The House Baba Built

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Young, Ed. 2011. The House Baba Built: An Artist's Childhood in China. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. ISBN-10: 9780316076289.

PLOT SUMMARY

Ed Young takes us on a one of a kind journey back in time in this picture book memoir, The House Baba Built. The unique memoir reflects on a significant time in the author’s life during WWII in China. The story begins by describing Ed’s family in the beginning, and the history behind the house that Babe built. Throughout the story, the narrator describes different sections of the house, its uses, and the walls that kept them safe from the outside terror. As the years go on, more people move in to the house, making the memories more colorful, and full of life. Four families end up living together in the house, helping shape the author’s childhood in an impactful way. In the end of the story, the war is over and the families shift apart, but the author goes back with children of his own, in appreciation of his father’s legacy. The story closes with Baba’s letter written for his children, encouraging them to live a happy life by doing more for others than for oneself.

AWARDS AND HONORS:

·         Booklist Top 10 Art Books for Youth 2011

·         NCSS Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People Biography 2012

·         Publishers Weekly Best Children's Books 2011

·         Booklist Editors' Choice Books for Youth, Nonfiction, Middle Readers 2011

·         CCBC Choices 2012

·         ALA Notable Children’s Book 2012

·         Booklist Top 10 Biography Books for Youth: 2012

·         SLJ Best Books of 2011

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

The House Baba Built is a collection of photographs, maps, illustrations, unique textures, and blueprints that sequentially narrate a recollection of carefree childhood memories amidst a dangerous time in history. The memoir narrates the important events and special people who partook in the upbringing of Young’s distinctive childhood. The readers get to experience the joyful times, and the not so glorious times the author faced during the 1930s-1940s in China during WWII.

This memoir serves as insight into the life of a child during a historical world event. Young readers will be able to connect with the narrator because of the experiences he has in the house with his siblings, cousins, and friends. Young describes a very imaginative childhood, “When we weren’t swimming, we played with make-believe toys. I turned a rocking chair into a horse…I became a pilot, a mountain adventurer, a tightrope walker, Tarzan.” Throughout the narration, we are able to live through the detailed experiences of Ed’s fun and sometimes difficult childhood. Young and his family struggled, at times, with feeding the family, “Our hens were only for eggs, and large pieces of chicken, fried in oil, were an unimaginable treat.” Children may relate to the story on different levels because many have had to share a home with other relatives or family friends.

On the other hand, the book has fold-able pages that open up to reveal more pictures and further insight into specific moments of the author’s life. At times, it was difficult to follow along since there was no specific direction of the order of the next paragraph. As an adult, it was a bit troublesome to follow the sequential order of the pages and the scattered text through out the pages. The jumbled-up textures and photographs made the pages seem chaotic. Even though the memoir was supposed to resemble a unique scrapbook of memories, at times the reader’s attention is hard to focus on the importance of the text.

Furthermore, the book includes inspirational quotes told by Young’s father throughout the story. In the beginning Baba mentions, “Crisis does carry a blessing within its curse.” Baba’s positive and charismatic personality shines through the negative situation. It is mention through the narration Baba was always the life of the party; holding everyone’s attention with his funny jokes and elaborate fictional stories. During one of the scariest times of the war, Baba distracted the entire family with his fun stories, “When everyone was settled comfortably, the stories began. Baba told of a woman kung fu warrior with bound feet.”

EXCERPTS

SLJ STARRED REVIEW: “Each scene is a surprise, as Young works in postcards, maps, currency, magazine images, family photographs, and acrylic portraits. Gatefold pages extend the scale. An illustrated afterword portrays Young’s own children at the household gates as well as a time line and floor plans.” 2011

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY: “Tender portraits of his siblings, torn-paper collages showing tiny figures at play, and old photos of stylish adults intermingle, as if they’d been found forgotten in a drawer. Young’s fans will savor stories of his East-West childhood; he and his four siblings raise silkworms, watch Westerns, train fighting crickets, and dance the conga when the war finally ends 14 years later.”2011

KIRKUS REVIEW: “The episodic text rambles; some illustrations are casual and chaotic. Others are magnificent. Young uses myriad textures, including crinkly paper and woven reed paper. Collaged family silhouettes feature tenderly sketched faces. Old photos and bits of painted collage glow on dark pages. Miniscule cut-out people populate fold-out drawings and complex, three-dimensional–looking collages of the house. Those wanting historical or cultural background will need supplements, though.”

CONNECTIONS

Library Activity: Provide students with more books written by Ed Young.

·         Young, Ed. 2005. Beyond the Great Mountains: A Visual Poem About China. Chronicle Books. ISBN-10: 0811843432.

·         Young, Ed. 1996. Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China. Puffin Books. ISBN-10: 0698113829.