First Apple

The author describes 1940s China and her quest, as a nine-year-old girl, to buy a precious apple for her grandmother's birthday. By the author of A Day on a Shrimp Boat.

Grade 3-5-This lively family narrative is set in China's rural south during the 1940s, although the war and revolution of the period are not a part of the story. The first-person account is presented by eight-year-old Yeung Ying, an impulsive, appealing protagonist. When she was five, her mother and father moved to Hong Kong (for reasons that aren't explained), and she has lived with her grandmother in a small village southeast of Canton ever since. As Ah Pau's 71st birthday approaches, Ying discovers that the woman has always wanted to taste an apple, a rare and expensive commodity, and decides to buy one to share with her. Her constantly frustrated efforts to beg, earn, or even steal money will lure readers into her culture. While they will be intrigued to find such a common fruit described as exotic, they will find Ying's relations with her family, friends, and the class bully to be quite familiar. Black-and-white paintings, sometimes embellished with calligraphy, add to the authentic ambiance of the text.
Margaret A. Chang, North Adams State College, MA
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Gr. 3-5. After a slow start, the author engages the reader in a fast-moving tale of nine-year-old Ying's determination to buy her grandmother an expensive and exotic birthday gift--an apple. Neither Ying nor her grandmother have ever tasted an apple, and Ying plans to save half of it for her own enjoyment. The story develops as Ying meets with one problem after another trying to earn enough money so that she can secretly purchase the apple. She must deal with an obstinate cousin, a hateful classmate, and an indifferent shopkeeper. Grandmother's birthday comes and goes without the gift, yet Ying still perseveres. Large, simple illustrations complement the simple style of writing, though several similar Chinese names may be difficult for some readers. This is a sweet story with a moral, and it offers young readers a taste of Chinese culture. Susan DeRonne