Module 5 Book 3 Book ILL. by Yumi Heo

A. Bibliography

Look,Lenore. 2006. Uncle Peter's amazing Chinese wedding. ILL. by Yumi Heo. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster. ISBN: 9780689844584,

B. Plot Summary
Jenny's favorite uncle,Peter is getting married and everyone is happy except Jenny. Will Uncle Peter still pay attention to Jenny now that he is marrying Stella ? Jenny attends the wedding, with its many traditions, and learns that she still retains a special place in Uncle Peter's life.



C. Analysis (with cultural markers).
Uncle Peter's Amazing Chinese Wedding deals with universal emotions, a child's jealousy and uncertainty set against a rich and authentically portrayed backdrop of a Chinese wedding.
Jenny's Uncle Peter is "the coolest dude, a girl's best buddy." Illustrations show him wearing a baseball cap and an oversized contemporary jersey,not the monochrome pajamas of Asian stereotypes.

Jenny, who fears that she will no longer be [Her Uncle Peter's]" special girl, just me", after Peter weds his girlfriend Stella, is shown with long braids and a smooth round face. In one bright illustration, Heo shows Jenny surrounded by All-American objects that reinforce the narrative. For example, Jenny has just been describing how she and Uncle Peter eat a hot dog lunch, followed by popcorn at the movies. In the opposite illustration, Jenny's sad face is framed with a vibrant, detailed collage of popcorn and hot dogs.
Jenny deals with her emotions even as her relatives re-enact a series of matrimonial traditions. Rather than simply presented as a "cultural parade", the traditons and customs are seen through the eyes of a young girl who appreciates them.
The first tradition the reader sees is the presentations of gifts from the bride's family to the groom. The aunties, who all have distinctive hair color, varied skin tones, and unique facial expression "ooh and aah" over the shoes, wallet, and new suit from the bride's family. Readers learn that "Dui ho" means best quality because the aunties, quite naturally, admire the gifts.
Our narrator, Jenny's explanations of historical, but no longer observed wedding customs, such as the bride's sedan chair ,are seamlessly woven into the narrative and naturally lead to a description of the all of the fascinating parts of the ceremonies and ritual associated with the wedding.
Although all the customs are explained in rich detail, the young reader never loses sight of the strong emotions that are bothering young Jenny. The little girl expresses her jealousy by dumping the hot "Chrysanthemum Special from her Grandma's fancy pot" before the tea ceremony, where the family officially welcomes the bride. After learning about what Jenny has done, her compassionate mother talks to Jenny and is able to calm Jenny's fears of abondonment.
After this emotional scene, which take place in a bright living room of an easily recognizable 21st century house, Jenny is mcuh calmer. She can continue to talk about all the fun associated with the wedding. Readers learn that the modern bride and groom incorporate contemporary rituals with older traditions: Couples still light incense and bow to the pictures of the ancestors, accept red packets of Hunbau or lucky money,but they also exchange rings, kiss,drink toasts, have the bride throw the bouquet, and shimmy to hip bands like GigaDragonByte.
Aside from offering a non-stereotypical insider's view into some wonderful and intriguing wedding customs, this book offers children a way to deal with the commonly felt emotions of jealousy and fear of change. The reader learns both to enjoy and appreciate these wonderful traditions, with no unecessary or clunky explanations and also learns how the charming and sweet narrator, Jenny comes to accept her new Aunt Stella.

D. Review Excerpts
The Horn Book
Rituals, both solemn and fun, once again form a backdrop for universal emotions about family and change in this companion to Henry's First-Moon Birthday.

School Library Journal
Heo's child-inspired illustrations contribute to the story's strong appeal with lively colors, perspectives, and details that accentuate both Jenny's feelings and the wedding traditions. A delightful invitation to learn more about Chinese traditions



E. Connections
Have children discuss other unique wedding traditions that they have witnessed.

Look for these other books that discuss wedding customs:
Soto, Gary. Snapshots from the wedding. ISBN: 039922808X
Jackson, Ellen B. Here come the brides. ill by Carol Heyer (non-fiction) ISBN: 0802784690

For a book on dealing with jealousy and anxiety and change after a wedding, try :
Brannen, Sarah. Uncle Bobby's Wedding. ISBN: 9780399247125