From Publishers Weekly
Like a 17th-century poem, this high-toned story about why a family chooses to move to another country rests on a single, extended metaphor. Unfortunately, the book ultimately sinks under the weight of its poetic abstractions. Pak (Dear Juno) introduces the book's theme when the girl narrator says that her father, like a springtime seed, "flew a long way to grow into our family." Truong alternates warm renderings of the girl and her father planting a lush garden in their new homeland with illustrations of the hardships endured in the Asian country from which he emigrated. The repeated and often forced analogy between seeds and people carries political freight beyond the knowledge of most children (the father tells the girl a seed needs rain to grow, but "the rain that fell on our seed came only now and then,/ and sometimes not at all./.../ That is what it is like when there are too many workers/ and not enough work"). The leap from rainfall to unemployment, or from a seed/person needing "good land," but not "too many guns and not enough love" may be asking too much of some readers. The book ends on a cozy, if didactic note, as the father remembers his father saying, "There will always be a garden in my heart for you." While the book's heartfelt sentiments may appeal to some, its preachy tone and strained images will likely confuse young readers. Ages 4-10.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 4-As in Dear Juno (Viking, 1999), the author presents themes of emotional endurance and strong family bonds. A Korean girl's father compares a family to a seed, explaining that they both need a safe place to grow. They have found such a home after her father's journey through places with "too many guns and not enough love," "dreams but not enough hope," and "too many workers and not enough work." The lyrical text is enhanced by the double-page, folk-art paintings. Effective use of line, color, and light emphasize the contrast between the urban settings the family has left and their new rural home. The desperate, emotionally barren areas are dominated by grays, browns, and sharp lines. Scenes of the girl and her father in their garden are filled with fluid lines and bright rich colors that "sprout like swelling balloons." The love between the father and daughter is obvious. Unfortunately, this book will have limited child appeal. Most youngsters will be confused by the metaphor and symbolism of the seed and garden; those who are mature enough to understand the literary device and appreciate the message may be put off by the art, which appears to be for a young audience. This special book will need adult introduction and explanation.
Heide Piehler, Shorewood Public Library, WICopyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
