The Lotus Seed

by Sherry Garland, Tatsuro Kiuchi (Illustrator)

Overview

My grandmother saw

the emperor cry

the day he lost

his golden dragon throne.

So begins Sherry Garland's emotional tale of a Vietnamese family forced to flee from their homeland to escape a devastating civil war. Set against a background of historical events, The Lotus Seed thoughtfully portrays refugees who have adapted to a different way of life in a new country without losing touch with their cultural heritage. Theirs is an American story about the continuity of family and culture

An Alternate Selection of Children's Book-of-the-Month Club

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781442050921
Publisher:	Baker & Taylor, CATS
Publication date:	07/10/2009
Product dimensions:	8.75(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

SHERRY GARLAND is the author of many award-winning novels and picture books, including Indio, The Last Rainmaker. She lives in central Texas. www.sherrygarland.com

Editorial Reviews

In spare language accompanied by evocative art, a young narrator tells the story of fleeing her homeland with her Vietnamese family to resettle in America. She begins, "My grandmother saw the Emperor cry the day he lost his golden dragon throne." Wanting something to remember him by, the woman picks a seed from a lotus plant in the imperial garden, which she looks at whenever she feels sad or during important moments in her life, like her wedding day. When the bombs start falling, she brings the seed with her as she and her family fight their way onto a crowded boat that will eventually bring them to a land where everything is different, from the buildings to the language. Years go by, children are born and so are grandchildren. The narrator's brother finds the seed and carelessly throws it in the earth, distressing his grandmother beyond measure. But one day in the spring, a creamy pink lotus appears, and when the blossom fades into a pod, the grandmother distributes the seeds to each of her grandchildren. And she keeps one for herself in remembrance of the day she saw the emperor cry. Perhaps the power of this moving story is in its message that even such a small thing as a seed can hold memory. The artwork also has the feel of memory, with pictures that are soft in focus and color, just the way remembrances can be. But there is strength in the composition of the artwork, too, and in the book design itself, with the pictures and double-page spreads neatly framed by buff-color borders. Home may be far, but it can be seen in a flower.

Ilene Cooper