From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 3-A gentle celebration of family bonds. Drawing on her own visit to her mother's homeland, Wong relates the excursion of a young American girl and her parent to stay with relatives in Korea. The travelers first carefully select gifts for their hosts: leather work gloves for grandfather, a pretty apron for grandmother, and an alphabet book for the child's aunt. In return, "they gave us hugs." The child participates in daily routines such as heating the house with charcoal placed in a floor tunnel, feeding the pigs, going to the outdoor market, and playing cards-all in a warm, familial setting. Author and illustrator harmonize well, painting the patterns and flavors of rural life. Jia's brown-and-gray watercolor backgrounds are punctuated by spots of bright color in the clothing, rows of vegetables, and in a few special treasures. In a bittersweet, circular closing, gifts are given to the travelers, and "we gave them hugs." The many facets of homecoming and going may be further developed through books such as Eve Bunting's I Have an Olive Tree (HarperCollins, 1999), Allen Say's Grandfather's Journey (Houghton, 1993), Jane Kurtz's Faraway Home (Harcourt, 2000), and Edna Coe Bercaw's Halmoni's Day (Dial, 2000).
Wendy Lukehart, Dauphin County Library, Harrisburg, PA Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Ages 3-7. Recalling her childhood trip to rural Korea with her mother to visit her grandparents and aunt, Wong measures her words to reflect the simple pleasures of the reunion. The pages reveal the farmers' way of life: Grandfather makes the charcoal that heats the house through tunnels under the floor; Grandmother markets in outdoor stalls and cooks in a stove lit with pine branches. The foods and their preparation, including persimmons stored on the roof, are described, as are the leisure- time activities--telling stories, playing cards, reading. There's no hustling to tourist attractions, just time together, paced to the daily rhythms of the family from whom the author has been separated. The gifts given on leave-taking are all the more meaningful for the memories they trigger of the cherished visit--a charcoal drawing of the neighboring hills, a necklace of dried persimmons, and an original poem written in Korean. This tender story of family love is expressively pictured in bright watercolors: jewel-tone clothing, colorful vegetables, and homey objects sparkle against the grays of the hills and the browns of the fields and the house. Bridging cultural and generational gaps, this beautiful, lyrically written picture book has much to say to children, no matter their nationality.
Ellen MandelCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
