This story tells the journey of two brothers who immigrated to America from China. The brothers worked hard in severe conditions, under unrealistic expectations, incredible odds, and discrimination. The story is told through flashback as a grandmother tells her grandson the story of his ancestors, a... more

This story tells the journey of two brothers who immigrated to America from China. The brothers worked hard in severe conditions, under unrealistic expectations, incredible odds, and discrimination. The story is told through flashback as a grandmother tells her grandson the story of his ancestors, and explains a tradition. The illustrations are vivid, detailed, watercolor paintings. They are believable depictions of that time period. At the same time it is not degrading or insulting to see how hard the people really did work to construct the railroad. The illustrations bring pride and respect for what they did in spite of the fact they were discriminated against. It actually makes it a greater accomplishment. The light variations within the pages include rainbow spectrums, shadows, silhouettes, beams of light, and fire glows. The fires are beautiful with a range from yellows, oranges, pinks, reds, and blues. The facial expressions show the emotions they were experiencing