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New Author: An Na
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From: Barbara Tobin <vze2xvdf>
Date: Tue, 08 Oct 2002 11:50:34 -0400
Angela wrote:
<when I read "A Step From Heaven" by An Na, I was thrilled to find a new author with such a strong voice and beautiful style. I loved the poetic language, the humor, and the characters. Her description of drinking Coca-cola for the first time is classic! Na was able to write an intelligent, literary novel that still had appeal to young readers.>
I also very much enjoyed *A Step from Heaven*, and was intrigued with the way Na portrayed the first person voice of the narrator as she grew from four years old to a young adult.
One of my students, however, a very young Korean American undergraduate, read from an entirely different perspective. She is a voracious, passionate reader of children's literature, but she 'hated' this book with a passion. In particular she was very disturbed with what she felt was the negative image of the Korean father in the book (his drinking and abusive, stern disciplining). She worried that if a reader didn't understand the ways of Korean paternal discipline, especially of daughters, as well as the hardships faced by Korean fathers trying to raise their children in America, then they would carry away very negative ideas about these fathers and families. She cited some personal experiences about her own growing up in America and feeling very
'different' from her peers in terms of freedom and discipline-- but very much loved.
This student did really love Linda Sue Park's *A Single Shard*, though. Perhaps the distance from 12th century Korea made her more comfortable. I also loved *A Single Shard*, and became fascinated with the process of making the exquisite celadon pottery. So here's a quick tangent, if you'll excuse me:
I recently discovered a picture book about Juan Quezada, the premier potter in Mexico, that would make a wonderful companion book to A Single Shard. *The Pot That Juan Built* (2002) is Nancy Andrews-Goebel's first book (with gorgeous ilustrations by David Diaz). It is told from dual perspectives: on the left page, a simple accumulative 'house that Jack built' style rhyme, and on the right page a biography of the artist that details his pottery making process. This is supplemented by a detailed afterword with photographs.
Barbara Tobin
(barbarat at gse.upenn.edu)
Received on Tue 08 Oct 2002 10:50:34 AM CDT
Date: Tue, 08 Oct 2002 11:50:34 -0400
Angela wrote:
<when I read "A Step From Heaven" by An Na, I was thrilled to find a new author with such a strong voice and beautiful style. I loved the poetic language, the humor, and the characters. Her description of drinking Coca-cola for the first time is classic! Na was able to write an intelligent, literary novel that still had appeal to young readers.>
I also very much enjoyed *A Step from Heaven*, and was intrigued with the way Na portrayed the first person voice of the narrator as she grew from four years old to a young adult.
One of my students, however, a very young Korean American undergraduate, read from an entirely different perspective. She is a voracious, passionate reader of children's literature, but she 'hated' this book with a passion. In particular she was very disturbed with what she felt was the negative image of the Korean father in the book (his drinking and abusive, stern disciplining). She worried that if a reader didn't understand the ways of Korean paternal discipline, especially of daughters, as well as the hardships faced by Korean fathers trying to raise their children in America, then they would carry away very negative ideas about these fathers and families. She cited some personal experiences about her own growing up in America and feeling very
'different' from her peers in terms of freedom and discipline-- but very much loved.
This student did really love Linda Sue Park's *A Single Shard*, though. Perhaps the distance from 12th century Korea made her more comfortable. I also loved *A Single Shard*, and became fascinated with the process of making the exquisite celadon pottery. So here's a quick tangent, if you'll excuse me:
I recently discovered a picture book about Juan Quezada, the premier potter in Mexico, that would make a wonderful companion book to A Single Shard. *The Pot That Juan Built* (2002) is Nancy Andrews-Goebel's first book (with gorgeous ilustrations by David Diaz). It is told from dual perspectives: on the left page, a simple accumulative 'house that Jack built' style rhyme, and on the right page a biography of the artist that details his pottery making process. This is supplemented by a detailed afterword with photographs.
Barbara Tobin
(barbarat at gse.upenn.edu)
Received on Tue 08 Oct 2002 10:50:34 AM CDT
