Cultural Analysis of Children's Literature

Title: Yang the Youngest and His Terrible Ear
Illustrator: Kees de Keifte
Author: Lensey Namioka


What is this book about?

Yingtao, the youngest Yang, and his family just moved to Seattle from China. His father is a violin player/teacher and the maestro of the family's string quartet. Yingtao is tone deaf and struggles to meet the expectations of his father while becoming a part of the new culture in America. Yingtao meets Matthew, a fellow violinist and baseball player. They become friends and realize that they have some things in common. They both desire to do something other than what their fathers have chosen for them. This story touches on issues of culture, friendship, sensitivity and self-discovery.

1. Choose a word that is new or different in the book and explain how you will explore it with your students.

Lip sync/Synchronize
Etiquette
Wistfully
Glaring
Sympathetic/empathetic
Unemployment benefits

Vocabulary building activities include dictionary skills, synonym/antonym, examples and illustrations to "show" meaning. These words will be used in the compositions accompanying this unit.

2. What do you expect to be your students' favorite part of the book and why?

I expect the recital to be their favorite part. This is the climax of the story and the students should experience various emotions at this point - nervousness and anxiety, at first. They will find it funny and be relieved with the way it ends - happily.

3. What will be their favorite illustration in the book and why?

Page 112 shows a sketch of the recital calamity. The illustrations are not very stimulating, but this one may help them experience the event.

4. What is the primary thing your students will learn from this book?

Students will learn about two cultures - that of an immigrant Chinese family and that of a low-income "white" family. The reader will experience and dispel the stereotypes and misconceptions about these cultures through the honest, innocent and humorous interaction between these two families.

5.How will the book make your students feel when reading it?