The Legend of Auntie Po
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What parents need to know
Parents need to know that The Legend of Auntie Po is a graphic novel that depicts life in a logging camp in 1885. Writer/illustrator Shing Yin Khor explores how stories connect people to the wisdom of the past. Teen girls develop a romantic relationship, signified by hand-holding and hugging. No swearing or substance use. As for violence, there's a beating and a drowning, both depicted at a distance.
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What's the story?
As THE LEGEND OF AUNTIE PO opens, 13-year-old Mei helps her father run the kitchen at a logging camp in the Sierra Nevada. Mei dreams of seeing the world but isn't sure how to do so, and she begins to call upon Auntie Po, a giant Chinese matriarch with a blue ox, to watch over the camp. But Auntie Po can't stop every misfortune, and Mei must deal with tragedy and heartbreak. Will she and her close friend Bee find the stories that best reflect their lives?
Is it any good?
Bad things happen to the best of people, and this sensitive graphic novel mixes folklore and history to explore issues of equality, equity, and identity. In The Legend of Auntie Po, Shing Yin Khor devises a story brimming with historical incident, and timely depictions of both bigotry and understanding. Sweet, funny, and wise, this graphic novel is touching without being maudlin, and Shing Yin Khor's watercolors beautifully capture the moods of the text. It deserves a wide audience of enthusiastic readers.
Talk to your kids about ...
Families can talk about how The Legend of Auntie Po mixes Chinese mythology with North American folklore. In what way is Auntie Po like Paul Bunyan? How do elements of myth mix with other cultures?
The Chinese loggers receive lower pay than their White counterparts. Why were such inequities allowed to happen? Do Asian people still struggle against prejudice?
How does Mei show that she's becoming romantically interested in Bee? How did queer men and women in the past identify themselves to each other?
Book details
- Author: Shing Yin Khor
- Illustrator: Shing Yin Khor
- Genre: Graphic Novel
- Topics: Activism, Cooking and Baking, Friendship, Great Girl Role Models
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Kokila
- Publication date: June 15, 2021
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 10 - 14
- Number of pages: 304
- Available on: Paperback, Nook, Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: June 14, 2021
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