Amelia Lau CarlingMama and Papa Have a Store

Love this book of an Asian family living in Latin American — winner of the Americas Award for authentically and engagingly relating the Latino experience. Sweet story, beautifully illustrated in watercolor — in Spanish and English for English Language learner's. I have my own copy, and bought another for a children's book charity.

I love this book. It tells the story of a Chinese family making their life in Guatemala. The pictures are beautiful and the story is one that I’m familiar with.

Even though we are virtual for the time being, I am always on the lookout to find books that reflect the representation of my students. I have some Guatemalan students this year, and there is not yet a vast selection of children''s books that feature Guatemalan characters or Guatemalan-American characters! I stumbled across this story and thought it would be a cool addition to our class! The book is great, the illustrations are eye-catching, but but there is one page that describes a vendor selling paintings with angels bringing the good up to the heaven and the devil dragging the bad down to hell...which I will skip when I do a read aloud to my Kinders :)

This book was recommended by a bookstore owner and also by a young friend who is 13. After reading the latter's praise, I couldn't wait to get hold of my own copy. Each sentence comes from the soul; each brushstroke applied with love. The book becomes richer upon rereading for the details come alive when we quiet down to the level of the author's voice. The words and pictures come together so that 2 plus 2 equals more than 4! This book will find a place in the heart of an especially artistic, poetic, sensitive child.

thanks for good book and transaction--

This book is very unique since it is about a Chinese migrant family living in a Latino country and coexisting with Mayan communities!This beautiful multicultural book is beautifully written and illustrated. I read this was the first book from Amelia Lau Carling and it has won an award already. I really hope Amelia writes more books. Her multicultural and rich perspective would be an asset to the literature for children and young readers.

Probably best suited for 5-8 year olds due to the length of the story. 4 year-olds, and younger, will grow quickly bored with this story, like its setting of Guatemala City, moves at a slow pace.But, the story is a good for more advanced children as you peer into the life of a chinese family of immigrants, who have set-up a small general store in this foreign land, and takes you through a day-in-the-life of this family.The illustrations are exceptional.

Lee & Low republished these out-of-print editions in both English and Spanish.In 1938, the author’s parents fled their village in China before the Japanese invaded at the advent of World War II. Settling in Guatemala City, they raised their six children in the back of a grocery store, which sold all sorts of sundries.Through detailed watercolor drawings, the author shares her memories of a typical day spent playing in the store with her brothers and sisters, meeting Mayan Indians who came from their faraway village to buy colorful thread, and interacting with Guatemalan and Chinese patrons. By the end of the book, readers will have a clear idea of what it was like for a hardworking Chinese immigrant family to make their way in a new world.I would have preferred to have both the Spanish and English versions in a single book, rather than in two different books, as it would’ve been easier for children learning each language to see the opposite language as they practiced.Recommended for ages 6-10.