Kam Mak's visit was a perfect compliment to C.S. 21's 3rd grade curriculum study of China. His book reflects both the customs of his native Hong Kong and the discoveries of his new neighborhood Chinatown, in his new country, America. All of the beautiful illustrations are painted by Mr. Mak, who earned his B.A. at The School of Visual Arts and currently teaches at F.I.T.
The first visit took place in the library at C.S. 21. Kam used the Smartboard to display family photos of his native Hong Kong and of when they first moved to Chinatown. Next he read My Chinatown aloud using the Smartboard to show his illustrations. He brought an original lion costume, made of paper mache, which is used in New Year's celebrations. After he taught the class a few moves, he allowed students (two at a time) to wear the costume and attempt the "lion dance".
 The students had a lot of questions which they had written on index cards and gave to him. Some sample questions; 'What did it feel like moving to a new country?", "Did he speak English?" (No) "What language did he speak?" (Chinese) "What does he like to eat?" "Does the chicken really play tic-tac-toe?" and many more.
Next Kam introduced the class assignment - a class book entitled My Neighborhood, My Home . To spark the students' imagination, he asked students:
What do you like about the place you are living in now? What makes your neighborhood so special and unique? Do you enjoy hanging out on the stoop on a cool summer night, playing basketball or going to the market with your mother? These are only just some of the things that can make a neighborhood special. Write a short paragraph describing one aspect of your home or neighborhood that you like, or find special or unique. Create an illustration of your home or neighborhood that shows how it is a special place for you.
Kam ended this first visit by signing each student's book in Chinese.
For the second visit, the class met Kam at the Children's Museum of the Arts on Lafayette Street in Soho. Kam's original art work from My Chinatown was shown as part of the museum's exhibit "Images of Identity". Kam spoke about each of the drawings in terms of who was depicted (his mother and father, nephew). He brought some art supplies so the students could see what materials he used. He also brought one of the paper kites, which he had painted for the cover of his book. The students enjoyed playing animal checkers and tasting kumquat preserves.
Prior to the third visit the students had written their paragraph and had begun their illustrations. When Kam arrived for his last visit, the project was well underway. He went around the classroom to each of the students and advised them on their illustrations, recommending colors or giving advice on shading. The students each drew a small self-portrait for the cover of the book. And finally, the class wrote a dedication for the book and assembled the pages. Kam ended his visits to C.S.21 with a class photo and gave each student a finger trap as a momento.
Class Assignment:
What do you like about the place you are living in now? What makes your neighborhood so special and unique? Do you enjoy hanging out on the stoop on a cool summer night, playing basketball or going to the market with your mother? These are only just some of the things that can make a neighborhood special. Write a short paragraph describing one aspect of your home or neighborhood that you like, or find special or unique. Create an illustration of your home or neighborhood that shows how it is a special place for you.
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