Goldfish and Chrysanthemums
Basic Information:
Illustrator: Michelle Chang
Publication Year: Apr 2003
Publisher: Lee and Low Books
Book Type: Picture Book
Grades: 1st to 3rd
ISBN-10: 1584300574
ISBN-13: 978-1584300571
About the Book:
Nancy is helping Ni Ni (Grandma) in the kitchen when a letter arrives from China. Ni Ni grows sad when she reads that her childhood home is being torn down, along with the chrysanthemum-filled garden and fish pond she has always loved.
After Nancy wins two goldfish at the summer fair, she comes up with an idea to keep Ni Ni's memories of the garden alive. Nancy gets to work the very next morning, and as the surprise takes shape, the familiar beauty of home brings the entire family together.
Goldfish and Chrysanthemums shows us all how one young girl can make a difference in the lives of the people she loves. This tender story is a testament to the special bonds that tie us together within families and across generations.
Author Perspective:
My daughter and I once asked Grandma Ni Ni about her childhood. She told us about following her grandfather around his yard in Su Zhou, helping him tend his goldfish and chrysanthemums. She told us that he entered his flowers into competitions and often came away with prizes. Even eighty years later, she seemed so proud of him. I wondered how she would feel now if she went back to Su Zhou and found that the house she remembered was gone. When we were in China in 1997, many of the old houses were being torn down to make room for new buildings. I decided to write the story that Ni Ni told us.
Awards:
Reviews:
School Library Journal
"PreSchool-Grade 2. In this warm story of intergenerational love, a girl re-creates a piece of her grandmother's childhood home in China. Nancy lives in a brownstone with her older brother, their parents, and Ni Ni, the youngsters' grandmother. The woman is sad to learn that her father's house in Suzhou, with its beautiful fishpond surrounded by chrysanthemums, is to be torn down for an apartment building. When Nancy wins two goldfish at a street fair, she decides to build a backyard fishpond. With the help of a kindly neighbor and her brother, she lays out a stone path, sets down an old picnic bench, plants flowers, and surprises Ni Ni. This portrait of a caring family resonates with scenes of sharing and togetherness. The rich golds, greens, and browns of the oil paintings add to the spirit of warmth and security. Use this book in multicultural and family story programs." Susan Pine, New York Public Library 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Booklist
Booklist
PreS-Gr. 2. Ni Ni, Nancy's grandmother, gets a letter from China telling her that her ancestral home is being razed for apartment buildings. As Ni Ni recalls with melancholy the lovely goldfish pond surrounded by yellow mums, Nancy decides she must do something to raise Ni Ni's spirits. First, Nancy wins a pair of goldfish at a fair. When that doesn't seem enough, Nancy, with help from her neighbor and brother, builds a small pond for the goldfish in the backyard and surrounds it with chrysanthemums. The telling is direct, and the message about bringing happiness to those one loves is clear. Cheng's artwork conveys both the action and the deep familial love without ambiguity, but the decision to give the artwork a golden patina produces a similitude that borders on tedium. Best for larger libraries or ones with immigrant populations that can really appreciate ties to a faraway place." Ilene Cooper. American Library Association. All rights reserved.
