In the end, it says she uses Chinese and English, which helps to show that there should be a mixture that enriches the human experience, and that in language, there should be an additive approach in which the first language is kept while the second is learned. This can also symbolize other cultural values that immigrants struggle to hold on to, despite pressure to adopt American values.

Mei Mei loves the Chinese language, and displays a dislike and refusal to use English. This book is about an immigrant child, Mei Mei, who moves with her family to Chinatown in New York from China. To learn more about how and for what purposes Amazon uses personal information (such as Amazon Store order history), please visit our Privacy Notice. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie Preferences, as described in the Cookie Notice. Click ‘Customise Cookies’ to decline these cookies, make more detailed choices, or learn more.

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I Hate English! by Ellen Levine