My favorite chapter books when I was younger were by Carolyn Haywood - "B" is for Betsy and Eddie and His Big Deals. The stories took place in school, in Betsy's home, and in Eddie's neighbrohood. They had families and ate dinner and waited for the bus. THey were normal families without unicorns or fairy princesses, but the stories were magical to me. When I read those books, it was as if I was wrapped in a warm hug. I saw all the things that I loved and lived - my neighborhood, my friends, and my school. The only thing I didn't see was me.

I wrote [this book] because it was the book I wished I had had when I was growing up, a book that had someone like me in it.

     ~Grace Lin, "Author's Note", Year of the Dog

Cows moo, ducks quack, and a Chinese dog goes "wang wang."