Synopsis
In 1947, a Chinese child comes to Brooklyn where she becomes Americanized at school, in her apartment building, and by her love for baseball.
Just before the Year of the Boar begins in China, a 10-year-old girl learns that she and her mother will be leaving their home in that country and joining her father in America. Excited but nervous about starting this new life, this girl changes her name to the most American one she can think of--and so Sixth Cousin (a.k.a. "Bandit") becomes Shirley Temple Wong. Although she's delighted to be reunited with her father, who has been living in the Brooklyn, New York, for over a year, Shirley doesn't speak much English and has a hard time adjusting to life in the United States. Mostly ignored by her classmates, Shirley's life takes a turn for the better when Mable, the toughest girl in class, befriends her and introduces her to the joys of baseball. Basking in her classmates' approval, Shirley becomes an ardent fan of the 1947 Brooklyn Dodgers and finds a role model in Jackie Robinson, a man whose success as the first African American major league baseball player proves to Shirley that the American dream can indeed become a reality. A story about assimilation, friendship, and the great American pastime, IN THE YEAR OF THE BOAR AND JACKIE ROBINSON is illustrated with occasional B&W drawings and is based, in part, on the author's own experiences.
| Details | | Publication Date: | 1986-08-01 | | Illustrator: | Marc Simont |
| Size | | Height: | 7.5 in | | Width: | 5.3 in | | Thickness: | 0.2 in | | Weight: | 4.0 oz |
Publisher's Note
"A ten-year-old Chinese girl, Bandit Wong, emigrates to America (in 1947) and assimilates into the Chinese-American Shirley Temple Wong. After earning the friendship of the toughest girl in class, she is included in the playground stickball games and becomes a loyal fan of the Brooklyn Dodgers. Poignant but outrageously funny."--"School Library Journal." ALA Notable Children's Books of 1984; 1984 Notable Children's Trade Books in Social Studies.
Shirley Temple Wong sails from China to America with a heart full of dreams. Her new home is Brooklyn, New York. America is indeed a land full of wonders, but Shirley doesn't know any English, so it's hard to make friends. Then a miracle-baseball-happens. It is 1947, and Jackie Robinson, star of the Brooklyn Dodgers, is everyone's hero. Jackie Robinson is proving that a black man, the grandson of a slave, can make a difference in America and for Shirley as well, on the ball field and off, America becomes the land of opportunity. Notable Children's Books of 1984 (ALA)
Best Books of 1984 (SLJ)
Notable 1984 Childrens' Trade Books in Social Studies (NCSS/CBC)
Children's Books of 1984 (Library of Congress)
1984 Children's Books (NY Public Library)
1985 Jefferson Cup Award (Virginia Library Association)
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