Born Naughty: My Childhood in China by Jin Wang with Tony Johnston, illustrated by Anisi Baigude

Born Naughty: My Childhood in China by Jin Wang with Tony Johnston, illustrated by Anisi Baigude. Anne Schwartz Books/Penguin Random House, 2024. 9780593563618

Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 5

Format: Hardcover

Genre: Memoir

What did you like about the book? Jin Wang lived in a village in Inner Mongolia, China that consisted of eighteen houses. The houses were made of mud; Jin’s had one room for herself, her parents and two younger brothers. It was a very tight-knit village.  There was one well that barely provided enough water for all the residents which meant taking a bath was limited to once or twice per year!  This remembrance begins when Jin was eight-years-old. She was very happy.  She loved her life.  She had a good friend.  Perhaps the only sadness is that her father worked away from home most of the year to support the family. When he was home she was very glad to spend all the time she possibly could with him.

Her mother warned her to never go far from the village as there were wolves who could eat her but Jin was so curious to see what a wolf really looked like that she and her brother snuck out one morning, to look for a wolf.  They dragged a big heavy tree branch with them to protect themselves.  Hearing mysterious noises, the children grew so frightened that they ran back home dragging their big heavy branch.  Mother was not happy.

The other thing was the wind which sometimes blew so harshly it was like a mini tornado, strong enough to nearly blow Jin away.  This lovely short memoir, complemented by copious illustrations created in black ink and pencil, is a quick read, embracing a unique upbringing in a most unique setting.

When Jin was nearly twelve-years-old the family moved to Shanxi Province.  At the age of fifteen, the family had their first house with electricity and running water. She came to the United States when she was thirty-five years old where she met Tony Johnston (children’s book writer) while teaching yoga.  He was so interested in her early life that he urged her to write it down – and here it is!

Anything you did not like about the book? No.

To whom would you recommend this book? I think this would make a great classroom read aloud for third to fourth graders.

Who should buy this book? Public and elementary school libraries

Where would you shelve it? J Biography

Should we (librarians) put this on the top of our “to read” piles? Very, very near

Reviewer’s Name, Library (or school), City: Katrina Yurenka, Retired Librarian, Contributor, Youth Services Book Review

Date of Review:  June 8, 2024