Anna McQuinn, illustrated by Ben Frey, with photographs by Irvin Cheung,
My Friend Mei Jing (My Friend Series)
Annick Press, 2009.

Rating:  G*

My Friend Mei Jing isthe second book in the My Friend Series by Anna McQuinn. It is a description of a friendship between two Grade 2 girls who have different cultural backgrounds, Chinese and Nigerian. The girls have many common interests such as arts and crafts, drama club and make-believe play. They are interested in the differences between their cultures and share food and special celebrations such as birthdays and Chinese New Year.

The illustrations are an interesting mix of artwork by Ben Frey, a Vancouver artist, and photographs by Irvin Cheung, a Vancouver graphic designer. Frey’s colourful drawings are integrated with Cheung’s photos of the girls’ faces and real-life objects such as places, foods and animals. This unusual style bridges reality with fantasy, especially when the girls are playing dress-up.

The language of the text is simple, in informal “kid language” and age-appropriate. New vocabulary such as “veterinarian” and “cornrows” are supported by the illustrations. 
Classroom teachers and librarians could use this book for studies of immigration and culture. It could be read independently by Grade 2 children. It could also be used as a model for writing about friends within a classroom and learning about each other’s cultures and interests.

Recommended for school and public libraries.

Thematic Links:  Social Studies; Community; Multiculturalism; Immigration; Food; Chinese New Year; Drama

Lori Austin
Vol.14, number 5
June 2009

*Rating System:
E - Excellent, enduring, everyone should see it!
G - Good, even great at times, generally useful!
A - Average, all right, has its applications.
P - Problematic, puzzling, poorly presented.