The Lotus Seed

By

Sherry Garland

Garland, Sherry, The Lotus Seed. (unpaged). Harcourt Brace Jovanovich,

Publishers. 1993. Tr $14.95. ISBN: 0-15-249465-0.

Gr. 2-Up—The reader will enjoy the simple yet elegant format of this

historical fiction picture book about a Vietnamese family forced to leave their

country in the midst of civil war.

The illustrations done by Tatsuro Kiuchi are equally as elegant and

compelling for their soft, realistic beauty. My two favorites are the one of

the lotus blossom, and the one of the main character, Ba, hiding the seed.

The theme here is one of adapting to new surroundings under harsh

circumstances, and trying to retain old family and cultural traditions. Strife

is evident in the telling, but not so harsh that we cannot enjoy the rich

relationships and close ties, and history that Ba’s family has.

The story is written in first person narrative style by the granddaughter of the

principal character—Ba. Characterization and plot are the strong literary

elements here. Ba is a courageous woman who will not forget her past and

who wants to preserve something from her past that is beautiful. The story

comes full circle in the end, when we see the granddaughter wanting to

preserve what she has learned and received from her grandmother, Ba.

The reader will also appreciate the Author’s Note, which gives some

historical background on Vietnam.

This book could be studied as part of a social studies unit about the

immigrant experiences of people like the Vietnamese. It can also serve as a

discussion piece on students and their own cultural traditions still kept alive

in their own homes.

 By Noelia Klein