Reader Response to Little Cricket by Jackie Brown
Back cover reads:
"Kia and her family left their village, their dreams and belongings in the bamboo baskets slung across their backs. An empty basket with Xigi's picture tucked inside was all that was left in the hut. Kia's throat was tight with unshed tears. She had never been farther from home than the next green mountaintop, where the villagers had grown fields of corn and the valley between, where the rice was harvested. She did not dare look behind her but walked steadily forward just as the old red cow that pulled the plow used to do. She did not think. She did not feel. She just kept putting one foot in front of the other."
My Rxn:
Excellent. A solid book that introduces a new topic to me. I don't know much about Hmong culture and history, and this book certainly provided it! It has many themes that most Asian-American literature typifies... mainly the feeling of being "caught between cultures." This is an awesome book for ages 10-14. Pretty young. I finished it in a day. I'm a big ambassador of "literature of the other." This one wins a Word Nerd Seal of Approval. I think that it would be great to have a Hmong lit unit. did you know that Wisconsin is one of the 3 states having the highest Hmong population? didn't know that!
some notes, as always:
"Xigi scooped Wa up in his arms, tossing her over his shoulder [...]'Sack of rice, sack of rice, what will you pay for this sack of rice?' Xigi sang" (19). It was "sack of potatoes" at my house. heh. i loved that when my dad would do it to me.
"Watching them sleep was like eavesdropping on their grief" (37).
"What someone says to you is not important. How you act afterward is what counts" (47).
"The morning passed more slowly than mud running uphill" (174).
That was Summer Reading List Book #31. Only 19 more to go! I only have 3 weeks, though!
Back cover reads:
"Kia and her family left their village, their dreams and belongings in the bamboo baskets slung across their backs. An empty basket with Xigi's picture tucked inside was all that was left in the hut. Kia's throat was tight with unshed tears. She had never been farther from home than the next green mountaintop, where the villagers had grown fields of corn and the valley between, where the rice was harvested. She did not dare look behind her but walked steadily forward just as the old red cow that pulled the plow used to do. She did not think. She did not feel. She just kept putting one foot in front of the other."
My Rxn:
Excellent. A solid book that introduces a new topic to me. I don't know much about Hmong culture and history, and this book certainly provided it! It has many themes that most Asian-American literature typifies... mainly the feeling of being "caught between cultures." This is an awesome book for ages 10-14. Pretty young. I finished it in a day. I'm a big ambassador of "literature of the other." This one wins a Word Nerd Seal of Approval. I think that it would be great to have a Hmong lit unit. did you know that Wisconsin is one of the 3 states having the highest Hmong population? didn't know that!
some notes, as always:
"Xigi scooped Wa up in his arms, tossing her over his shoulder [...]'Sack of rice, sack of rice, what will you pay for this sack of rice?' Xigi sang" (19). It was "sack of potatoes" at my house. heh. i loved that when my dad would do it to me.
"Watching them sleep was like eavesdropping on their grief" (37).
"What someone says to you is not important. How you act afterward is what counts" (47).
"The morning passed more slowly than mud running uphill" (174).
That was Summer Reading List Book #31. Only 19 more to go! I only have 3 weeks, though!
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