Tales of a Korean Grandmother by Frances Carpenter. This book is a collection of Korean folk tales framed by the story of Kim Ok Cha and Kim Yong Tu, sister and brother, and their grandmother Halmoni who tells them the stories they love to hear. The thirty two stories in the book are varied from a Korean Cinderella story to the story of The Ant Who Laughed Too Much, a kind of fable/why story. We’re still reading this book aloud during our afternoon reading time even though we’re supposed to have moved on to China. There’s also a book by the same author, called Tales of a Chinese Grandmother, that we may read next.

A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park. Ms. Park has written several books for children set in Korea (The Kite Fighters, Seesaw Girl) in addition to this Newbery Award winning story of an orphan boy who wants to become a potter. Tree-Ear, named for a wild mushroom that grows without seed, lives under a bridge with his friend and mentor, Crane-man. His friend’s shriveled and twisted leg and foot makes him unable to work, and the two manage to eat and hold body and soul together by foraging among the garbage heaps. Then, Tree-Ear gets a job —and a dream of leaving the fringes of 12th century Korean society to become an artisan. This Newbery Award book is one that should capture the interest of adults and children alike. Apropriate for ages 8 to adult, the book could be read aloud to even younger children.

The Girl-Son by Anne Neuberger. Imduk Pahk, a seven year old Korean girl, becomes Induk Pahk, a boy, so that she can go to school with the boys. Only boys were allowed to go to school in 1896 in Korea, but Imduk’s widowed and illiterate mother wants her daughter to have an education to go with the pencil that she received as a Christmas gift from some missionaries. So Imduk/Induk begins her educational and spiritual journey by posing as a boy. This book, classified as fiction but based on a true story, takes Induk through her year at a boys’ school, elementary education at a mission school for girls, a quest for a secondary education in faraway Seoul, and finally imprisonment at the hands of the Japanese. Induk’s Christian faith is given minor emphasis in the book; perhaps she herself felt that Christianity was a minor influence in her life. However, when she is in prison and longs for a Bible and when she identifies her experiences with those of the apostle Paul, her faith in Christ is what sustains her and gives her hope in those dark days. Induk does indeedhave a “loud and clear voice” in the book, as the author promises, but it’s too bad if she was not allowed to speak as strongly and clearly as she might have wished about the hope that was within her. Appropriate for ages 11 to adult.

The Year of Impossible Goodbyes by Sook Nyul Choi. (This review is written by Brown Bear Daughter, age eleven.) The Year of Impossible Goodbyes was a interesting and yet depressing book. It is incredible that all the things in the book are true, but it is also very difficult to believe every bit. The author, who lived during the same time in Korea, probably spoke from experience.

It is set in Pyongyang, North Korea. The book is in first person and the narrator is named Sookan, a Korean girl who live in the time when the Japanese had taken over her country. She is ten years old, and she has four brothers, three older and one younger, named Hanchun, Jaechun, Hyunchun, and Inchun. The older three are no longer at home, taken by the Japanese to work, as their father had been also. The Japanese terrorize and kill many Korean people. Then the Russians come and create even more problems, though the Japanese left when World War Two ended. It is getting very difficult to get to South Korea, where there is no communism, but Sookan, Inchun, and their mother attempt to get past the Thirty-eight Parallel, which separates North Korea from South Korea.

I won’t give away any more of the book, but it was gripping and exciting and made me want to recommend it to everyone. (Mom NOTE: I did not read this book before giving it to my eleven year old daughter. It does have some mature content, although it’s discreetly handled.) North Korea is still corrupt with communism today. I liked this book because it made me feel sympathy for Sookan and her family.

Jama Rattigan recommends Korean (American) picture books at Jama’s Alphabet Soup.