Chloe Knuth The House Baba Built Ed Young October, 2011 Nonfiction
The House Baba Built takes place in Shanghai, China and illustrates the house that kept Baba’s children safe during WWII. The picture book shows the author’s various stages of his childhood during the tragic events that took place. Baba’s house was a haven for people seeking comfort and peace from the war.
The book emphasized the importance of family, which is an extremely important part of China’s culture. Ed Young frequently pointed out the strong connection between him and his siblings, and even his cousins by illustrating them playing games while the adults discussed the war. There were also times when they had barely anything to eat because the government’s money was spent on weapons instead. What they ate was quite different from what we eat here in America. For example, they ate bamboo shoots and rice soup, while we eat cheeseburgers and fries.
I connected with the author because at the end of the book, Young said that he visited Baba’s house when he was an adult, and it reminded him of his childhood memories. I have a similar story. I was adopted from China when I was one year old, and went back to China 3 years ago to visit my orphanage. That experience changed my life because I had the chance to see my home country, which is similar to how Young went back to visit his childhood home. Even though I do not remember my time at the orphanage since I was so young, it was still enlightening to see the place I lived in for my the first year of my life.
The main conflict in this book was WWII. Since a war was happening while Young was growing up, it affected his life and changed his view of the world. As a child, he grew up secluded from others because it was unsafe to leave Baba’s house. He only knew the people living in the house, which meant he had no idea how others were living in poverty and destruction because of the war. The conflict was resolved because of Baba’s house that was built so well it kept a world war away from its doorsteps. Young and his siblings had no worries because the adults took care of them and made sure they were comfortable and safe at all times. I think that the cause of these conflicts should not have even taken place because WWII shouldn’t have affected all countries. Adolf Hitler shouldn’t have been able to even rise up in power. The way WWII was handled was poorly done. People could have been much more organized and taken into consideration the effects of another world war. WWII was universally based.
Reading this kid’s book changed my views on China’s culture and I believe I understand my culture better. The book was simple but powerful. It helped me to respect the struggles other countries have gone through when they had no other choice but to accept the hardships.
3. What perceived ideas or stereotypes were changed after reading the text? One of the ideas I had of Chinese fathers was changed after reading this book. I believed that Chinese fathers were cold, heartless, and incapable of showing affection. This stereotype stems from the movies and shows that portray Chinese fathers as such. I soon realized that this was not true at all. In the book, the father was kind, caring, and protective. He supported his children by building this magnificent house. He was nothing like what I have seen in the media.