Animation | DVD | Closed Captioning
Paper Words: Joyce Lee
Ethnicity: Chinese
Subjects: Culture Clash, Family, Identity, Youth
Grade Levels: 3rd to 5th Grade
Rich and colorful, PAPER WORDS enchantingly tells the story of Mei, a 5-year old girl from China now living in America. Attending kindergarten in the Midwest, she struggles with the language barrier of not being able to speak English as well as her peers and finds herself a target for teasing. Mei would rather be in the garden examining butterflies or talking to her doll.
While those around her misinterpret her shyness, Mei’s mother knows better and can see through her daughter’s reserved behavior. As the story builds, we are given a powerful glimpse not only into the struggles many immigrant children face both at home and in the classroom but what must be done so they are not lost in the education system.
A “lovely computer-animated short”, highly recommended by Video Librarian (3.5 out of 4 stars)