A Song for Ba

Elizabeth Levin is chair of the Psychology Department at Laurentian
University.

Wei lives with his father, Ba, and his grandfather in a large city on
North America’s west coast. His grandfather was a famous opera singer
in China. His father is a singer with the struggling Chinese opera in
their adopted country. Wei wants to be an opera singer, too. But Ba sees
no future in it for him, and stresses the importance of getting a good
education. Wei is undeterred, so his grandfather secretly teaches him to
sing. When a shortage of singers at the opera house requires Ba to
perform both male and female roles, Ba has trouble singing in the higher
voice. Wei, who has learned the female style of singing from his
grandfather, is able to help his father learn how to do it, bringing
them closer together. On opening night, Wei is thrilled when he hears
his father’s singing.

A Song for Ba is both heartwarming and educational. Readers learn about
Chinese cultural history, and about the difficulties Chinese people have
faced while trying to adapt to a new culture. The mature theme, however,
seems a little advanced for a children’s picture book, and might have
been better presented in a novel. That said, the illustrations are
outstanding. Wang’s use of colour—muted tones at the beginning of
the story, vibrant ones by the end—suggests a metamorphosis, which is
also seen in Wei (from student to teacher) and in Ba’s operatic roles
(from a general into a lady). Recommended.