Only One Year

by James Cheng, Nicole Wong (Illustrator)

Overview

Three Chinese American children learn to trust and love one another again after the youngest child returns from a year living in China with extended family.

Sharon can hardly believe the news. Di Di, her two-year-old brother, is being taken to China to spend a year with their grandparents. Why can't he go to day care or be watched by a babysitter when Mama goes back to work? Sharon wonders. But her parents say it is better for relatives to take care of little children.

After Di Di first leaves, Sharon and her younger sister, Mary, pore over the photographs their grandma sends, trying to keep their little brother fresh in their minds. As the year passes, the girls become involved with school, friends, and hobbies. They think of Di Di less often. Then one day he is home again, and it feels as if a stranger has entered their lives. The children struggle to sort out their mixed emotions but soon discover that the bonds among siblings hold strong.

This reassuring story is a gentle tribute to the enduring love of family, even when it is tested by a difficult choice.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781620141816
Publisher:	Lee & Low Books
Publication date:	04/01/2010
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	3 MB
Age Range:	7 - 10 Years

About the Author

Andrea Cheng was the author of several award-winning and critically acclaimed books for young readers. Her works range from picture books to young adult novels, and her stories often draw on the experiences of her Hungarian relatives or her husband's Chinese family. Cheng was inspired here by Dave's heroism, courage, and creative struggle. She taught English as a Second Language at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, and passed away in late 2015.

Nicole Wong is a full-time illustrator with a BFA degree from the Rhode Island School of Design. Her twenty-plus books include Three Lost Seeds: Stories of Becoming; No Monkeys, No Chocolate; and illustrations for Andrea Cheng's Only One Year, published by Lee & Low Books. She lives in Fall River, Massachusetts, with her husband, daughter, two sleepy cats and two hyperactive dogs. Please visit her on the Web at nicole-wong.com.

Andrea Cheng was the author of several award-winning and critically acclaimed books for young readers. Her works range from picture books to young adult novels, and her stories often draw on the experiences of her Hungarian relatives or her husband’s Chinese family. Cheng was inspired here by Dave’s heroism, courage, and creative struggle. She taught English as a Second Language at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, and passed away in late 2015.

Nicole Wong is a full-time illustrator with a BFA degree from the Rhode Island School of Design. Her twenty-plus books include Three Lost Seeds: Stories of Becoming; No Monkeys, No Chocolate; and illustrations for Andrea Cheng’s Only One Year, published by Lee & Low Books. She lives in Fall River, Massachusetts, with her husband, daughter, two sleepy cats and two hyperactive dogs. Please visit her on the Web at nicole-wong.com.

Editorial Reviews

Cheng, known for exploring issues of diversity (Shanghai Messenger, illustrated by Ed Young, 2005, etc.), tackles a custom that many will find disorienting. Sharon and her younger sister are upset that their two-year-old brother, Di Di, will live with extended family in China for the "only one year" of the title. Mother explains that it is better for him to be cared for by family than by strangers at day care while everyone is at work or school. "We have to do what is best for Di Di," she says. "Not what is best for us." Sharon's narration follows the sisters throughout the year as they attend school, make friends and play, all the while missing Di Di. Those familiar with this practice will appreciate the book's frank and thoughtful tone that never diminishes the family's longing. For others, Di Di's trauma upon his return, when he no longer recognizes his parents or sisters nor understands or speaks English, will resonate. An author's note provides some background, but the notion may well be too jarring for many readers to accommodate easily. Wong's graceful black-and-white sketches complement the text. (Fiction. 7-11)

Kirkus Reviews

Cheng (who collaborated with Wong on Brushing Mom's Hair) offers a quiet yet resonant novel that explores a practice unfamiliar to most American children. Just before Sharon's mother begins a new job, the fourth-grader's parents send her two-year-old brother, Di Di, to live in Shanghai for a year with their grandmother, Nai Nai. When Sharon questions why a babysitter can't care for him instead, Mama explains that for a sitter, “Di Di is a job. But for Nai Nai, he is a grandson.” Moving moments underscore the void his absence leaves: shopping for shoes, Sharon's younger sister, Mary, suggests they buy a pair for Di Di, and Mama replies, “We don't know his size.” Di Di's return brings different distress: he has no interest in playing with his sisters (“He doesn't like us anymore,” Sharon laments), he cries too often, and during a tantrum he tears apart the girls' homemade playhouse. Expectedly, the boy gradually bonds with his sisters, a process further humanized by Wong's delicate line art. Cheng's concluding note gives cultural context to her insightful story. Ages 7-11. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

"This novel illuminates a family's love and sibling dynamics and will be embraced by many young readers." — School Library Journal

"Frequent, homey black-and-white illustrations and back matter such as a pronunciation guide, glossary, and author's note add to the young reader's appreciation of the story." — The Horn Book

Best Children's Books of the Year - Bank Street College of Education
CCBC Choices - Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
Red Dot Book Award Shortlist - International School Libraries Network, Singapore
Triple Crown Awards Shortlist - National Christian School Association

From the Publisher

Gr 2–4—Sharon and Mary can't believe their parents' decision to send their two-year-old brother to China. He'll spend a year with their grandparents, who will care for him and teach him Chinese with the help of aunts, cousins, and neighbors. His parents reason that "it's only one year" and everyone here is busy going to work or school. Di Di leaves, and the sisters keep his memory fresh by placing photos of him in an album chronicling his time in China. As months go by, the girls spend less and less time thinking about him. They're embarrassed to tell their friends what their parents have done. When Di Di returns, he doesn't remember them or English words, and Sharon worries he doesn't like them anymore. This slim novel opens a window into a unique cultural experience while showcasing the similarities of families. A pronunciation guide and glossary assist readers with the Chinese words, and black-line illustrations complement the text. An author's note explains that this family's experience is similar to that of many Asian immigrant parents who send a young child to their home country to stay with family members while they make a new life in America and work or attend school to provide a better future for their children. This novel illuminates a family's love and sibling dynamics and will be embraced by many young readers.—Helen Foster James, University of California at San Diego

School Library Journal