Seesaw Girl by Linda Sue Park ($ 5.99 ) Lesson developed by Mary Connor ( Advisor , National Korean Studies Seminar )
96 pages Grades 4 – 7 and Up
CHAPTER 3 LITERATURE
Three Reviews from Amazon . com : 1 .“ Impatient with the constraints put on her as an aristocratic girl living in 17th-century Korea , 12-year-old Jade Blossom determines to see beyond her small world . Jade Blossom can never go beyond her family ’ s inner court . All girls from good Korean families must learn to sew , do laundry , and work in the kitchen . This prepares them for their future lives in their husbands ’ inner court . Jade has other interests . She longs to take trips to the mountains and the marketplace . If only she could read and paint , but these are things only boys can do . Jade won ’ t stop thinking about the world beyond the high walls that surround her home .”
2 .” This is a great book on many different levels . It conveys a clear sense of life in 17th century Korea without reading like a history textbook . Young children can easily follow it . The characters speak clear language and are placed in simple situations that show the social dilemmas and contradictions Korean women have faced over time . The book is bittersweet because you are left with the impression that while the main character ’ s abilities and awareness were growing , her possibilities in life would be limited . She was truly maturing in the sense that she was aware of how small her universe had to be .” ( Some additional comments : The reader will to learn about many aspects of life in traditional Korea , such as the influence of Confucianism on education , families , and gender roles . Readers may also become more sensitized to the ongoing limitations imposed on women in many varying cultures throughout the world .)
3 .” Jade Blossom lives in a family compound in seventeenth century Korea . Her father is an adviser to the king . Jade and her cousin , Willow , live in the female section of the compound , separately from the men and boys , but the girls take every opportunity to play tricks on Jade ’ s brother . She and Willow are like sisters , and then Willow is married and moves to her own compound , where Jade will probably not be able to see her again .”
“ Jade ’ s brother helps her to obtain paper and charcoal to try her hand at drawing . She longs to see the outside world , but the walls are too high to see over , and she is not allowed to roam outside the area . She really wants to see the mountains , so that she can draw them . One day , she hides in an empty outgoing market basket , and hops out in the marketplace , undetected . She sees many things , including girls her own age , and begins to realize that not everyone lives in a secluded compound …”
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