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Grace Lin included the goldfish as a symbol for good fortune which seems to have been presented in all sorts of scenarios for Minli. She catches a break in many areas whether it be her somehow luckily finding the king in the market or the twins coming out at the right time to save her from the green tiger or even her parents not searching for her and just having faith she will return.

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In the book, the moon is mentioned in many ways, whether it is because of the old man, the city of moonlight, or the village with the moon raining down flowers. I believe that the moon symbolizes hope and faith and Grace Lin ties the moon and its light into the story in almost every conflict, showing how "there is always light at the end of the tunnel" in a way.

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A symbol I noticed in the novel is the use of colors as a symbol. Inside the village, many things are described as brown and gray and lifeless. I think this represents the lack of hope in the village. Outside of the village, there are many bright colors used to describe the things Minli sees. This represents the life and hope outside of her village.

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The goldfish is used to signify good fortune to the people. Grace Lin brings the goldfish when someone in the story is searching for something. For Minli she wants to bring fortune and wealth for her village. The goldfish leads her in the right direction to achieve this. At home Ma and Ba seem to use the goldfish for reassurance in Minli's safety and safe return.

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Magistrate Tiger is the evil figure from the past whose story is used to drive the current narrative. The stories of the past, mostly revolving around his actions, directly effect Minli's journey. For instance, Dragon was originally created for Magistrate Tiger, the Village of the Moon Rain had to move because of Magistrate Tiger, and the page from the Book of Fortune was removed because of Magistrate Tiger. However, this past is brought up through the multiple stories shared throughout the book, and act as a guide for Minli as she goes on her journey in the present. In this way, the larger theme of thankfulness is developed, as Magistrate Tiger becomes power hungry and cannot live with what is destined to him (as told by the Old Man of the Moon) and fights that destiny. This leads to his anger fueling is judgment and actions, and ultimately, his downfall at the hands of the twins. If he were thankful for what he has, he would not have taken this path.

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The goldfish represents good fortune and tells Minli what to look out for. The goldfish talks to her and leads her on the right path of finding what she is looking for. This develops larger themes in the book by Minli listening to the goldfish and then finding other people and creatures like the dragon to help her.

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Grace Lin uses the goldfish to tell of fortune. The first appearance of the Goldfish is early on in the book. It first appears to bring bad luck to family as Minli spent half of her life savings on it. She then releases the goldfish who gives her the first of her good fortune, the path to the old man.

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Grace Lin uses the symbol of a Goldfish to represent good fortune. I think she used this symbol because as kids we all wanted goldfish, but they die off pretty quickly which is ironic. This goldfish in the story actually is very old which is not how it is in real life. It is found from a seller on the street and Minli uses her last coin to buy it. It is full of knowledge and tells Minli the path to never ending mountain. As children we put all of our hope into this goldfish and it made us very happy. It is a fortune that only lasts a little bit, so the real fortune is in our own pursuit which can be seen through Minli. This is why Grace Lin uses a Goldfish to symbolize good fortune.

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gold is used to display power and wealth within the novel. The king of the city of bright moonlight had a gold dragon bracelet and brightly colored gold clothing. It develops the theme of the wealth disparity between people like Minli and her parents as well as the boy from the outer city in comparison to the ruling class.

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When the goldfish was introduced, it sort of kicked off the idea to go to the Never Ending Mountain. Because of this fish Minli runs off to help her family out. It then connects with when her parents receive a goldfish themselves in trying to search for Minli. The goldfish man suggests they should trust Minli and they go home to wait for her. During their time at home, Ma grows a little happier with Ba, which could be their good fortune.

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I think Grace Linn uses the goldfish as a character who brings about positivity when there is not much to begin with. He inspires Minli to believe she can find good fortune for her family. In a story with a lot of negativity surrounding the mother and her attitude, the goldfish brings in a new perspective.

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Grace Lin uses the goldfish as symbolism to show that fortune is possible, unlike some of the characters in the book, It shows hope.

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Grace Lin used gold to symbolize power in the novel

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Her parents are actually representing the two opposite side of her mindset, which her dad is more idealism and her mom is more reality, sometimes it happens in our daily life,

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the buffalo kid seems to be a symbol as someone who perseveres through hardship and being poor, he can symbolize perseverance and optimism for minli who was been previously surrounded by pessimism

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I think one of the most underlooked symbols of the story is colors. This is because when we look at Minli's village, we see how it is all brown. This symbolizes the fact that the village has no hope. When we look at Minli and her adventure, we see a lot of color. Heck, even the clothes she is wearing is colorful. (I think bright red). She is able to instill her hope in something bigger. And as we see the story continue, it seems that Lin is using more and more colors to explain emotions, and show hope.

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Lin uses the symbol of the monkeys to represent a low-level authority figure in any society. This acts as yet another barrier in Minli's journey, often how many in a society view the idea of law enforcement or low-level government.

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The use of a Tiger to represent fear, cruelty, and pride is clear in Chapters 30 and 31 in the Twins' tricking of the Great Green Tiger as well as the character of Magistrate Tiger in Ba's story. This particular instance shows the power of the Tiger, as his venomous claws severely hurt dragon. I think it could be interpreted as a hint to the larger theme of class warfare, and the fear that the ruling class uses to keep the poor in line.

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Grace Lin introduces the character of Dragon shortly after Minli leaves her village. The character is often used to portray Minli's well-being at the time. When Minli first meets Dragon she is considering returning to home and Dragon mirrors this doubt by being tied up by the monkeys. The Dragon also symbolizes strength in the face of danger when he stands up to the green tiger for Minli.

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Grace Lin uses the dragon as a source of strength, but not necessarily physical strength. Pretty much every good character in the book has something to do with the dragon. From the people who helped Dragon when he got sick, to Minli being friends with Dragon, to the King wearing the symbol of the dragon. It's also interesting that the dragon was somewhat part of the Tiger Magistrate's comeuppance, with destroying the wall of a building he was in after Dragon came to life. The only character that could be argued to be a negative example of the dragon was the dragon in Ba's story about why the place they live is bad.

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It was passed down generation after generation. Past wisdom

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In Chinese culture, the moon represents gentleness, brightness, and family reunion. Grace Lin uses the third definition. Every time that Minli misses her parents or vice versa, there always seems to be a sentence about the moon, possibly foreshadowing that she and her parents will see each other again.

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The book also follows her parents’ emotional journey as they wait for Minli to return. It symbols that they have a powerful relationship and they occupy a very important part in Minli's heart, also reflect that one of Minli's merit which is respect elders

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I personally really appreciate the stories and tales spread throughout the book that are like tangents. I feel like they symbolize a lot of different things. They are a symbol of hope for Minli as well as the Buffalo Boy. I also think they represent creativity and passion and knowledge since so many years or highly cherished people go into them. I also think they are slightly representative of Minli's journey because she hears so many stories from all she meets on her journey, and she cherishes them as much as the journey itself.

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How are different racial and ethnic groups represented (or not represented)? 

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European's atrocities against Onyesonwu's people are so terrible that her ethnicity is a constant reminder to everyone of their actions and in turn she is even shut out of her own community in a way.

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We see the Violence the Nuru bring to the Okeke people/Onyesonwu's people. This violence causes Onyesonwu to be constantly frowned at and judged.

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People communicate and share their stories to make other people aware of what happened to them and what is happening to other people.

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The Okeke people were the original people of the land, however the Nuru (Arabs?) came into the land to try and change and destroy the Okeke by raping them. There are also groups like Ssolu who are just nomads that live a protected life with a constant sandstorm shielding them

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Racial and ethnic groups are represented by talking about their own stories and the actions that other people do because of who they are.

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Throughout the story the conflict between the Okeke and Nuru people are clearly represented and is quite violent. It is shown consistently Nuru mean raping Okeke woman. Onye is a direct result of this relationship making her Ewu.

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Onyesonwu challenges stereotypes by being a women sorcerer and Mitwa being a healer. Onyesonwu also challenges what is happening with the Okeke people by informing others with the vision and setting out on her journey to stop it.

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Onyesonwu challenges stereotypes that Ewu people are inherently violent by doing her best to not act violently while in stressful situations

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Mwita challenges his role by simply being of his ethnic background, but not being of the common backstory of those of his ethnicity

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For me I see a lot of similarities in the way the Okeke and Nuru ethnic groups are represented as the Tamils and Sinhalese from funny boy. There just seems to be a lot of tension and resentment between the groups that is hard for me to understand.

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Onye resists ewu stereotypes of them being very violent because of how they were conceived. She also resists racist systems by trying to kill her Naib who leads the Nuru. On the way, she even blinded a whole town for attacking her for being Nuru.

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The Okeke and Nuru's battles are shown through the Nuru attacking the Okeke people. The Nuru are shown through Onye's eyes as ruthless and all evil, but Mwita also gives insight on how they raised him. The Okeke are shown as sort of helpless because they are often out numbered. I would say Ewu is also a group in itself because they are shut out by the Okeke people from their connection to Nuru's and so called evil.

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How are different racial and ethnic groups represented (or not represented)?

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How are different racial and ethnic groups represented (or not represented)?

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The Nuru are represented as ruthless and terrible ‘masters’ over the minority Okeke ‘slaves’

Ewu (mixed race) children are outcast and taboo

The Ssolu people are considered odd for certain things in their culture (free love, children running all over the place and are cared for by everyone, etc.)

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Onye challenges these stereotypes as she is a woman sorceress which is unheard of. She acts as her own person not influenced by the norms of society. She also tries to fight against the norm of Ewu's being notoriously violent.

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There is clearly a lot of prejudice against women in the groups represented in the book. Onye pushes back against those negative representations throughout the whole story.

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How do characters resist and challenge racist systems, ideas, or stereotypes?

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How do characters resist and challenge racist systems, ideas, or stereotypes?

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Onye and especially Mwita reject their nature as being “children of violence” and try to be nonviolent in many situations

Eyess, Ting, and many of the Ssolu are very considerate and do not seem to care that Mwita and Onye are Ewu

Mwita’s parents loved each other and conceived an Ewu child not born of violence, which is unheard of

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Mwita challenges his Ewu expectations of being evil by constantly telling Onye to not use violence like people expect of them.

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She shares her vision of the violence happening, bring awareness to it.

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By reinforcing a perspective about why she cares about the issues that are rampant in the country, she states that she's a feminist because she saw the treatment within igbo customs, no matter how educated they were.

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It addresses that children don't always do as they are told and how they are held to a standard about being "good" kids, but they still mess up, but both should be appreciated. The illustration on the cover labels the characters in a way with the badge that says "goody".

Shelby and Lauren

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This book may help children in the struggle between identity and role confusion. This book is about a Chinese-American girl who is upset with her parents for opening their Chinese restaurant on the fourth of July. She struggles to relate to her Chinese culture when she is trying to celebrate her role as an American on the 4th. This can help children with the struggle between identity and role confusion because, by the end of the book, the main character is able to find joy in how many people come to her parent's restaurant and have fun eating apple pie and watching fireworks.

Lillian Haslett

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Peter Brown explores the theme of friendship in this book that will draw adolescents in. In here it follows our main character a bear as she navigates through the hardships of trying to make a friend and socializing with different people. At first, she is excited but soons learn that her emotions can get the best of her such as anxiety and compatibilty. However, in the end, she finds her friends and realize that the importance of socializing and regulating her emotions.

Janet & Chinda

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New Kid by Jerry Craft is a graphic novel geared towards middle-school aged kids (kids in early adolescence). This novel accurately addresses the needs of those currently in the Erikson stage of Identity vs Role Confusion, as it depicts a young boy who is ultimately trying to fit in. He is torn between trying to fit in at his new school (where diversity is sparse) and his home environment as a person of color. As stated in the textbook, representations in media are crucial during this stage in development, so depictions of characters obsessing over social image which provides an illusion of control and stability the lived body doesn't have. This can come in many forms, such as "the nonwhite character who has to negotiate his place in an all-white school." Due to the turmoil of this stage, individuals in this group work through certain conflicts and make sense of the world via emotion, hence the social aspects of the novel.

-Abby West and Ava Rivard

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Rob Kearney and Eric Rosswood created a story about a child named Rob. The story follows Rob as he grows into a 17 year old boy. As Rob is growing up we find him discover his love for weight lifting. As he grows up we hear Rob talk about how he love lifting weights, it makes him feel strong and powerful. We learn that Rob likes to change out of his workout clothes and into his regular clothes. Robs regular clothes happen to be more feminine looking. As Rob starts to weight lift in his regular clothes he goes through challenging experiences with other gym members that think his clothes are two expressive. Everything turns for the better when Rob meets his future boyfriend Joey. When joey and Rob compete in the final weight lifting competition they feel a sense of pride and happiness knowing that competed while showing their true selves. This story by Rob and Eric show just how powerful it can be to step into the true identity you want to be in front of others and what you can accomplish by doing so.

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Book: Secrets I Know by Kallie George and Paola Zakimi

Connection: As read on page 70, the school years focus on peers, and students are less interested in their inner world and more interested in how to use the world around them. The story Secrets I Know is about a young girl's exploration of nature and her surroundings. The story centers around a little girl who shares her secrets about the wonders she discovers in the natural world. The book primarily emphasizes her connection with nature, as well as indirectly addresses themes related to focusing on the world around her rather than the inner world.

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Emily Rosenthal:

Violet Velvet Mittens with Everything by Deborah Blumenthal and Rachel Katstaller highlights Eriksons stage of adolescence. Obessing over our image and our perception to others no matter if it is a postive or negaitve feeling that we have toward it. Not being afraid to insert yourself into the world and take risks. Having that ability of self-confidence in trying new things.

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Book: Why am I me?

By: Paige Britt, Sean Qualls and Selina Alko

This connects to Ericksons adolescence stage. During this stage adolescence are asking questions regarding who they are and who they can be. This then connects to our book since it shows a child who is questioning who she is in the world. Throughout the book she notices the differences others hold and how she compares to them. To conclude, the book validates unity and individuality which plays into Ericksons theory about these topics.

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The book Happy Dreamer by Peter H. Reynolds encourages children to listen to their dreams, even when they fall down, or society doesn't agree with them. The young child in the book explores his dreams and faces his doubts. Letting children tap into their sliding door even when society makes us feel boxed in is the books main focus. Coats says, "Can I make it in a world full of people and things?" The books answer this question by showing children they can break through societal norms and keep on dreaming. - Elaina + Maria

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The Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney encompasses ideas that Erik Erikson discusses in his Identity vs. Confusion stage. Greg, the main character, has just begun middle school and is trying to navigate his social life. All of the students are developing at different rates and Greg has trouble fitting in and finding where he belongs as he tries to make friends. He creates friendships as well as enemies as he also becomes bullied. Not only does this book connect with his school life but his home life as well as it touches on his family dynamics. This book can serve as a window and mirror to many adolescents as they try to navigate this kind of world themselves too.

Anjelina Yudeshwar

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No, David is targeted towards a very young age group where children are just learning to share, play nice with peers and participate in group activities. Young children have to learn discipline of what is right and what is wrong. Without discipline, kids will learn that aggressive behavior is okay and behind mean to others is acceptable. This books is about a kid who is being reprimanded for the things that he is doing and he is always getting in trouble. But, as a kid, you will still be loved and treated properly even if you do things wrong. This can show children what will happen if they make bad choices.

Ella L. and Calli D.

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This book tells the story of two little crocodiles being chased by a huge and dangerous crocodile through their swamp. The two smaller crocodiles form a bond and support each other through each scary incident. In the end, the huge crocodile is scared away by another even scarier creature, and the other two crocs still have their friendship. This story relates to Erikson's psychosocial stage. This story could help young children understand and navigate similar social situations they experience at such a young age

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Many topics of difference from shapes and size of bodies to skin color to thoughts and feelings are discussed throughout the pages. The vast variety of people in the book is accepted and praised to allow every child to feel accepted and worthy for all of their quirks and beauty inside and out. The industry and inferiority stage is given peace of mind throughout this book, the author is displaying how all different types of people in different walks of life are doing just fine as they are in the world.

-Kylynn Corrigan

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Dimity Duck By: Jane Yolen and Sebastien Braun

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Dimity Duck By: Jane Yolen and Sebastien Braun

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This book does a good job of discussing friendship in a fun and light-hearted way. It is about a duck and a frog who are friends in a pond. They play hide and seek with each other and frog hides beneath a lily pad. Dimity duck can't find him and gets sad and all of the sudden, he jumps out and yells surprise. I believe this a story of how friendship is super fun and such a good connection to someone but when you don't see them, you can be sad. I think this is a good story to read to Kindergarten-2nd graders because it shows the importance of friendship. Friends are meant to be someone you can have fun with and play with but that also means you should be present and make sure you spend time with them. Friends can be really important to people so you should make sure you are making the time for them and showing up for them.

Post written by Elena Williams

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Most Perfect You by Jazmyn Simon talks about how women of color, specifically women that are not the typical white beauty standards feel about themselves (whether that’ll be their skin color, hair, eyes, nose, etc.). The book began to explain that every part of the main character is perfect and chosen by her mom. This book’s purpose is to inspire others to embrace their unique features and love themselves for who they are because everything inside and out of them is perfect. This picture book can relate to Erikson’s adolescent age because that is usually the stage where puberty hits and people start to become more insecure of how they look and question themselves.

(Aceline Yang)

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It is written by Natasha Anastasia Tarpley. By talking about a variety of things that the children are capable to do and a variety of jobs the children can choose in the future, this book tell the children how their creativity and curiosity flow without end and how they are able to be whoever they wanna be, which encourage the children and helps them to build their confidence, addressing the needs of children in Industry vs. Inferiority stage.

Silvia Zhang

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In Turnip Soup by Lynne Born and Christopher Myers, whenever a boy goes down into the basement he is faced with a large komodo dragon that is making a mess of the house. To defend himself, he keeps going back upstairs to retreive various weapons and armor from his mother. All of this goes a bit against the idea of kids during school age becoming less and less interested in their own inner worlds. However, we do see Erickson's ideas come in during the ending. In the end, the mother becomes frustrated and decides to go see for herself. Upon seeing the dragon she quickly flees. The mother, a parent who is in a position of authority, is quickly dethroned by the scary dragon. This ties directly with Erickson's ideas on kids during the school age and how they find humor in placing authority figures in absurd situations.