Synopses & Reviews
Review
"handsome, watercolor-and-pastel double-page pictures personalize the history...panoramic views...as the boy tends the flame that preserves peace" BOOKLIST
Review
"a tale rooted in...history...watercolor illustrations glow with vibrancy... especially striking...A lovely telling that will bring readers back" KIRKUS REVIEWS
Review
"Suspenseful...Assured, empathetic storytelling involves readers in Sang-hee's inner conflict...Downing amplifies the tension with dramatically composed watercolor-and-pastel illustrations ...fascinating" PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, starred review
Review
"An attractive celebration of unity, peace, and family heritage, Sang-hee's story also emphasizes...beauty, power, and responsibility." THE BULLETIN OF THE CENTER FOR CHILDREN'S BOOKS
Review
"...compelling...Lyrical prose... Children will be intrigued...caught up in the riveting dilemma, and satisfied by the resolution."
Review
"handsome, watercolor-and-pastel double-page pictures personalize the history...panoramic views...as the boy tends the flame that preserves peace" BOOKLIST Booklist, ALA
"a tale rooted in...history...watercolor illustrations glow with vibrancy... especially striking...A lovely telling that will bring readers back" KIRKUS REVIEWS Kirkus Reviews
"Suspenseful...Assured, empathetic storytelling involves readers in Sang-hee's inner conflict...Downing amplifies the tension with dramatically composed watercolor-and-pastel illustrations ...fascinating" PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, starred review Publishers Weekly, Starred
"An attractive celebration of unity, peace, and family heritage, Sang-hee's story also emphasizes...beauty, power, and responsibility." THE BULLETIN OF THE CENTER FOR CHILDREN'S BOOKS The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"...compelling...Lyrical prose... Children will be intrigued...caught up in the riveting dilemma, and satisfied by the resolution." School Library Journal
Synopsis
In Korea in the early 1800s, news from the countryside reached the king by means of signal fires. On one mountaintop after another, a fire was lit when all was well. If the king did not see a fire, that meant trouble, and he would send out his army. Linda Sue Park's first picture book for Clarion is about Sang-hee, son of the village firekeeper. When his father is unable to light the fire one night, young Sang-hee must take his place. Sang-hee knows how important it is for the fire to be lit-but he wishes that he could see soldiers . . . just once. Mountains, firelight and shadow, and Sunhee's struggle with a hard choice are rendered in radiant paintings, which tell their own story of a turning point in a child's life.
About the Author
Julie Downing has written and/or illustrated over 30 picture books. For Clarion, she has illustrated The Firekeeper's Son by Linda Sue Park. Her books have received a Parents'Choice Award and a New York Public Library Best Books Award. She lives in San Francisco, California, and is very familiar with fog.Linda Sue Park is the Newbery Medal-winning author of A SINGLE SHARD. Her other books for Clarion include the novels SEESAW GIRL, THE KITE FIGHTERS, WHEN MY NAME WAS KEOKO, and PROJECT MULBERRY, as well as three picture books, BEE-BIM BOP!, THE FIREKEEPER'S SON, and WHAT DOES BUNNY SEE? Ms. Park lives with her family in Rochester, New York.