Tuesday, April 17, 2012

#29 - What Will you be, Sarah Mee?

What Will you be, Sarah Mee?
Written by: Kate Aver Avraham
Illustrated by: Anne Sibley O'Brien
Charlesbridge
2010
32 pages

Multicultural Picture Book



    This book focuses on the tol, the first birthday, of Sarah Mee. Sarah Mee is a Korean child, and the book shares some of their family traditions. The story is told from the point of view of Chong, Sarah Mee's older brother. One big tradition on the day of tol is to play toljabee. Toljabee is a game that predicts what the child will be when they grow up. Chong is very excited, and he can't wait to see what Sarah Mee will be. During the game the child is presented with items related to different jobs. The first item that the child grabs will indicate what their future job will be. Chong brings Sarah Mee the items, and everyone waits with excitement. Sarah Mee picks up a paint brush, and it is decided that she will be an artist when she grows up. This is a really great book with a lot of information on Korean culture. The book also uses a lot of Korean terms. A glossary is located in the back of the book to explain each term.
    The illustrations are done in ink and watercolor. The watercolors used are very vibrant, and it helps to support the excitement of the day. The characters are done in a very realistic style, and everything is outlined in very thin, black ink. A lot of Korean culture is represented in the setting, clothing, food, and decorations. The text is informal and it is mixed with the illustrations and the images fill up entire pages.
    I would use this book in younger elementary classrooms. Teachers could use this book to talk about Korean culture. The students could discuss some of the things that they notice in the pictures. This book could also be used to write about family traditions. Students could tell about some of the traditions that they have in their family.

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