Chinatown

by William Low

Chinatown. City within a city. Home to street cobblers and herbalists, tai chi masters and kung fu students, outdoor fish markets and lots and lots of restaurants. And best of all, when the Chinese New Year begins there's a New Year's Day parade, complete with a lion dance.
Young readers will be equally fascinated by the tour of this colorful neighborhood--and by their tour guide and his grandma who live there.

Genres: Picture Books, Cultural, Family, Asian American, Realistic Fiction, Childrens, Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published September 15, 1997

About the author

William Low is a much-lauded illustrator, author, and painter who has received numerous awards. His books include Chinatown and Old Penn Station. He lives in New York City.

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Author/illustrator William Low explores the day-to-day life of New York City's Chinatown in this picture-book, using a young boy who spends most of his days with his grandmother as a narrator. Visiting the park for a tai chi class, going to market for fresh snapping crabs, the boy and and his grandmother enjoy many activities together, culminating in his favorite festival - Chinese New Year.

Although I have read books illustrated by Low, Chinatown is the first book I have picked up that he both wrote and illustrated. It was first published in 1997, so it isn't the newest title out there, but it is engaging, and the activities chronicled are every bit as relevant today as they were twenty years ago. The artwork, done in oil paint on board, are colorful and somewhat impressionistic. Recommended to anyone looking for children's stories set in Chinatown, and featuring Chinese-American life.

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love going to Chinatown in San Francisco...the sights, smells and sounds let you know that you have left the common behind and that many experiences await you. This book does a very good job of capturing the uniqueness of everything that makes Chinatown a destination that everyone should experience at least once.

[Hao Li · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are looking for a book for Chinese life in America, is is a good choice. From a view of a child in Chinatown, the uniqueness is it talked about the daily life part of Chinese community. The end of the book give you a sip of Chinese New Year so makes it a really good read during Chinese New Year time.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a story about day to day life in Chinatown. everyday is different, it talks about going to the market to get fresh food. It also talks about the Chinese new year at the end. This would be good to use in a unit about China and Chinese American families. talk about some similarities and differences between traditions.

[Jennesy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chinatown has some good information and gives vivid pictures and details as to how Chinatown would be if you were walking down the street yourself. This would be a great book to share with the kids when talking about different countries, including China.

[Andrea Thomas, Greenville · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story would be great to use with a community study. The little boy along with his grandmother walk through the streets of Chinatown. It allows the reader to experience the life and interests of others.

[Susannah Goldstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great picture book about urban Chinese- American culture. Low's pictures capture a lot of movement, and the text evokes the sensory experience of walking through Chinatown.

[Alyssa Baxter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a little boy who lives in Chinatown and everything that he does with his grandma. This book provides information about Chinatown through text and colorful illustrations. I did expect more actual facts, rather than generalizations, but that was probably not the point since the book was written from the point of view of the boy. The illustrations were impressionistic and provided more details of how Chinatown looks like. Before reading this book, I did not really know anything about Chinatown, but I learned a few things. The book even included some things about Chinese culture, like the New Year’s parade. I would use this book to help introduce my students to other cultures and inspire them to learn about others that are different from them. I would probably have middle and upper elementary school students read this book because in order to learn more, they have to be observant and look at the illustrations.

[Jo Oehrlein · Rating 3 out of 5]

A tour of Chinatown, including special seasonal celebrations, with a boy and his grandmother.

We get a sense for the culture of the people there -- from live fish in a restaurant to herbalists, tai chi in the street to a lion dance.

[Claire Wrobel · Rating 3 out of 5]

The pages at the end with the new year’s Lion were stunning

[Roma · Rating 4 out of 5]

lush and specific but i always think a Welcome To My Culture book works better with a little emotional story baked in

[Bethann · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is an excellent book to have in your collection. While I was in school I feel like I never learned about other cultures. This is an excellent way to introduce other people in our World to our children we are teaching. They can see some of what they experience. The character tells us what he does in Chinatown. He spends most of his time with his grandmother. His favorite thing to do is to go to the parade for Chinese New Year-which is different from our New Year.

[Lauri Quist · Rating 3 out of 5]

Young readers will enjoy taking a tour of Chinatown with the author and his Grandma. They go through the streets and visit the markets where Chinese food and herbs are sold. The book finishes the tour on New Year's Day with the big parade. Large colorful illustrations bring Chinatown to life.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Captures the sights and sounds of Chinatown.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book gives a glimpse into the life of a child in Chinatown and the daily experiences they encounter. The pictures in this book bring the story alive.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was not the best book about Chinatown that I read, but it was not bad. The pictures were not clear and had muted colors so it wouldn't work as well for storytime as other titles.

[Sabrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title of the book made me want to read it. It is a book which contains not only the language but also the Chinese culture.
I love this book.

[Katheryn Christensen]

Picture book. I would use this to teach about culture.

[Christabelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the least favorite of our stories today. My daughter says it wasn't much of a story it was just about his day. It was informative but not captivating.