Multnomah County Library
Reprinted with permission from Natasha Forrester Campbell, Multnomah County Library.
Give the book your secret rating!
Does anyone have a 10-word summary?
Elements for discussion this month:
- Art technique: art style—Cartoonish? Realistic? Manga-influenced? Primitive?
- Literary technique: Talk about the conflict—what problem or issue needs to be addressed or solved within the plot?
Da Qin = dah tzchooeen (or tzchween)
Xiao Qin = sha-ouh tzchooween (or tzchween)
General questions—pick and choose those most appropriate to the title under discussion:
- How did you read the story? Words then pictures? Pictures then words? All the pictures then all the words? Does it make a difference?
- What connected for you in this book—what things reminded you of your own real life or things you’ve seen or done?
- This is our first nonfiction book—this is called a memoir. Anyone know what that is?
- It’s basically several short stories from the author’s childhood—was there one that you especially liked? Any that you didn’t like?
- What was the saddest/funniest/scariest/most exciting part of the story?
- What would you do if you were in that situation?
- Rice story—Do you have stories in your family of something that happened to a parent or grandparent and that’s why you don’t do something or should do something?
- Why do you think the author decided to make this a graphic novel instead of a chapter book?
- What kinds of things happen in the pictures that don’t happen in the text?
- Look at pages 90–91—talk with your family about what you can tell from the pictures that aren’t in the words and vice versa; does that information work together?
- Were there parts you’d rather have read in a chapter book without the pictures?
- What do you notice about the art style (color, line, style, etc.)?
- Would you describe the style as cartoonish (exaggerated version of reality)? Realistic? Manga-influenced? Primitive/naive—like a child or someone without any training?
- How do the panels fit together (overlapping? are there panels?)? Does that tell you anything about the story?
- What about the color choices? Color palettes can represent a time in history or a memory.
- Are the words themselves or the speech bubbles written or drawn in ways that add to the story? (sound effects, adding emotion, etc.)
- Was there anything in this book that was unfamiliar to you such as a real place you’d never heard of? Did you discuss new vocabulary words with your grown-up or look them up in the dictionary?
- Have you read anything that reminded you of this book?
- Would you recommend this book to your friends?
Chinese New Year 2018—February 16
Did you know you can learn Mandarin through the library’s online service, Mango Connect?!?
Chinese pronunciation wiki: https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/pronunciation/Pronunciation_points_by_level
Chinese origami craft:
Reference
Book
- Liu, Na. Little White Duck. Illustrated by Andrés Vera Martínez. Minneapolis, MN: Graphic Universe, 2012. 108p. $9.99pa. 9780761381150pa.