A Piece of Home

A child-friendly story about the trials and triumphs of starting over in a new place while keeping family and traditions close.

When Hee Jun's family moves from Korea to West Virginia, he struggles to adjust to his new home. His eyes are not big and round like his classmates', and he can't understand anything the teacher says, even when she speaks s-l-o-w-l-y and loudly at him. As he lies in bed at night, the sky seems smaller and darker. But little by little Hee Jun begins to learn English words and make friends on the playground. And one day he is invited to a classmate's house, where he sees a flower he knows from his garden in Korea -- mugunghwa, or rose of Sharon, as his friend tells him -- and Hee Jun is happy to bring a shoot to his grandmother to plant a "piece of home" in their new garden. Lyrical prose and lovely illustrations combine in a gentle, realistic story about finding connections in an unfamiliar world.

Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Candlewick Press (MA)
Published: 06/14/2016
ISBN: 9780763669713
Pages: 32
Weight: 0.85lbs
Size: 10.30h x 8.40w x 0.60d
Award: Ezra Jack Keats Book Award - Winner

Review Citations: Publishers Weekly 03/28/2016
Booklist 04/01/2016 pg. 77
Kirkus Reviews 04/01/2016
School Library Journal 05/01/2016 pg. 87
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 07/01/2016
Hornbook Guide to Children 07/01/2016 pg. 59 - Recommended, Satisfactory

Accelerated Reader Quiz #/Name: 182216 / Piece of Home
Reading Level: 3.6 / Interest Level: Lower Grade / Point Value: 0.5