Thanks to the generosity of the Friends of Baldwin, Newbery honor award winning author and illustrator Grace Lin came and to the Baldwin School for the day.
In kindergarten and first grade, the students learned about the publishing process. Grace read excerpts from Ling and Ting Share A Birthday. She then lead students in a draw along of a lucky tiger.
The second and third grade students learned all about the customs and traditions of Chinese New Year. Grace read excerpts of folktales from The Year of The Rat including a story about the Chinese Zodiac and one about scaring away bad luck. Students were excited to learn about red envelopes, dumplings and eating a whole fish! Students shared independent projects they had made about Grace Lin's books. Students made posters, videos, slide shows, and books. Ms. Lin spent time signing books for the students.
Fourth and fifth grade students learned the background of Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. Grace talked about what it was like growing up Asian in a white neighborhood and how as a child, she resisted learning about her Chinese culture because it made her feel different. She shared how her mother bought her Chinese fairy tales and how later as an adult, she went back to those stories and wrote Where the Mountain Meets the Moon and Starry River of the Sky.
Grace shared how she incorporated Chinese architecture and art that she saw in China in her stories. She told the kids she wanted full color, detailed illustrations in her book because when she was a child, she loved how the European fairy tales had beautiful illustrations, but the Chinese books her mother bought her didn't. She retold the students some of the Chinese folklore from her book.
Thank you to Ms. Kugel for arranging this incredible and memorable enrichment for the school community.