An I can read book

I thought that "Chang's Paper Pony" was an okay read, and I would give it three stars. The large print and short sentences made the story easy to read and comprehend, and with only three chapters I thought that the book was a good introduction to the format of chapter books. I liked that the book is set during the California gold rush, a time which coincided with the immigration of many Chinese families to America due to the war in China, because the book provides information about the time period without focusing on facts and straightforward discussion of historical events. Instead of taking time away from the story to explain the historical setting, the book references the time period within the context of the story, like when Chang's grandfather explains to Chang that they cannot return to China because there is a war going on there, and when Chang goes with Big Pete to pan for gold in the river. These brief references serve as a good introduction to the idea that these historical events are worth studying and that they impacted the people who experienced them in many ways. For instance, Chang's perspective as a child immigrant forced to move to California illustrates how many Chinese immigrants felt uncomfortable and uprooted as a result of the war. In this way, "Chang's Paper Pony" provides Social Studies content within the ELA classroom, which can help to create consistency between different classes. I think the "big idea" of the book is that it is important to be honest and do what is right no matter how difficult that might be. Chang could have stolen the flakes from Big Pete's floor and used them to buy his pony, but Chang does the right thing by returning the flakes to their rightful owner. Chang is then rewarded for his good deed with a pony, which I believe can have some harmful implications. Because Chang gets exactly what he wants after he gives the flakes to Big Pete, the story suggests that one should expect to always be rewarded for doing the right thing with exactly what one wants. In reality, one cannot expect to have his or her wildest dreams come true as a result of good behavior. While I was happy that Chang gets his pony, I think a better message would be that feeling good as a result of doing the right thing is a reward in and of itself. For this reason, I would give the book only three stars. ( )