Oranges on Golden Mountain

"Oranges on Golden Mountain" is an excellent children's book. The text by Elizabeth Partridge is complemented by Aki Sogabe's colorful illustrations."Oranges" tells the story of Jo Lee, a Chinese boy who emigrates to California, where he works as a fisherman with his uncle. He misses his mother, who is still in China, but he plants orange branches that she gave him to take on his journey.This is a realistic immigrant story with some fantastic/supernatural touches that evoke traditional Chinese beliefs. Illustrator Aki Sogabe creates many memorable scenes: a letter writer engaged in Chinese calligraphy, the Dragon King flying over a stormy ocean, Jo Lee tending his orange saplings, and more. To sum up: this is an excellent book for children of all cultures.

Jo Lee has to leave China because his family orchard can not support everyone after two dry years in a row. Mother uses the last of the money Father sent to get Jo Lee to Fourth Uncle in California. She knows he will have food there and learn to fish. Jo Lee's comfort is that he can send his Hun, his dream spirit, to keep in touch with his family in China. He leaves his family orchard for California with the bundle of orange tree twigs his mother gives to him. When he reaches Golden Mountain, Fourth Uncle helps him plant the twigs.When the orange twigs root and bloom, Jo Lee's hope bloom too. Then, when he sleeps, his Hun travels to China to tell his mother. A heart-tugging story of the sacrifice made by a Chinese boy to help his family during hard times.The cut paper drawings, by illustrator Aki Sogabe, beautifully compliment this story. The white caps,the swirling water, the fishing net, the misty Hun, and the clouds are superb illustrations for this simple little story.