A. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Say, A. (2011). Emma's rug. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
B. PLOT SUMMARY
Emma is given a small rug as an infant, and she instantly becomes attached to it. She sat around most of the day just staring into her rug. As she began getting older, it is discovered that Emma is a wonderful artist. On her first day of school, she begins painting and the other students gather around simply to watch her work. She begins to receive awards and recognition for her artwork. Her creativity and inspiration seems to come from the long hours spent looking at her rug. But while she is at school one day, her mother decides to wash the rug. Upon returning home and seeing the new, tattered state of the rug, Emma is crushed. She stops speaking, and eventually throws all of her artwork and awards into the garbage. Not long after, Emma believes she sees something out of the corner outside, so she rushes outside. She figures out that she can still see all of the things she used to see in her rug outside in the real world, showing her that inspiration does not come from a single object, but from within oneself.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
A simple, yet powerful story about inspiration and creativity, Emma's Rug goes a long way in showing readers that your gifts in life come from within, not from external items or material possessions. Emma is initially devastated to find out that her most prized possession has been ruined by her mother. She thinks that her gift of art, the single thing that made people notice and pay attention to her, is now gone. She feels that the rug was the thing that helped her create all of her masterpieces, when in reality, the creativity was inside her all along.
This was my first Allen Say book, and I really enjoyed it. It is narratively different from many children's books that I've read, but I believe the somewhat open ending is an amazing way to allow readers to make sense of Emma's discovery on their own. While this book might be a little difficult for younger readers to fully comprehend, its message is necessary for everyone to hear. Inspiration and creativity come from within, and no single item is responsible for all of the good or bad that happens in our lives. I thought that the artwork shown throughout the story was wonderfully done, and the expressions of the characters said more than the actual words on the page. Seeing Emma's face as she discovered that her rug was ruined, or seeing the bird that Emma caught out of the corner of her eye, really brought this story together. I love books like this with a powerful message woven beautifully through a simple story.
Seeing a female, Asian American character as the protagonist in a children's book is not as common as I had once thought it was. Creating more characters like Emma will not only allow others the opportunity to see and learn more about people from different backgrounds, but it will also allow others in the Asian American community to see themselves in books. Even though there were few cultural markers throughout the book, simple representation and inclusion in children's books can go a long way.
D. REVIEW EXCERPTS
"In cogent prose and affecting paintings, Say distills the creative life of a young child. . . . This is a stunning springboard for discussion about artistic inspiration and the creative process with groups of all ages."
--The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"An impressive creation, to be appreciated on many levels."
--Publishers Weekly, starred review
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