Crouching Tiger

Book excerpt: “Poignant but not treacly, Crouching Tiger deals with an immigrant child’s conflicting emotions toward a grandparent from the old country . . . . Nascimbene’s delicate ink and watercolor illustrations are exquisite.” — The New York Times Book Review Vinson is very excited when his grandfather comes from China for a visit. When Grandpa practices tai chi in the garden, Vinson asks to learn, hoping it will be like kung fu, full of kicks and punches. But tai chi is slow and still, and Vinson quickly gets bored. He can’t understand why Grandpa insists on calling him by his Chinese name, Ming Da, or why he has to wear a traditional Chinese jacket to the Chinese New Year parade. But as the parade assembles, Vinson sees the respect his grandfather commands and starts to realize just how cool his grandfather might be.