Available:*
Library | Audience | Home Location | Material Type | Shelf Number | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Searching... Central | Kid/Juvenile | Open Stacks Picture Books | Open Stacks Kids Book | E PAK | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Henington-Alief | Kid/Juvenile | Picture books | Kids book | E PAK | Searching... Unknown |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
Although Juno, a Korean-American boy, cannot read the letter he receives from his grandmother in Seoul, he understands what it means from the photograph and dried flower enclosed and decides to send a similar letter back to her. Color illustrations throughout.
Reviews (5)
Publisher's Weekly Review
This debut book from a talented pair tells a simple but moving story about communicating across distances that are not just geographical but linguistic. Juno can't read a letter sent by his Korean grandmother, but he deduces what she is trying to say from her enclosures: a photo of a cat and a dried flower. He sends her a reply: instead of writing in English, he mails her the biggest leaf from the "swinging tree" in his yard and some drawings, including one of him watching an airplane and hoping his grandmother will come to visit. When Juno receives his grandmother's return letter, he finds a box of colored pencils to encourage more "letters" and a toy airplane that lets him know she will soon arrive. Pak's story is economically told and sensitively focused through Juno's eyes. The tight construction is beautifully complemented by Hartung's blotted oil paint glazes in compositions that are both well designed and touching. Children not yet ready to read on their own (and their far-off grandparents) will find this book especially useful. Ages 3-7. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
When Juno receives a letter in Korean from his grandmother, he knows from the enclosed photograph and dried flower that she has a new cat and a bright garden. The two communicate easily without a common language through pictures and enclosed items in their letters. The muted colors of Hartung's illustrations create a cozy atmosphere for Pak's affecting story. From HORN BOOK Spring 2000, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Picture-book debuts for both author and illustrator result in an affectionate glimpse of intergenerational bonds. Juno loves to get letters in the red-and-blue bordered airmail envelopes that come from his grandmother, who lives in Korea, near Seoul. He cannot read Korean, but he opens the letter anyway, and learns what he can from what his grandmother has sent: a photograph of herself and her new cat, and a dried flower from her garden. When his parents read him the letter, he realizes how much he learned from the other things his grandmother mailed to him. He creates some drawings of himself, his parents, house, and dog, and sends them along with a big leaf from his swinging tree. He gets back a package that includes drawing pencils and a small airplane'the grandmother is coming to visit. The messages that can be conveyed without words, language differences between generations, and family ties across great distances are gently and affectingly handled in this first picture book. The illustrations, done in oil-paint glazes, are beautifully lit; the characters, particularly Grandmother, with her bowl of persimmons, her leafy garden, and her grey bun that looks ``like a powdered doughnut,'' are charming. (Picture book. 3-7)
Booklist Review
Ages 4^-7. When Juno, a Korean American boy, receives a letter from his grandmother in Seoul, he finds that even though he can't read it, he can understand what the letter says because of the picture and dried flower his grandmother included. "Grandma has a new cat," he tells his parents. "And she's growing red and yellow flowers in her garden." Then Juno begins to think about how to "write" his grandmother back. He goes to work making drawings of himself and his family, his house, and his dog, and gets the biggest leaf he can find from the "swinging tree" in his backyard. And so, despite the obstacles, the two find a way to communicate. This sweet story is written with a childlike simplicity that kids will easily relate to, and Hartung's oil glazed paintings depicting scenes of Juno's American home and faraway Korea are a good match for the words. A wonderful vehicle for inspiring kids to "write" their own letters and help them understand the concept of communication. --Lauren Peterson
Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-This warm, simple, yet richly woven story informs readers that even in this electronic age there is nothing like mail received from afar to tie together family and friends. Juno receives a letter that he knows by the envelope and stamp is from his grandmother just outside Seoul. He has to wait for his parents to read it to him, since it is in Korean, but from his grandmother's other enclosures-a photograph and a pressed flower-he has already figured out that she has a new cat and red-and-yellow flowers in her garden. He sends her a picture letter back and in turn is treated to a big envelope with items he can "read" and, perhaps most importantly, colored pencils, which means she expects more picture "letters" from him. The handsome layout, featuring ample white space and illustrations that cover anywhere from one page to an entire spread, perfectly suit the gentle, understated tone of the text. The realistic pictures, created by using oil-paint glazes on sealed paper, have a delightfully cozy feeling, making this a good choice for snuggling up and reading one-on-one.-Diane S. Marton, Arlington County Library, VA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
