A young narrator describes an outing to Shanghai spent with her aunt. Together they explore the city, shop at the mall, have tea at a park, eat in a restaurant with her aunt's friends, walk the Bund, and enjoy a foot massage. At the end of the day, the girl wonders whether her future lies in her village or in a city. The collage art gives a better sense of the city than it does the village. The one illustration of village housing looks oddly suburban. The images of traditional fishing boats and Kwan Yin's statue provide the only other views of the older way of life. The focus is on urban life in contemporary China, and the pictures portray the city's energy and modern style. Written in Mandarin Chinese, the English translation is sometimes clunky, for example, describing Grandfather's tai chi as "energy practice." American children will need the appended notes to understand this book, which sometimes misses the mark but is a well-intentioned attempt to introduce modern China.

K-Gr 2 Early one morning, a woman and her daughter catch a ferry from their small town on the island of Putuo Shan to Shanghai where the unnamed child will spend the weekend with her aunt. After eating lunch at Auntie's apartment, the two visit a mall and a park. In the evening they have dinner with Auntie's friends at a restaurant, walk along the Bund, and enjoy a foot massage. Back at the apartment, the youngster does her schoolwork while Auntie talks on the phone with her business partner in the U.S. At the end of the day, the child reflects on the choices she will have as she grows up. This bilingual book is one of a series of titles that looks at the cultures of various countries around the world. The glossary and notes give a bit more information about China and define specific items mentioned in the story. The Mandarin is an accurate translation of the English, which is awkward toward the end of the story in part because the use of commas is erratic. The illustrations are done in collage, a combination of cut paper, photographs, and line drawings. The quality of the photographs is uneven, and the overall design of the artwork lacks vigor. While the simple story is pleasing, the book has limited appeal. Barbara Scotto, Children's Literature New England, Brookline, MA