Twenty-three vignettes present Nong, a ten-year-old girl living in present-day Thailand, and the characters of her village as they slowly make the transition from rural poverty to western modernization.
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Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
Grade 4-6?Nong lives with her mother and older sister, Oi, in a village in northeastern Thailand. Jobs are scarce and people eke out a living by ironing clothes, collecting bottles and newspapers, or selling items such as grilled rice cakes, rice porridge, or coconut juice. For Nong, these sights are common in a town where the residents pay the doctor with mangoes instead of money. The girl, her family, and other three-dimensional characters are portrayed with sensitivity, humor, and realism. The vignettes that make up the story offer a glimpse of life in a culture that reflects old ways combining with modern ones, yet are spirited enough to allow most children to relate to the protagonist. Simple line illustrations are scattered throughout the text, adding visual dimension to the story. This finely crafted title fills a void in our ever-growing ethnically diverse society.?Shirley N. Quan, Orange County Public Library, Stanton, CA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Kirkus Reviews
Enter a world of dust floors, mosquito netting, and red clay, infused with the smells of rice cakes and somtam, and inhabited by an eclectic assortment of characters: Buffalo Woman and her animal companion Coconut, wise and wacky Mr. Pu, Different Boy, and Aunt Oom the soup lady. Meet Nong, a curious 11-year-old, who lives meagerly with her mother and sister Oi in a rural village in Thailand. Glimpses into Nong's world are revealed in pieces of a patchwork, a crazy quilt of characters, a world of making mistakes and learning--a world of imagining the future. In Glass's first book, each vignette is loosely related by its inclusion of oddball characters; together they depict a way of life. Nong is an eager, compassionate, venturesome girl, ready for what awaits her around the next corner, be it a hidden scorpion, a superstitious soup-maker about to reveal her secret ingredient, or a curry-smudged check that holds a slight promise of a better life for her family and herself. (b&w illustrations, not seen) (Short stories. 9-12) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sweet, insightful mini-stories of life in present day Isaan,
By A Customer
This review is from: Even a Little Is Something: Stories of Nong (Hardcover)
This book is an undiscovered gem. Amazing that it did not win major book awards yet. Glass gently lets us into the lives of these real Isaan folks in perfectly crafted snippets. Each chapter ending brings us up short with sudden understanding. Teachers in Seattle are reading it aloud to their classes and loving it. Adults can't put it down.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Glass is an undiscovered giant!,
By A Customer
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Even a Little Is Something: Stories of Nong (Hardcover)
Anyone with an ounce of intelligence has to recognize the genius persent herewith. Never since Conrad has this Region's people been so well understood and so beautifully portrayed. "Maugham, eat your heart out!" Glass actually knows the language. Get it, read it, enjoy it. It's just that simple
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sweet, insightful mini-stories of life in present day Isaan,
By A Customer
This review is from: Even a Little Is Something: Stories of Nong (Hardcover)
This book is an undiscovered gem. Amazing that it did not win major book awards yet. Glass gently lets us into the lives of these real Isaan folks in perfectly crafted snippets. Each chapter ending brings us up short with sudden understanding. Teachers in Seattle are reading it aloud to their classes and loving it. Adults can't put it down.
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