"Oh, Safe and Sound, dear homesick souls,
Although you wished to roam,
There's nothing wrong with those who have
A thirst to stay at home"

Barbara Nichol, Safe and Sound, Tundra Books, 2003

Like the cautious Canadian canines of Barbara Nichol's hilarious travel journal Safe and Sound, I am happiest at home. Even in my adventurous youth, my curiosity couldn't compete with my cowardice - I rarely left Canadian soil. Now that I'm a mom though, I travel daily. You see, fortunately for my two young daughters, the home at which I thirst to stay is now filled with fabulous children's books. The three of us travel to countries, cultures and centuries even real travel can't reach: a stranded ship in the frozen north, the thoughts of a contemporary deaf girl, a school in war-torn Europe. Today, let's travel on a South Asian theme.

Folk tales, with their magic, humour and usually dependable triumph of beauty and goodness, are a huge hit at our house. A longtime favourite of my girls is Mei Ming and the Dragon's Daughter (Lydia Bailey, illustrated by Martin Springett, Scholastic, 1990). Set in a Chinese village plagued by drought, this is the story of a beautiful young girl who, through bravery, compassion and the friendship of a mermaid-like dragon girl, unleashes a mighty rushing river to save her people. The riddles, sweet singing, friendship and beauty have left our copy well worn. Move over Ariel, the Dragon's Daughter is our mermaid of choice.

Also on the theme of drought-ending dragons is the gorgeously illustrated The Dragon's Pearl (Julie Lawson, illustrated by Paul Morin, Stoddart Publishing Co., 1992). In this bittersweet folk tale - which more directly relates the dragons of Chinese mythology with rain, transformation, royalty and greatness - a village is saved by the actions of a young boy, but at the expense of his boyhood. I find this story sad, but my five- and seven-year-old daughters easily discern the folk tale from reality and are not at all saddened by the boy's unlikely transformation.

Another favourite folk tale is The Tiger and the Dried Persimmon (Janie Jaehyun Park, Groundwood Books, 2002). Written in the oral storytelling style, this humorous book tells the traditional Korean tale of a tiger who falls from grandeur through his own foolishness. The expressions and body language of the ridiculous tiger seem almost superimposed upon the rich, textured gesso and acrylic illustrations. My five-year-old can't get enough of this one.

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Historically accurate fiction is another favourite mode of travel at our house. According to the 2001 Census, 8% of Canadians are of South Asian descent. Although a portion of these are new Canadians, South Asians have a long, significant and often painful history within Canada. I think our country needs a good deal more children's books in this area. I will share some of our favourites so far.

Ghost Train (Paul Yee, illustrated by Harvey Chan, Groundwood Books, 1996) is a spellbinding tale of a disadvantaged Chinese peasant girl who encounters hardship, loss and then, guided by the spirit of her dead father, a challenge to bring home the souls of her many compatriots who died building the Canadian Railway. This masterpiece of imagination and illustration tackles the difficult subject with elegance and respect and, despite the harsh truths presented, is much loved by both of my girls.

More painful truths of the South Asian Canadian experience are presented in the richly illustrated Mr. Hiroshi's Garden (Maxine Trottier, illustrated by Paul Morin, Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 1999). This is the story of young prairie girl who loses a friend to the Japanese Internment during World War II and of her own child-sized efforts to nurture understanding and freedom in spite of the devastating campaign of distrust and destruction. The intrigue, questions and discussion that this book always provokes in my girls are well worth the tears I shed when I read it.

An even more poignant description of the tragedy of the Japanese internment is found in Naomi's Road (Joy Kogawa, illustrated by Ruth Ohi, Oxford University Press, 1986). I cried so hard and so steadily throughout this book I haven't yet dared to read it to my girls. I think this is an important read and will definitely share it when the time is right.

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When we're in the mood for lighter fare, we explore the lives of fellow Canadians who are like us in most ways but have the spicy experience of heritage and traditions unlike our own. My girls easily see themselves in the familiar settings and situations and, despite the differences that may appear to be the focus, these books actually emphasize how similar we all are.

One such favourite is Treasure for Lunch (Shenaaz Nanji, illustrated by Yvonne Cathcart, Second Story Press, 2000) in which a spunky and popular school-girl is mortified when her grandmother packs traditional Indian delicacies in the girl's lunch bag. Set in a wintry Albertan school yard, this celebration of multi-culturalism not only has our girls begging for re-reading, it instantly made a samoosa fan of my finicky seven- year-old.

Lights for Gita (Rachna Gilmore, illustrated by Alice Priestley, Second Story Press, 1994) is a carefully crafted tale of homesickness and hope. This deceptively simple story of a sleety Canadian Divali combines the universal experience of long-awaited plans foiled by weather with the grief of a young girl pining for her New Delhi home. The book leaves us with the powerful insight that only we, ourselves, can fill our darkness with light.

No South-Asian themed journey would be complete without mentioning Suki's Kimono (Chieri Uegaki, illustrated by Stephane Jorisch, Kids Can Press, 2003), the story of a free-spirited, young Japanese-Canadian who, despite the jeers of her "cool" sisters and the giggles of her schoolmates, insists on wearing her blue kimono and shiny red geta on her first day back to school. This refreshing and carefree story is not just a celebration of heritage but of individuality and joie de vivre. What a feel-good romp!

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Like Safe and Sound, I'm happiest at home - tucked snugly into bed with a fluffy comforter, a stack of fabulous children's books and my two girls imploring, "Just One More Book!!".

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Complete bibliography of my favourite Asian-themed Canadian Books~

Set in India:

Veronika Martenova Charles, illustrated by Annouchka Gravel Galouchko and St̩phan Daigle,
The Birdman
Tundra Books, 2006

Set in Sri Lanka:

Andree Poulin, illustrated by Pascale Constantin
Une maman pour Kadhir
Editions Imagine, 2006

Set in China:

Julie Lawson, illustrated by Paul Morin
The Dragon䴜s Pearl
Stoddart Publishing Co., 1992

Lydia Bailey, illustrated by Martin Springett
Mei Ming and the Dragon䴜s Daughter
Scholastic, 1990

Ting-Xing Ye, illustrated by Harvey Chan
Three Monks, No Water
Annick Press, 1997

Ting-Xing Ye
My Name is Number 4
Random House, January 2007

About coming to Canada:

Ting-Xing Ye, illustrated by Suzane Langlois
Share the Sky
Annick Press, 1999

Set in Canada:

Jacqueline Pearce,
The Reunion
Orca, 2002

Andrea Cheng, illustrated by Ange Zhang
Grandfather Counts
Lee & Lowe Books, 2000

Paul Yee, illustrated by Harvey Chan
Ghost Train
Groundwood Books, 1996

Paul Yee, illustrated by Harvey Chan
Roses Sing On New Snow
Groundwood Books, 1991

Maxine Trottier, illustrated by Paul Morin
Mr. Hiroshi䴜s Garden
Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 1999

Joy Kogawa, illustrated by Ruth Ohi
Naomi䴜s Road
Oxford University Press, 1986

Ian Wallace
Chin Chiang and the Dragon䴜s Dance
Groundwood/Douglas & McIntyre, 1984

Warabe Aska
Who Hides in the Park
Tundra Books, 1986

Chieri Uegaki, illustrated by Stephane Jorisch
Suki䴜s Kimono
Kids Can Press, 2003

Shenaaz Nanji, illustrated by Yvonne Cathcart
Treasure for Lunch
Second Story Press, 2000

Rachna Gilmore, illustrated by Alice Priestley
Lights for Gita
Second Story Press, 1994

Rachna Gilmore, illustrated by Alice Priestley
Roses for Gita
Tilbury House, 1996

Set in Korea:

Janie Jaehyun Park
The Tiger and the Dried Persimmon
Groundwood Books, 2002

Set in Pakistan:

Rukhsana Khan, illustrated by R.Gregory Christie
Ruler of the Courtyard
Viking Press, 2003

Set in Japan:

Annouchka Gravel Galouchko
Sho and the Demons of the Deep
Annick Press, 1998

Veronika Martenova Charles
The Crane Girl
Stoddart Publishing Co., 1992

Posted January 2007