The Legend of Auntie Po
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4.6 • 5 Ratings
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- $6.99
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- $6.99
Publisher Description
A NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST
Part historical fiction, part fable, and 100 percent adventure. Thirteen-year-old Mei reimagines the myths of Paul Bunyan as starring a Chinese heroine while she works in a Sierra Nevada logging camp in 1885.
Aware of the racial tumult in the years after the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act, Mei tries to remain blissfully focused on her job, her close friendship with the camp foreman's daughter, and telling stories about Paul Bunyan--reinvented as Po Pan Yin (Auntie Po), an elderly Chinese matriarch.
Anchoring herself with stories of Auntie Po, Mei navigates the difficulty and politics of lumber camp work and her growing romantic feelings for her friend Bee. The Legend of Auntie Po is about who gets to own a myth, and about immigrant families and communities holding on to rituals and traditions while staking out their own place in the United States.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Young teens and their parents will be equally delighted by a graphic novel with a narrative as beautiful as its art. The story takes us into the active mind of a precocious Chinese-American 13-year-old named Mei. The daughter of a Chinese immigrant logger in California’s Sierra Nevadas in the 1880s, Mei struggles with the racism she faces daily—and with the increasing attraction she feels for her best girlfriend, Bee. But Mei is also an enchanting storyteller, taking the myths of the superhuman logger Paul Bunyan and recasting them as the adventures of Po Pan Yin, the kindly but powerful Auntie Po. Shing Yin Khor’s story balances Mei’s tall tales with a warmhearted understanding of the value of family and friendship. Her artwork is just as appealing, evoking both traditional Chinese watercolor and old-fashioned fairy-tale collections. Everybody loves a good historical yarn, but young teens who’ve struggled with self-identity will find special meaning in Mei’s adventures.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In 1885, following the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act, Chinese American Mei, 13, works alongside her father at a California logging camp, feeding 100 white lumberjacks and 40 Chinese workers. In her free time, Mei regales the women and children at camp with stories of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox, reimagined as the legends of Auntie Po and her faithful blue buffalo, Pei Pei. Through these tellings, Mei navigates the dangers and politics of lumber camp work, her yearning to hold on to her cultural identity, her burgeoning acknowledgment of her queerness, and the waning dream of university education. When tragedy strikes, Mei's faith in her invented god, Auntie Po, falters. But by connecting with traditions old and new, and harnessing the healing power of storytelling within her community, Mei begins to recognize her agency in a prejudiced world. Khor (The American Dream?) straddles myth and harsh realities via stunning digital pencil and hand-painted watercolor art that highlights cornerstones of Chinese culture. Much will resonate with diasporic readers, though any reader will find Mei's journey cathartic. Informative spreads serve as sources of logging trivia, and an author's note clarifies identity intersections and historical omissions. Ages 10–14.
