I was too old for this book when it came out, but when I saw a copy at the Friends of the Library sale, snagged it for future kids so they can learn about our history. I'd say maybe ages 5-8, a picture book take on the Transcontinental Railroad through the eyes of two brothers who worked as the titular coolies through the Sierra Nevadas on the Central Pacific portion. The work was hard and dangerous, with Chinese laborers paid at a lower rate for longer hours. Beautiful painted illustrations play with light. ( )

“This is the land of opportunity! Shek marvels as he and Little Wong step off the overcrowded ship that had brought them to America in 1865.”

In “Coolies”, Yin shares a historical fiction about the brothers of Shek and Little Wong, who left a village in Canton due to government corruption that led to starvation. They said goodbye to their family, promising to send money home, as they embark on a journey that will result in their becoming ‘coolies’ working on the transcontinental railroad, risking life and limbs, freezing temperatures, inhumanely long working hours, life-threatening explosives, and fed just barely enough food to work another long day ahead. The book begins and ends with a grandmother and a grandson paying respects to their elders; the grandmother explains why they have this ritual by sharing their family history.

As a kid’s book (maybe 10-ish years age), Yin did a very fine job telling a difficult tale with limited sugar coating. The illustrations by Soentpiet are on point also, notably with readable Chinese characters. Two things I want to address:

1. The term ‘coolies’ is very outdated and is a derogatory term. If this book was titled differently and the term used only as a historical reference within the book, I would be giving the book two big thumbs up. (Note the book was released in 2001, so the book name is somewhat understandable.)

2. The one key sugar coating in the book is that the brothers mailed money home to bring their family over to end their story. While such a storyline is an understandable deviation within a kid’s book, it’s important to note that was impossible, unless illegally done (look up paper son). The Page Act of 1875, the first restrictive federal immigration law in the US, effectively prohibited the entry of Chinese women, ended open borders for the first time. The 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act banned immigration by Chinese men also. Essentially, after building the railroads for them, the Chinese weren’t wanted anymore. It was infuriatingly insulting. (This ban wasn’t rescinded until the US wanted China’s collaboration against the Japanese during WWII in 1943!)

In any case, I still recommend this book due to its largely accurate story. Especially for Chinese Americans rising their children in the US, this is a part of their history that cannot be forgotten. ( )

This book is about two brothers who left China for America in 1865. They go to work on the intercontinental railroad. It has detailed pictures that present the treatment of the Chinese railroad workers and the conditions in which they worked. It's a good historical fiction that tells the story of a lesser-known part of American history.
Themes -- Immigration, racism
This would be a good addition to American history. ( )

I liked this book for two reasons. First, I loved the illustrations. Coolies is a picture book about two Chinese brothers, Shek and Wong, who sailed out to America to work. In America they were discriminated due to their looks, forced to work long hours for little pay and weren’t allowed to attend the parade once they finished. Once the railroads were done, Shek and Wong moved towns and started working and saving money in the hopes to bring their family in China to America. Chris Soentpiet used 80% of the pages to bring his illustrations to life. He used a lot of brown, orange, blue and some whites in his illustrations. Since Chris used most of the pages, you can feel the expressions. For example, there was an avalanche and Wong wanted to go look for his brother. In the illustration, you can feel how worried Wong was and how he wanted to run and go look for his brother. Right behind him, you can see the boss angrily grabbing Wong by the arm. The wind is blowing in the dark night. The other Chinese workers looked scared of the boss but worried for Wong at the same time. Second, I liked plot structure. The story starts with a grandmother teaching her grandson how to show respect to their ancestors during the Ching Ming Festival. Here she takes a moment to pay respect and remember Shek and Wong and all their hard work to bring their family to the land of opportunities. She says, “Let me tell you of two we do not forget. Of my bokgong-my great-grandfather- and his brother.” The main purpose of this story is to share the ethic works of the Chinese during some enduring harsh moments, yet some where able to overcome and succeed. ( )

After the boy becomes curious about the rituals his grandmother and pawpaw perform he learns about his ancestors. Shek and Wong went off to America for freedom and money for the rest of the family. They head to work for the railroads. The railroads weren’t easy and they were often discriminated for being Chinese. They worked long days and the pay wasn’t much. They worked hard to send money back to their family to get them in America. Throughout the story you learn a lot about the Chinese culture and food. After learning about his ancestors the boy can now appreciate the rituals and carry them on throughout his family tree. I think this is a great book to educate children on the Chinese culture. ( )