Most "concept books" for children ("concept book" is the not terribly attractive industry term used to refer to books which introduce "concepts" like shapes, colours and numbers) are usually written from an Anglo-American point of view, so here in Asia, they can generate more confusion in the minds of children than clarification, ("Mommy, what's baseball?", "What's the 4th of July?"). Parents in Asia should therefore be immensely grateful to such authors as Roseanne Thong who take it upon themselves to write "culturally relevant children's books" (another ugly term, used with apologies).

Roseanne Thong’s second book, Red is a Dragon, has just been released. Like the first, Round is a Mooncake, Red is a Dragon is a full-format, full-colour Asian-themed picture book. Brightly and delightfully illustrated by Grace Lin, who teamed up with Thong on her first book, the book covers dragons, firecrackers, lychees, incense sticks, kale, jade, peonies, chopsticks and noodles - but also kites, taxis, crabs, ribbons and rainbows. (There is also a helpful glossary at the end.)

Each double spread in the book is a single large illustration with a single colour as the theme, with a rhyme which, while simple, contains a lot of information in just a few words:

White are noodles and chopsticks, too
White are dumplings for me and you!

Roseanne Thong is, when she's not writing, a 7th grade Language Arts and Social Science at Hong Kong International School. She is herself from a multi-ethnic family - her husband is Malaysian born Chinese, while she is Caucasian from Southern California - and has a young daughter who was, to a great extent, the inspiration for the first book. Many parents of ethnically Asian children will be thankful for a book in which not all the images are of blond hair, blue eyes, single-family dwellings, camping trips, snowmen, biking to school, fireplaces and the like. But any parent living in Asia, whether permanently or just short-term, should also be delighted to have a book that teaches something of the place and culture in which their children are currently living.

One shouldn't have to sacrifice quality just to get an Asian-themed picture book. Thank goodness, it is no longer necessary. Along with Roseanne Thong, there is a small, but increasing, number of authors and illustrators - such as Demi - who have, in recent years, emerged to produce Asian-themed books that would be considered excellent regardless of subject or cultural orientation. Picture books should excite children's imaginations, give parents and children something to talk about, and get the kids interested in colours, shapes, objects and activities in the world around them. Red is a Dragon does all this. I think that this book is actually better than the first one; perhaps colours give more to play with than shapes or perhaps the team of author and illustrator have found themselves more in synch on their second collaboration.

Chinese culture is no longer unusual. Noodles and kale are almost as common in New York today as in Hong Kong and Chinese dragons are found in many world cities come Lunar New Year. This is not a book just for Asians or families living in Asia. If "home" is not here, Red is a Dragon would make an excellent Christmas present to those younger cousins "back home". It might even convince them to come visit.

Elaine Leung, The Asian Review of Books

Elaine Leung is founder and CEO of Asian Bookseller Paddyfield.com