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Gai See: What You Can See in Chinatown
Take a charming tour of Chinatown!
What in the world
could you possibly see
at an old gai see,
just you and me
on a warm and easy,
slightly breezy
springtime Saturday morning?
In Cantonese, gai see means “street market,” the lively place where vendors sell all their goods from open-air stalls, pushcarts, and stores. Join a curious little boy as he shops at the market with his family in every season and discovers many special treasures. From noodles in the spring to dragon fruit in the summer, from chocolate coins in the fall to firecrackers for Chinese New Year in the winter, you never know what you might find during a magical stroll through Chinatown.
What in the world
could you possibly see
at an old gai see,
just you and me
on a warm and easy,
slightly breezy
springtime Saturday morning?
In Cantonese, gai see means “street market,” the lively place where vendors sell all their goods from open-air stalls, pushcarts, and stores. Join a curious little boy as he shops at the market with his family in every season and discovers many special treasures. From noodles in the spring to dragon fruit in the summer, from chocolate coins in the fall to firecrackers for Chinese New Year in the winter, you never know what you might find during a magical stroll through Chinatown.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2007
36 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
November 30, 2008
A rhyming story about the sights and foods at a colorful Chinatown market.
Ages 3-8
A "gai see", as I discovered when I found a glossary in the back of this book because I wanted to check that my contextual understanding of the first sentence was correct, is a street market where vendors sell their wares in stalls, from pushcarts, and in stores. This colorful picture book conveys the bustling atmosphere in a Chinatown market, and illustrates the many foods and accessories that can be found there at different seasons of the year. Beautiful and bold watercolor 2-page spreads show a mother and daughter enjoying noodle soup and tea, stalls with cakes of tofu and lobster tanks, incense and herb shops, and my favorite, beaded velvet shoes. The story is in rhyme, which works to draw children in, although there are a few slightly awkward rhymes. The book would be an excellent read-aloud story for children aged 3-7, as there is much to notice and discuss. It might be a little too busy for storytime reading.
Interestingly, reviews from both Booklist (9/1/07) and Kirkus Review (7/15/07) were less favorable. The Booklist reviewer remarked, as I did, that the rhymes were buoyant but did not "always fit comfortably within the set rhyme pattern". He or she also criticized the fact that the glossary defined ramen which is more Japanese than Chinese (I didn't think that was significant). Nevertheless, the author thought that the book would please Chinese parents and give non-Chinese families a look at the atmosphere of a gai see. The Kirkus reviewer thought that the pictures were "bland" and "static", and that the "rhymes don't exactly explode with life either". The reviewer read other books about Chinatown which he or she liked much better: Chinatown by William Low, and My Chinatown, by Kam Mak. He or she felt that the illustrations don't convey any sense of "bustle and vitality", and I have to say I disagree, because I thought the use of color added vibrance and each spread showed activity--perhaps not as much as in a real Chinatown, but enough to interest children and adults reading this book.
Ages 3-8
A "gai see", as I discovered when I found a glossary in the back of this book because I wanted to check that my contextual understanding of the first sentence was correct, is a street market where vendors sell their wares in stalls, from pushcarts, and in stores. This colorful picture book conveys the bustling atmosphere in a Chinatown market, and illustrates the many foods and accessories that can be found there at different seasons of the year. Beautiful and bold watercolor 2-page spreads show a mother and daughter enjoying noodle soup and tea, stalls with cakes of tofu and lobster tanks, incense and herb shops, and my favorite, beaded velvet shoes. The story is in rhyme, which works to draw children in, although there are a few slightly awkward rhymes. The book would be an excellent read-aloud story for children aged 3-7, as there is much to notice and discuss. It might be a little too busy for storytime reading.
Interestingly, reviews from both Booklist (9/1/07) and Kirkus Review (7/15/07) were less favorable. The Booklist reviewer remarked, as I did, that the rhymes were buoyant but did not "always fit comfortably within the set rhyme pattern". He or she also criticized the fact that the glossary defined ramen which is more Japanese than Chinese (I didn't think that was significant). Nevertheless, the author thought that the book would please Chinese parents and give non-Chinese families a look at the atmosphere of a gai see. The Kirkus reviewer thought that the pictures were "bland" and "static", and that the "rhymes don't exactly explode with life either". The reviewer read other books about Chinatown which he or she liked much better: Chinatown by William Low, and My Chinatown, by Kam Mak. He or she felt that the illustrations don't convey any sense of "bustle and vitality", and I have to say I disagree, because I thought the use of color added vibrance and each spread showed activity--perhaps not as much as in a real Chinatown, but enough to interest children and adults reading this book.
January 31, 2018
Nice story for promoting international-mindedness. Walk with a child through Chinatown outdoor market to get a glimpse of Chinese traditions,food, and culture.
May 16, 2024
beautiful lush language! specific details! super readable aloud!
April 7, 2012
Take a charming tour of Chinatown! What in the world could you possibly see at an oldgai see, just you and me on a warm and easy, slightly breezy springtime Saturday morning? In Cantonese,gai seemeans “street market, the lively place where vendors sell all their goods from open-air stalls, pushcarts, and stores. Join a curious little boy as he shops at the market with his family in every season and discovers many special treasures. From noodles in the spring to dragon fruit in the summer, from chocolate coins in the fall to firecrackers for Chinese New Year in the winter, you never know what you might find during a magical stroll through Chinatown.
* This book would work extremly well in storytime and I love that the author included a glossary.
Chinese Americans
Gung Hay Fat Choy
Chinese New Year
Markets
* This book would work extremly well in storytime and I love that the author included a glossary.
Chinese Americans
Gung Hay Fat Choy
Chinese New Year
Markets
December 17, 2015
Finally got a chance to listen to (and enjoy the images of) this beautiful story which captures Hong Kong street markets so beautifully - and I even got to hear it read by the author herself and learned more about the creative process and the inspiration for the book. Happy to have my own signed copy now and a copy on our library shelves. I have no doubt it will become a much requested book in our library.
January 3, 2019
Reminds me of Chinatown.
This book shows trips in 4 different seasons to a street market in Chinatown. The rhyming text does a good job of introducing you to the variety of different things found in Chinatown.
The focus is always on sight/seeing, not the other senses.
This book shows trips in 4 different seasons to a street market in Chinatown. The rhyming text does a good job of introducing you to the variety of different things found in Chinatown.
The focus is always on sight/seeing, not the other senses.
May 15, 2009
With simple, yet colorful illustrations, this book introduces the reader to Chinatown. The author utilizes a cheery rhyming style to lead us through the seasons and what can be found at a gai-see. Glossary included in the back.
February 7, 2011
We loved the rhymes and the introduction of so many things Chinese taught through the change of seasons. Gai see is a street market in Cantonese. The short book introduces food like cheong-fun (wide noodles), dragon fruit and money packets. Great book to read for Chinese New Year.
April 18, 2016
This book talks about all the things that the people can see in Chinatown. Personally, this book is very informative because it can help children to explore a new culture. Plus, the illustrations can easily engage the readers. I think this book can be ideal for ages from 7 to 10 years old.
April 1, 2010
I have read several books by this author and I think this is my favorite. It's fun to read, introduces your kids to new things and makes you want to run out and try new things.
November 29, 2010
A standard story about two siblings exploring the street market in Chinatown. Yangsook Choi's illustrations are distinctive.
September 21, 2013
Subtle show and tell of NYC's Chinatown in rhyme form. Covers a lot of cultural bases for kids of other cultures...
December 20, 2013
This book covers many topics. It is a rhyming story about different seasons at a Gai See, or a street market. It has bright colors and nice pictures that are easy for kids in a group to see.
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March 24, 2014Title: Gai See: What Do You See in Chinatown?
Author: Roseanne Thong
Illustrator: Yangsook Choi
Genre: Picture Book
Annotation:
Discussion Questions:
Author: Roseanne Thong
Illustrator: Yangsook Choi
Genre: Picture Book
Annotation:
Discussion Questions:
January 6, 2019
The rhyming text here includes four trips to the gai see on four different days of the week in four different seasons. Through those visits, the book shows many different aspects of the street market and how things change throughout the year.
The illustrations don't show a bustling market, but it is one with a lot of life, and I like the child's point of view through a lot of the illustrations.
The illustrations don't show a bustling market, but it is one with a lot of life, and I like the child's point of view through a lot of the illustrations.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews