BIBLIOGRAPHY

Yep, Laurence. 2000. Cockroach cooties. New York: Hyperion Books for Children. ISBN 0786804874

PLOT SUMMARY

As Teddy well knows, younger brothers have an amazing talent for causing trouble for their big brothers. When eight-year-old Bobby insults Arnie, the school bully known as Arnie-zilla, Teddy attempts to walk away and let Bobby “learn how to deal with problems on his own”. However, family responsibility wins out and Teddy saves Bobby and brings the wrath of Arnie-zilla down on his head also. The two brothers attempt to deal with Arnie but are unsuccessful until Bobby inadvertently discovers Arnie’s fear of creepy-crawlies—especially cockroaches. Bobby adopts a cockroach and names it Hercules, and, with the help of Charlie, the Bug Lady who lives in their building, Bobby tries to get Teddy to see the world through the eyes of Hercules. When the pet bug meets an unfortunate end at the hands of their father, Bobby and Teddy find themselves with no plan until Bobby remembers Charlie’s cookies—the ones with a secret ingredient guaranteed to win the war with Arnie. Throughout the book, Yep incorporates images of San Francisco’s Chinatown and the life of a typical Chinese American family. The family’s dedication to education and each other is obvious as Teddy and Bobby deepen their brotherly bond and Teddy begins to see the world through the eyes of others. Yep incorporates humor as Teddy attempts to conquer his fear of bugs at Charlie’s house, but the ability of Bobby to see situations from other points of view is the thread that ties this humorous story together.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS (INCLUDING CULTURAL MARKERS)

Cockroach Cooties is a story about a Chinese American family living in San Francisco’s Chinatown. Although the characters’ heritage is shown throughout the story, their background is not the main emphasis of the story. The cover of the book depicts two boys with Chinese heritage, yet there is no overt description in the text regarding their appearance, or the appearance of any of the other characters that characterizes them as Chinese Americans. The family lives in Chinatown, and the boys attend a school where they have a one-hour Chinese lesson every day. Unlike her students, their teacher, Miss Lee,  “liked to wear Chinese-style dresses that had a slit up one leg” and “liked the old-fashioned Chinese discipline, too”.

When the family goes to a Chinatown restaurant to celebrate Teddy and Bobby’s mom’s birthday, there is reference to the behavior of a Chinatown waiter—“You just didn’t say things like that to a Chinatown waiter. It was like ordering around the president.” The food that the family eats at the restaurant appears to be traditional Chinese food—paper-wrapped chicken, fish in a black bean sauce, and a prawn dish “arranged so the prawns seemed to be dancing together in the center”. Bobby’s Uncle Mat ate the eyeball of the fish, which is considered a delicacy in some families.

There is no reference to dialect or traditional languages in the book, and the language patterns of the Chinese American characters are no different than the dialect and language found in books with characters from other countries. Likewise, the names of the characters are not noticeably Chinese. The only reference to an accent or varying dialect is found in the words of the stall owner in Chinatown. His responses to the boys include “ver-ree han-dee”, “ver-ree love-lee”, and ver-ree use-ful”, intimating a strong accent that is not seen in the other characters.

Yep’s story is a true melding of two cultures—Chinese and American, and readers will laugh along with Bobby as Teddy meets Madeline the tarantula and will cheer aloud as Bobby and Teddy finally make an uneasy truce with Arnie. “Filled with humor and warmth, this creepy-crawly tale is a tribute to resourcefulness and the unique relationship that only brothers share” (from the publisher).

REVIEW EXCERPTS

Publisher’s Weekly. Full of the sights and sounds of San Francisco’s Chinatown, the tale zips along at a brisk pace, percolating with snappy dialogue. A seasoned craftsman, Yep (Dragonwings; The Imp Who Ate My Homework) effortlessly shoehorns in fun facts about insects (”Did you know that cockroaches have two brains?” Bobby asks the hapless Arnie as he pursues him with Hercules). An altogether chipper outing.

School Library Journal. Set in the Chinatown section of San Francisco, this modern-day tale is about two brothers, eight and nine, previously featured in Later, Gator (Hyperion, 1995). Teddy, the older child, narrates. Bobby feels responsible for getting Teddy involved with a treacherous bully at school, so he devises a plan to scare the fiend with a cockroach that he obtains from “The Bug Lady,” a neighbor studying entomology. The plan is effective until the roach meets with an unfortunate end, but Bobby has a new secret plan that brings Arnie to his knees. Eventually, they realize that his tough attitude is a result of uncaring parents and a difficult home life, and a tentative friendship is formed.

CONNECTIONS

With the fun facts about insects thrown in, this is a great read-aloud for students to hear during a study of insects and/or etymology.

Look for these other stories with an Asian/Pacific American cultural influence:

Yep, Laurence. The magic paintbrush. ISBN 9780064408523

Namioka, Lensey. Yang the youngest and his terrible ear. ISBN 9780440409175

Na, An. A step from Heaven. ISBN 9780142500279

Kadohata, Cynthia. Kira-kira. ISBN 9780689856402

Park, Linda Sue. A single shard. ISBN 9780440418511