Blog Partner Discussion 5: Historical Fiction
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6. Your personal response to the book
7. Evaluate it in terms of its genre
8. Evaluate its literary quality
9. Evaluate its illustrations
10. Evaluate in terms of multicultural considerations including the credibility of the author and illustrator
11. Discuss for whom the book is intended and the ways in which it might be used in the classroom
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The historical fiction Peaches written and illustrated by Yangsook Choi and published by Frances Foster Books (2005) narrates an event which took place in Puchon, Korea on August 12, 1976. It qualifies under this genre because it brings to life the year 1976 when all the peach farmers in Puchon, Korea were hit by a heavy downpour of rain. This story is refreshing as it promotes unselfishness and thoughtfulness. We live in a world which glorifies greed and individualism ,but Yangsook in her story refocuses us. She reminds us that we need to consider others.This is looking at life from a grandeur picture.
ReplyDeleteThe story is truly inspirational Icilda, as it shows how innocent minds operate in a zone of unselfishness with caring attitude towards fellow humans.
ReplyDeleteThe symbolism of the peach is quite relevant as in the Korean culture peach is representative of peace which is a strong defense against evil. Her action can be seen as one which led to peace as her unselfish actions would have truly given the farmers in her village a sense of relief in this fictional world when she went to the orchard and placed the peaches on the tree. This is a children's book which highlights the good quality in human beings. Through Yangsook's eyes children learn the significance of being their "neighbour's keeper.
This book is good material to teach neighbourliness and can be infused in the Grade five Social Studies curriculum (Ministry of Education, Jamaica), it can reinforce the concept that no man is an island and we all need each other.
Cleo, I agree. The title Peach Heaven is an apt one because in August 1976 peaches fell from the sky.It is also an appropriate title because of what peaches symbolizes in Korean culture. Indeed the main character Yangsook is an instrument of peace. She certainly brought peace of mind to the farmers by her kind actions- using her grandma's yarn and scissors to tie each peach to a branch. This was a very time consuming action. These children really highlight the good in humans. From this story children can learn that they too can play a major role in their world. They brought comfort to the farmers who had seemingly lost hope when all their peaches fell from the trees when Puchon, Korea was hit by rainfall.The author makes use of complex and compound sentences. Hence the book can be used to teach sentence structure. She also uses rich imagery. For example,"The peaches were big and sweet,with rosy skins and pale, juicy insides". This imagery paints the picture of Yangsook's love for peaches. This description further qualifies her as an unselfish human being who is her brother's keeper. This trait of Yangsook is a beautiful quality to teach children. The use of dialogue highlights the nature of the characters and prods the story along. The illustrations in the story appeals to the visual sense and even to that of taste (gustatory). Amazon.com comments that this narrative is sweet and direct. I definitely agree as the writer is straight forward and unpretentious.
ReplyDeleteYes Icilda, it is appropriate for young readers. It has beautiful illustrations which allow these readers to make relevant predications about the story before it is read. Teachers can engage students on a picture walk before allowing the students to read the story or before reading the story to them.
ReplyDeleteThe book also has an Author's note page which gives a background to the story, thus giving it some amount of authencity and credbility. It is also important to note that this story, though fictional in nature is based on a flood which took place in Korea.