My sisters skipped through the stone gate two by two. Mother was not there to skip with me. Mother was far away in Vietnam. She could not say, "Ut, my little one, be an Angel Child. Be happy in your new American school."
Angel Child, Dragon Child is a 1983 children's picture book by Michele Maria Surat, with illustrations by Mai Vo-Dinh.
Nguyen Hoa, called Ut by her family, is a young Vietnamese girl who immigrates to America with her father, sisters, and brother—but not her mother, who has to stay behind in Vietnam because there's not enough money for her to come as well. Adjusting to life in America is hard for Ut, especially when all the children in school laugh at her because she wears clothes that look like pajamas and doesn't speak English well. But one of her bullies might not be as bad as he seems...and maybe they could learn to understand each other a little better.
This book was featured in the Reading Rainbow episode "The Patchwork Quilt," which aired on July 2, 1985.
This book provides examples of:
- Adults Are Useless: None of the teachers at school do anything about Ut being bullied for months until she finally fights back against Raymond, but then both of them get punished.
- Affectionate Nickname: Our main character’s first name is Hoa, but her family calls her Ut, “a tender name for smallest daughter.” When she becomes friends with Raymond, she asks him to use this name, too.
- All of the Other Reindeer: On Ut’s first day of school in the United States, she's hardly gotten one step past the school gate before all the children start laughing at her and her sisters for wearing áo dài (long Vietnamese tunics) which look like pajamas to them. Then, in class, they laugh at her some more when she says "Chao buoi sang" (good morning).
- Big Sister Instinct: Little sister instinct, but Ut finally fights back against Raymond when he throws a snowball at her older sister.
- Bully Turned Buddy: At first, Raymond is a mean young boy who bullies Ut and her sisters. When they get into a fight, the principal punishes them by making them talk to each other. They come to an understanding, and Ut tells Raymond about how she and her family came to America, but her mother had to stay behind. He comes up with the idea of holding a Vietnamese fair to raise enough money so Ut’s mother can make the trip to America.
- Earn Your Happy Ending: The school's Vietnamese fair raises enough money to bring Ut's mother to the United States, and the whole Nguyen family is reunited at last.
- Fiery Redhead: Ut's first impression of Raymond is "a boy with fire-colored hair," and he is the first student to start bullying her on her first day of school.
- Fish out of Water: Ut has a hard time adjusting to life in her new American school, far from her family’s homeland of Vietnam.
- Flower Motifs: Hoa-phuong is a flower that blooms in Vietnam and is used as a symbol of Ut’s connection to her home country. Her precious matchbox, which has her mother's photo inside, is decorated with one of those flowers.
- Footnote Fever: Some of the pages have small notes at the bottom that explain to English-speaking readers how to pronounce the Vietnamese words in the text.
- Fundraiser Carnival: The school ends up putting on a Vietnamese fair to raise enough money for Ut's mother to immigrate to the States.
- Kids Are Cruel: Subverted. Ut's family moves from Vietnam to the United States, and on her first day of school, she and her sisters are taunted by the other children. Finally, Ut snaps and gets into a fight with a boy named Raymond, and the principal makes them sit down and talk. Eventually, Raymond understands Ut's problem — that her mother wasn't able to come to the United States with them — and he and the other children organize a fair to raise the money needed to bring Ut's mother to her family's new home.
- Locked in a Room: When Raymond and Ut get into a fight, the principal takes them to an empty classroom and makes them sit and talk out their problems.
- An Immigrant's Tale: This is the story of Ut, a young Vietnamese girl whose family immigrates to the United States, as she copes with attending a new school.
- Massive Numbered Siblings: Ut has four elder sisters and one younger brother. Because there are so many children in her family, there was only enough money for them and their father to come to the United States, while their mother stayed in Vietnam.
- Meaningful Background Event: When Ut and Raymond are locked in a room and are sitting in angry silence because they're being forced to talk to each other by the principal, there is a banner on the wall that says "Silence is Golden!"
- Missing Mom: While Ut’s mother is still alive, she has stayed behind in Vietnam while her husband and six children have moved to the United States, because there is not enough money for her to come as well. Raymond is the one who comes up with the idea of a Vietnamese school fair to raise enough money to bring her to the States.
- No Name Given: Ut's youngest brother is named Little Quang, but the names of her four elder sisters are never mentioned. Her eldest sister is referred to as Chi Hai, but this is the Vietnamese way to say eldest sister, so it's not her real name.
- Rage Breaking Point: Ut puts up with being picked on by Raymond for months until he throws a snowball at her older sister. Then she hurls a snowball at him, and they start fighting.
- Tastes Like Friendship: When Raymond is crying, Ut feels sympathetic and offers him a piece of her cookie. This is when they first start to become friends.
- Tragic Keepsake: Ut keeps a matchbox with a photograph of her mother on the inside of the lid. Downplayed because her mother is not dead, and merely separated from the rest of the family by distance, but Ut misses her just as much.
- Would Hit a Girl: Raymond gets into a physical fight with Ut after she throws a snowball at him for throwing snow at her sister.
