Mamie Tape Fights to Go to School: Based on a True Story

by Traci Huahn, Michelle Jing Chan (Illustrator)

Overview

Meet Mamie Tape, 8-year-old Chinese American changemaker who fought for the right to go to school in San Francisco in the 1880s. Follow Mamie's brave steps and discover the poignant history of her California Supreme Court case Tape v. Hurley.

Mamie’s mom always reminded her a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. So when Mamie wanted to go to school, even though Chinese children weren’t allowed, she took her first step and showed up anyway. When she was turned away at the schoolhouse door, she and her parents took another step: they sued the San Francisco school board…and won! Their case Tape v. Hurley made its way up to the California Supreme Court, which ruled that children of Chinese heritage had the right to a free public school education. But even then, Mamie’s fight wasn’t over.

Mamie Tape Fights to go to School is the story of one young changemaker’s brave steps on the long journey to end school segregation in California. It began with a single step.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593644027
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	05/07/2024
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	106,470
Product dimensions:	10.40(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD620L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Traci Huahn writes books for kids and especially loves stories rooted in Asian American culture, history, and identity. Mamie Tape Fights to go to School is her debut picture book. As a former attorney and the daughter of Chinese immigrants, she feels a deep connection to Mamie’s story and hopes it will inspire readers to become changemakers, even if it starts by taking just one small step. Traci lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, two kids, and a pup who loves belly rubs and raw Brussels sprouts.

Michelle Jing Chan is a Chinese American illustrator who grew up in Colorado and now lives in the Pacific Northwest. Ever since she could hold a pencil, she loved creating art and bringing the daydreams in her head to life. When she's not drawing, you can find her attempting TikTok recipes, curling up with a new book, or binge-watching spooky TV shows.

Editorial Reviews

04/29/2024

In a carefully researched account, Huahn traces a Chinese girl’s attempts to attend school in 1884 California. As part of the only Chinese family in her San Francisco–area neighborhood, Mamie Tape (1876–1972) and her siblings grow up playing with neighborhood children, and “I thought school would be the same.” When she and her mother arrive, however, they are stopped by the principal and told, “Your kind is not welcome here.” Tape’s parents push against San Francisco’s policy excluding Chinese children from its schools. The saying “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” repeats as the family takes step after step to ensure Tape’s education. While the school board keeps institutions segregated, the family wins the right for Tape to attend classes—“because of the steps I’d taken, there was now one public school where we were welcome.” A subdued palette of brown, maroon, and slate blue dominates Chan’s sometimes-wooden digital illustrations, which focus on classroom scenes as well as the Tape family’s well-appointed home. An author’s note and bibliography conclude. Background characters read as white. Ages 4–8. (May)

Publishers Weekly