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Sparrow Girl (2009)

by Sara Pennypacker(Favorite Author)

4.04 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

1423111877 (ISBN13: 9781423111870)

languge

English

genre

Historical Fiction

publisher

Disney-Hyperion

review 1: A solemn picture book of life in China under chairman Mao who declared in the late 50s that sparrows were eating the grain and must be removed. Country folk were required to take to the streets with firecrackers and noise makers to scare the birds or cause them to die of fright. His plan worked, and birds fell from the sky.Young Ming -Li is so saddened and loves the birds, so sets out to do something. An interesting book about a misguided initiative and a girl with heart and guts.
review 2: Pennypacker, Sara. (2009). Sparrow Girl. New York: Hyperion. 40 pp. ISBN 978-1-4231-1187-0 (Hardcover); 16.99Concerned about crop damage caused by birds eating grain, Chairman Mao declares war on sparrows and orders all citizens to join the war designed to eradicate every si... morengle sparrow in the land. Young Ming-Li yearns to be a loyal citizen and to earn her father’s respect, but her gut tells her to defy her father and ignore her duty because sparrows are important. This picture book is based on actual Chinese history and the very real war on sparrows that Mao waged. This campaign was very successful and, as the endnotes inform, resulted in the death of most of the sparrows in China and then the deaths of over thirty million people. Turns out that these sparrows not only ate grain, but they ate large numbers of insects that also eat grain. When the insects were unchecked, the crops were devastated, leading to the starvation of millions of Chinese citizens. While the subject matter is grim, it is matched by the muted and dark tones of artwork, which also has excellent, stylized depictions of Chinese faces—a nice change of pace from the many homogeneous faces too often depicted in books featuring Asian characters. I think even very young students are able to consider books like this one that ask us to consider the effects of our actions on the environment. Sparrow Girl is a book that should also be at home in middle school classes, especially those that investigate habitats and ecosystems and the effects of governmental decisions that impact how we use land or treat plants or animals. A side benefit is the view of a young Chinese girl dealing with civil disobedience when her own personal view of the world does not match what the government is asking her to do. We don’t often see this sort of picture in books for young students. less

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