write characters on the sand by explaining the shape of the character and how it correlates with the meaning. Though written in simple language, Lee explains the cultural insight of each character, and teaches each letter to the reader. The collage on each page is beautifully done, with great detail and bountiful colors. The Chinese characters are very simple, and are related to everyday life so that anyone will be able to understand and write them. The author also provides a glossary of pronunciation in the back of the book. A great book for classes studying multicultural literature.

School Library Journal

Gr 2-4-A little boy and his mother's day at the beach is the vehicle for this concept book about Chinese characters. Ten characters are introduced as mother and child write them in the sand; verbal mnemonics are reinforced by pictures of people or nature. For example, the character for ``woman'' is vividly illustrated by a woman posing for a photo with a baby in her arms. However, ``sky'' confuses the related characters for ``person'' and ``big'' in the text; the illustration of ``water'' is too abstract and disjointed; and the explanation of ``sand'' is illustrated with a beach scene that has no relevance to how the character is drawn. The pictures are clever and visually appealing, consisting largely of cut-paper collage with some drawings. Peggy Goldstein's Long Is a Dragon (China, 1990) is a more effective introduction, but is for a slightly older audience. At the Beach is an attractive and clever book, but an inconsistent one.-John Philbrook, San Francisco Public Library