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A review by shellys
Sparrow Girl by Sara Pennypacker
2.0
Interesting, well written true story based on true events.
Beautiful illustrations.
But.
This book is based on real events in a real place. Neither the author nor the illustrator are cultural insiders. Was this story told them by a Chinese person who experienced it?
Would a community in China (where age is honored) praise a child who disobeyed? Especially in a totalitarian regime where disobedience could mean repercussions?
If a Chinese child were part of a class to whom this was read, what would they feel? If there were no Chinese children in the class, what would the children feel this book was teaching? Some reviews say the book will "teach children about following ill-advised environmental advice". Will it?
If that is the message, it might have been better if placed in a fictional kingdom. Setting it in a real place and with almost no historical context seems that any environmental message is lost, and instead questions of "those people" come to the surface.
Beautiful illustrations.
But.
This book is based on real events in a real place. Neither the author nor the illustrator are cultural insiders. Was this story told them by a Chinese person who experienced it?
Would a community in China (where age is honored) praise a child who disobeyed? Especially in a totalitarian regime where disobedience could mean repercussions?
If a Chinese child were part of a class to whom this was read, what would they feel? If there were no Chinese children in the class, what would the children feel this book was teaching? Some reviews say the book will "teach children about following ill-advised environmental advice". Will it?
If that is the message, it might have been better if placed in a fictional kingdom. Setting it in a real place and with almost no historical context seems that any environmental message is lost, and instead questions of "those people" come to the surface.