Surat, Michele Maria. Angel Child, Dragon Child. Scholastic, New York, 1983. 35 pages. $4.99 ISBN 0-590-42271-5
Michele Maria Surat captures the hearts of readers through the story of Ut, a young Vietnamese girl, newly arrived in America, who endures hardship in her new surroundings. Rich, descriptive text details Ut’s emotions as she struggles to adapt to a new way of life. In school, where she seeks comfort and familiarity, she first finds loneliness and strangeness. Language poses a barrier and her American classmates tease her and her sisters about their dress: “Pajamas!” he shouted. They wore white pajamas to school!”
Readers feel Ut’s emotions as she does her best to understand, adjust, and persevere in a land that is foreign to her. It is a place where American students do not sit together to chant. It is a place of snowy weather. Ut longs for her mother, who would make things easier to bear if she were not still in Vietnam.
Ut “hides her angry dragon face” when her pain is too much but finds solace in her mother's picture kept in a small wooden box hidden in her pocket. This memento helps Ut find inner peace and patience to await her mother’s indefinite arrival to the U.S. As Ut adapts to her new life, she makes her first friend and finds that she is part of a caring, proactive community.
Vietnamese Vo-Dinh Mai bridges Surat’s text with enchanting, gentle paintings that portray Ut's range of emotions and new experiences. While this book is geared toward young readers, ages 7-11, it bridges cultural understanding for readers of all ages. Ut's story is endearing and triumphant and involves acceptance, love, and friendship.
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