The Year of Impossible Goodbyes by Sook Nyui Choi

This is quite fascinating reading from a perspective of a Korean girl after reading So Far From the Bamboo Grove from the perspective of a Japanese girl. It makes me wonder what it would have been like from the view of a male enlisting during this time.

Honestly, I was surprised to hear Mother’s story and that she made it to the south side alive. The whole experience for everyone involved was amazing to see them fight through all of this. It was unfortunate to read that Kisa and Aunt Tiger didn’t make it out alive. I am very proud of them for making it through all of those trials and tribulations. I was kind of taken back that Sook and Inchun opened up about trying to find their mother after crossing the border after being betrayed by the guide who helped the Russians capture their mother. It’s interesting how Sook emotions about the Russians fluctuated throughout the novel. At first she somewhat trusts them, then is afraid of them and wants to escape them and flee to the south. She appears to have somewhat mixed feelings the whole time which is a big confusing but intriguing nonetheless. It is almost as if she wants to take a liking to them but has to keep her guard up and remind herself of all the horrible things they are doing in the North to innocent families. It is neat how you learn a few words and terms in Korean and Japanese. I felt sad when the Japanese cut down Grandfather’s pine tree and then he died three days later. Also, if Kisa and Aunt Tiger would have tried to cross the border at the same time as Mother, I wonder if they would have eventually made it to the South alive. I have no doubt they would have been captured. What I am not sure of is if they would have been slain or forced into slavery. It was interesting how they began to label everyone as either in the group pink or red. My impression was that the pinks were those on the north that were not as loyal to the Russians as the Reds were. The Reds were known to be brainwashed and basically followed the commander.

Another thing I noticed was that Sook was often called Nuna by her younger brother Inchun. I was wondering if it meant either person in charge or guide. Maybe Nuna meant older sister or sibling? Either way, being called Nuna I assumed had a sense of responsibility attached to it. I think Sook felt an obligation to protect her younger brother. However, Sook seemed a little jealous of her older sister Theresa who became a nun. All and all, there is a lot of substance in this book to dissect. I think it is a book children should read to get a better understanding of our history. Stories like these, I feel, give children a better understanding of our history than just a book of listed facts.

All in a Day by Cynthia Rylant

I was fortunate to teach this book to a small group of fifth graders yesterday while we were out in the prairie learning about the insects, decomposition, grasses, plants, trees, and flowers of the grasslands. This book had a lot of pertinent information and to-the-point facts about the grasslands that I think would be useful to children of all ages. I realized that I could read this book to any child but only the fourth, fifth, and sixth graders will mostly likely grasp the more difficult terms. The pictures were absolutely wonderful in displaying the main idea on the page. This would be especially helpful for young kids but I think older children will find it valuable nonetheless. When I showed students these pictures they were captivated with the images. For example, I showed them a photo of the root system beneath the soil and how long the roots extend underground and through the picture they appeared to fully grasp the extent of a root and its purposes and importance is serves to keep the prairie alive through goods times and bad. Additionally, I observed the students’ attention spans between and at each area we went to which helped me to develop an opinion on how effective the words and illustrations were. The drawings looks like oil paints and matched exceptionally well to what the message on the page was trying to describe. Overall, I think this book has a lot of essential facts about the grasslands as well as some great photos that can help in inquiry based learning about the environment.

Explore the Grasslands by Kay Jackson

I was fortunate to teach this book to a small group of fifth graders yesterday while we were out in the prairie learning about the insects, decomposition, grasses, plants, trees, and flowers of the grasslands. This book had a lot of pertinent information and to-the-point facts about the grasslands that I think would be useful to children of all ages. I realized that I could read this book to any child but only the fourth, fifth, and sixth graders will mostly likely grasp the more difficult terms. The pictures were absolutely wonderful in displaying the main idea on the page. This would be especially helpful for young kids but I think older children will find it valuable nonetheless. When I showed students these pictures they were captivated with the images. For example, I showed them a photo of the root system beneath the soil and how long the roots extend underground and through the picture they appeared to fully grasp the extent of a root and its purposes and importance is serves to keep the prairie alive through goods times and bad. Additionally, I observed the students’ attention spans between and at each area we went to which helped me to develop an opinion on how effective the words and illustrations were. The drawings looks like oil paints and matched exceptionally well to what the message on the page was trying to describe. Overall, I think this book has a lot of essential facts about the grasslands as well as some great photos that can help in inquiry based learning about the environment.

Foods of Italy by Barbara Sheen

This is a wonderful book to expand a child’s knowledge about foods from a different culture, country, and even continent! It does a great job of developing the main ideas of the literature. I have grown to realize that I really enjoy reading informational books. This book has such a way of making the facts so intriguing. The educational value is very important to me and that children will mostly likely find it useful. I would use this book to teach a lesson about the four main ingredients used in Italy as well as the significance of the varieties of pasta.

The illustrations are extremely realistic and truly painted a picture in my mind of what it would be like to experience the foods of Italy. It was very appealing and mouth watering to see and learn about the different dishes they most commonly prepared for their people. I felt like I wanted to join in and celebrate with them and their culture. I personally love Italian food. It is a favorite of mine! I wouldn’t talk about the wine like they touched on. However, by mentioning it, it does make it more real in feeling the sense of the experience of being in Italy.

All About Seeds by Troll Associates

This is a wonderful book for young children. It teaches the basics of all types of seeds and how they go about spreading their seeds to reproduce. Also, some seeds that young children might not have ever expected to be seeds are addressed and pointed out such as acorns and pine cones. Additionally, I feel many children are unaware of the variety of ways that seeds can travel. The illustrations are beautifully done to match the theme of each page. I think younger children under the age eight will take a liking to this book. It is simple and to the point for young children who cannot process a bunch of information on each page of a book very quickly. It is a wonderful informational book that I would recommend using this as part of a lesson plan. There is a lot of useful information that can be used and learned from this book. I think the author did an exceptional job on writing this book to attract an array of readers. I am not sure what types of paints or colors the illustrator used but the paper seemed to be somewhat iridescent with non-fictional drawings which I really liked and thought fit in well.

SO FAR FROM THE BAMBOO GROVE by Yoko Kawashima Watkins

This is a tragic yet triumphant story. It is interesting to read it from the viewpoint of a young Japanese girl who lived in the heart of World War II. It’s mind boggling to see how people were treated; almost as if they were inhuman. I cannot imagine how painfully it must have been for them at the time. I can only envision the pain she experienced after everything was over and her parents were dead. I acknowledge the courage it must have took to write this book. The author wrote it with such truthfulness and from the heart instead of sugarcoating her thoughts and feelings, even if sometimes it didn’t put her in a good light. Sometimes I wondered why Ko was so harsh on Yoko. However, towards the end I see her learning to do things and appreciate things that much more. Even though towards the end, Yoko was still suffering one way or another she made the conscious choice to stop complaining and be more thankful for what she has.

It does make me upset after I read about Yoko’s journey to Japan and then all of her classmates make fun of her (even though they didn't know her story). It takes a lot of courage to put up with that . I must say I give a lot of credit to her mother and her sister who help her strengthen Yoko with some tough love. They really help her be the better person and not stoop to their level. I am surprised that Yoko never mentioned anything about her story in class. I am glad that she made two close friends: Naido and Corporal Matsumura. She is pretty smart at picking real friends. As she knows from firsthand experience, you can’t judge a book by its cover, which she never did with her friends.

I cannot even fathem the impact this journey had on her, especially as only an eleven year old child. I am surprised they didn’t spend much of the mother’s money after she died and were able to save it. Most importantly, I am glad Yoko had instilled in her to take rejection and use it to make her a stronger person. It really shows you when it comes down to it that material items and possessions do not matter so much in the scheme of life; it is family that matters. Family is what makes people whole and complete. Family is what keeps us going on the inside. After all of this happened, Hideyo, Ko, and Yoko must have shared and indescribable bond. All they had left for family was each other. It really makes me think about the hardships that I think I have and be tremendously thankful for the freedom and shelter I have.

GO TO BED, MONSTER! by Natasha Wing

This is about an adventure between a child and a pretend monster who comes alive after she draws him with the help of her crayons. This reminds me a lot of role reversal. The young child becomes the fun loving parent who attends to their child’s needs except can only take so much. It is interesting how children only see the fun side of things instead of all the work that comes along with it. This is similar to the picture book, “Daddy, Could I Have an Elephant” because the child wants to take on the role as a grown-up.

I find it fascinating that the child is extremely young but manages to read and read and read to the monster. I’m not sure if she is pretending to read based of the pictures she sees on the pages or is actually reading. I know in my practicum class I work with kindergarteners who cannot read but analyze what is going on with the illustrations and attempt to make up their own interpretations or story of what is happening. I also noticed how wise this child is for her age in other aspects of her life such as grooming and her nurturing nature. Stories like these are reminders for me to never underestimate a child’s intelligence. I hope someday I will truly appreciate my child’s imagination. Through this book, it helped me recognize what they really have to offer. It reminded me of the book “I’m the Boss” in the sense of reminiscing about past time and childhood fantasies. I thought the inside cover pages were a unique addition to the story. It contains more drawings from the little girl, in crayon again. The book gave the impression that everything was supposed to look like it had been drawn from crayons, especially the monster. However, surprisingly, it was done using oil paints and pastels.