April 5, 2012

Linda Sue Park, winner of Newbery Medal for "A Single Shard" and author of "A Long Walk to Water," enchants students with Bee-bim Bop!

Hilton students received a special author visit this month.   Rochester resident and award-winning author, Linda Sue Park, visited Hilton Central elementary schools April 2-5, 2012 to show and read her beautifully-illustrated children's books.  Among the treats in store for students, she presented several 'read aloud' books, What Does Bunny See? and Bee-bim Bop!

Students followed rhyming clues in the stories and chimed in as she presented them and then she taught primary students several Korean children's hand games. 

 Read more about her literary awards  

Hilton Central elementary schools in conjunction with Lift Bridge Books in Brockport sponsored the Newbery Medal winning author [for A Single Shard].  She is also the author of A Long Walk to Water about Salva Dut, also a Rochester resident, who founded Water for Sudan.  Among her books are Seesaw Girl, The Kite Fighters, A Long Walk to Water, When My Name Was Keoko, The Firekeeper's Son, and The Third Gift.  Linda Sue Park website. 

Linda Sue Park, born in Illinois, is a Korean-American author of children's books publishing her first novel in 1999.  In 2002 she received the Newbery Medal for her novel, A Single Shard.  In 2012 she published A Long Walk To Water about Rochester resident and Sudanese "Lost Boy," Salva Dut. 

SCHEDULE: April 2 - Northwood Elementary, 433 No. Greece Rd. - Julie Rapp, Librarian - 585-392-1000 ext. 4404; April 3-4 - Village Elementary, 100 School La., Hilton - Deb Lynch, Librarian - 585-392-1000 ext. 5113; April 5- Quest Elementary, 225 West Ave., Hilton - Librarian Stephanie Harney - 585-392-1000 ext. 6147.

A Single Shard -- “In this tale of courage and devotion, a single shard from a celadon vase changes the life of a young boy and his master. In 12th-century Korea, the village of Ch'ulp'o is famous for its pottery. The orphan Tree-ear spends his days foraging for food for himself and Crane-man, a lame straw weaver who has cared for him for many years. Because of his wanderings, Tree-ear is familiar with all of the potters in the village, but he is especially drawn to Min. When he drops a piece Min has made, Tree-ear begins to work for him to pay off his debt, but stays on after the debt is paid because he longs to learn to create beautiful pots himself. Sent to the royal court to show the king’s emissary some new pottery, Tree-ear makes a long journey filled with disaster and learns what it means to have true courage. This quiet story is rich in the details of life in Korea during this period. In addition it gives a full picture of the painstaking process needed to produce celadon pottery. However, what truly stands out are the characters: the grumpy perfectionist Min; his kind wife; wise Crane-man; and most of all, Tree-ear, whose determination and lively intelligence result in good fortune. Like Park's Seesaw Girl (1999) and The Kite Fighters (2000, both Clarion), this book not only gives readers insight into an unfamiliar time and place, but it is also a great story.” —Barbara Scotto, School Library Journal, starred review  

A Long Walk to Water is based on the true story of Salva, one of some 3,800 Sudanese "Lost Boys" airlifted to the United States beginning in the mid 1990s. Before leaving Africa, Salva's life is one of harrowing tragedy. Separated from his family by war and forced to travel on foot through hundreds of miles of hostile territory, he survives starvation, animal attacks, and disease, and ultimately leads a group of about 150 boys to safety in Kenya. Relocated to upstate New York, Salva resourcefully learns English and continues on to college. Eventually he returns to his home region in southern Sudan to establish a foundation that installs deep-water wells in remote villages in dire need of clean water. This poignant story of Salva's life is told side-by-side with the story of Nya, a young girl who lives today in one of those villages. - Read More about Salva Dut and Water for Sudan -