Today I sewed Christmas sacks. 24 of them! Each one will hold a Christmas book and they are all placed under the tree. Every night leading up to Christmas we will “unwrap” a book to read before bed. We’ve done this for several years but this year I decided I was tired of using wrapping paper. After seeing my friend post her sacks on Instagram, I pulled out all the Christmas fabric I could find and sewed sacks for our books.

One of the books under our tree is a new picture book set in the 1930s, “Ming’s Christmas Wishes” written by Susan L. Gong and illustrated by Masahiro Tateishi.

Ming, the daughter of Chinese immigrants, feels out of place at school and at home. Her mother strongly holds onto many Chinese traditions while Ming wants to try American ones, especially a Christmas tree. Pop, Ming’s father, takes her to visit a wise old friend and then takes Ming to a special grove. Along the way, Ming learns a few important lessons about herself and her heritage.

The illustrations are well done and engaging. There is a lot of wonderful detail, especially in the cabin of Pop’s friend that sparked conversation with my children about Chinese culture and heritage. I actually wasn’t sure about some of them and while doing an internet search came upon a special post written by the illustrator Masahiro Tateishi!

One delightful surprise for adults are the maps on the inside cover pages of the book. Inside the front of the book is a map of Merced City, California with key landmarks labeled. Inside the back cover is a map showing how to get from Merced City to Mariposa Grove, the route Ming and her Pop take to visit his friend and the grove.

Three of my four grandparents are also immigrants to America who came in the 1950s. Many of our family traditions are American but there are some that are unique to Spain or Mexico. Knowing our ancestors’ stories helped us relate to Ming’s experiences which are based on the author’s family stories.

If you are looking for a new book to add to your Christmas pile this year, consider this one!

Ming’s Christmas Wishes is available at Deseret Book and Amazon.

Story Synopsis: Inspired by family stories.

Ming wishes for three things at Christmas. First, to sing in the school Christmas choir. Second, to have a Christmas tree like the one in the department store window. And third, to feel she belongs somewhere.

As a daughter of immigrants in 1930s California, Ming is often treated differently than other children at school. She’s pointedly not invited to sing in the Christmas choir. At home, when Ming lobbies her parents for a Christmas tree, her mother scolds her for trying to be American. Ming doesn’t seem to fit in anywhere: she’s not quite American enough at school, not quite Chinese enough at home.

Seeing his daughter’s unhappiness, Pop takes her into the mountains to visit a wise old friend. Always happy for an adventure with her kind father, Ming hopes to persuade Pop to bring home a mountain pine to be their Christmas tree. But he has something else in mind, something that will help Ming draw strength from nature, from their Chinese heritage, and from deep and enduring family ties.