Title: Mei Li
Author and Illustrator: Thomas Handforth
Method of Reading/Extra Activities: Unfortunately, we are going to have to skip this book for now, since we are unable to obtain a copy of it. Our county's library system has all the Caldecott Medal winning books except for this one. I wrote to the library, requesting that they add this title to their collection. We'll see if they do. I'm wondering if the reason they do not have the book is because of controversy surrounding the subject matter. By reading the book's reviews on Amazon, I discovered that some people feel this book is sexist in its treatment of the main character, a little Chinese girl. Others, however, feel it is an accurate portrayal of that particular historical period. It would be a great pity if this controversy is the reason my library does not carry it. I hope we can get a copy of this book, so we can make our own decisions about the story and can enjoy the illustrations in this book, chosen as the 2nd Caldecott Medal winner.
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