I suppose the “proper” time to read Sori’s Harvest Moon by Lee, Uk-Bae (Soundprints. 1999) is around the beginning of October, when Chu-Suk, the Korean Harvest Moon Festival takes place – but, of course, one of the joys of having a story set at a particular time of year is that it allows you to delve into its festivities whenever you want. As well as being a good book to read together when celebrating the bringing in of the harvest, wherever you live, this is a delightful story to share at every other stage of the sowing/growing agricultural cycle! Sadly our first attempt to grow a few vegetables this year is not going to bear fruit and we will certainly be giving thanks for those who are better at it than we are. In the meantime, we have enjoyed re-reading about Sori and her family’s celebrations.

Sori lives with her parents and her little brother in the city and they are heading out of town to her grandmother’s house for the holiday. In fact, everyone else seems to be doing the same thing – but everyone is good-humored and patient in the nose-to-tail traffic. The story takes us through the family reunion and the celebrations: Cha-Rye, the service to remember family ancestors, and the village parade, feasting and dancing. Then it is time for the long journey home…

It’s a simple enough story, which many children all over the world will be able to relate to. What makes it a very special read-aloud is the feast for the eyes provided by the illustrations. They are so busy and packed with incidental detail. Little Brother always looks for Sori first then absorbs and chuckles over what other children are doing. However, I think my favorite illustration is at the end where:

“The family arrives home very late at night. Sori is already dreaming of next year’s Harvest Moon Festival and her family’s visit to Grandma’s.”

Sori herself is being comfortably carried on her father’s back, while her mother carries her brother strapped to hers in the traditional way. Both parents, also laden down with bags, look very weary and glad to be home. They too will probably be dreaming about next year’s Festival soon – but not quite yet!

At the back of the book, there is a short introduction to Korea with a map; and an overview of the Havest Moon Festival with a great glossary of words (and their pronunciation) which don’t appear in the text but can be found in the illustrations.

So, yes, we’ll be getting it out again in October but in the meantime, Sori’s Harvest Moon Day is a lovely read at any time of year.

Back in April, my friend, PT book reviewer and former blog contributor, Charlotte Richardson, wrote a beautiful review of Yoon and the Jade Bracelet, the third in a series about a young Korean girl trying to adjust to life in the US. In the Jade Bracelet, Yoon wants a jump rope for her birthday but instead gets a bracelet and a Korean folktale about a girl who outwits a tiger.

When Charlotte finished her review, she passed the book on to her 13-year-old friend, Daniel, a Mexican boy who immigrated to the US and lives in Tucson, Arizona. Daniel, who attends Mansfeld Middle School as a 7th Grader, read the book (“I thought the story was great because it warns you about what can happen if you trust someone that you just met“) and decided to send it, along with his own Spanish translation, to his younger sister Karen, who lives in Mexico. “I decided to translate the book because my sister’s 10th birthday gift was a bracelet and this story talks about a bracelet, too. She hasn’t received my gift yet, but I hope she will, soon.”

Like Yoon, Daniel is adjusting to life in the US. Like Yoon, he builds bridges between his two worlds through his open-heartedness, cleverness and curiosity. How beautiful to imagine Karen opening her birthday gift to find a bracelet and a story translated specially for her—a gift that will tell of her brother’s love and, perhaps without him even realizing it himself, of his challenges and accomplishments in this new land.

Who’s to say where the book and translation will go after Karen’s read them? I like to think about the ripple effect of stories. Once they are out there, there’s no telling who they will reach or resonate with.

Here’s an excerpt from Daniel’s translation document, which he titled “Karen’s new book”: (more…)

The picture book biography Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds: The Sammy Lee Story, illustrated by Dom Lee, was Korean-American writer Paula Yoo‘s first book. Her book contract came as a result of her manuscript winning the 2003 Lee & Low “New Voices Award“, an award which, since 2000, has been encouraging narratives that children of color can relate to and identify with.

Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds is the story of the prejudices and challenges faced by Sammy Lee on his journey to become the first Asian-American (and the first Korean-American) to win an Olympic Gold Medal, in 1948. The book received a string of well-deserved accolades, and Paula has since written Good Enough (HarperTeens, 2008), a young adult novel about a first-generation Korean-American teen that tries to both fit in and stand out, and the upcoming new picture book biography, illustrated by Lin Wang, Shining Star: The Anna May Wong Story (Lee & Low), about the first Chinese-American movie star to break into Hollywood and to crusade for more meaningful roles for Asian-American actors.

For more on Paula Yoo’s books, check her website and blog. And see here for details on Lee & Low’s “New Voices Award”, which is accepting submissions until Sep 31, 2009. And speaking of awards, on Jun 1 PaperTigers current focus on Korea will give way to new features focusing on the theme of “Book Awards.” Keep your eyes peeled!

On April 25-26 every publisher, bookstore and literary organization in the United States will be converging on the gorgeous UCLA campus for a weekend celebration of books and readers. I am talking about the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, presented in association with the university.

140,000 people are expected to attend this year’s installment of the fair, which will count with 450 authors, 100 panel and speaker sessions, as well as hundreds of exhibitors. This is by far the most amazing and the largest book festival open to the general public in the United States.

The scheduled book signings include author John Stickler and illustator Soma Han, who will be signing copies of Land of Morning Calm (featured here) and Tigers, Frogs & Rice Cakes: A Book of Korean Proverbs (both by Shen’s Books), 10:00am-11:00am at the East West Discovery Press, Booth # 845. There are many other authors and books worth checking out, and the reason I mention these two in particular is simply because they relate to our current theme of Korea and the Korean diaspora in children’s books” (if you haven’t read our current issue yet, please hop on over to the website).

There’s plenty at this festival to inspire and entertain kids and adults, including an entire section for children’s books and book-related fun, and “The Comix Strip,” an area dedicated to comic books, graphic novels and manga, where fans have access to exhibitors and industry legends. If you’ve never been to the LA Book Fest and have a chance to attend this year, don’t miss the opportunity. It makes for a weekend very well spent.

For more information about this free event, please visit the festival’s website.