Haemi Balgassi

This is a beautiful story of a child living with her grandmother while he mother is away in the Army. Every day the little girl sits on a rock and watches as the trains go through the valley below. The sound they make is a lonely one, and the girl longs for the return of her mother.

Meanwhile, the sound of the train reminds her grandmother of the hasty trek out of Korea before the war arrived in Seoul. It was because there was a train that enable them to escape at the very last moments.

This show more is a very special book highlighting a lovely relationship of a grand daughter and her grand mother and the way in which their lives intertwine.

Highly recommended. Once again, Chris Soentpiet captures the story so very well with his lush paintings. show less

Yet another story of an Asian youth trying to fit into American society. Korean-born Tae is horrified to be paired with popular Josh Morgan to work on a class report on South Korea. She also has a falling out with her best friend Meg, ends up befriending class outcast Jody, struggles in PE class and has to put up with the snobbish attitude of Krista, a girl set on snagging Josh. Her parents Oppa and Umma run a Korean grocery and have their own challenges in American society and the local show more Korean community. show less

Summary:
Peacebound Trains is the story of a young Korean girl who lives with her grandmother. The little girl loves to sit and watch the trains go by her home. She is having a hard time dealing with her mother being gone in the army. Her grandmother notices how upset she is and decides to tell her the story of how her family came to the United States from Korea. While hearing the story of her ancestors the little girl begins to see just how lucky she is and decides to dwell on the future and show more not the present.
Personal Reaction:
This is a very touching story. I loved the way the relationship between the grandmother and young girl was written. The illustrations were also very beautiful.
Classroom Extension Ideas:
1. After reading this book to my class I would have an assignment for my students. The class would go home for the weekend and find out something about their families' heritage. They would then write a short essay over what they learned and present the information to the class on Monday.

2. After reading each chapter of the book to my class I would write a variation of sentences from the chapter on the board. Then the class would participate together and point out the grammatical parts of the sentence. show less

Soentpiet’s vivid green explodes as the reader enters the first page, promising a journey much akin to the train traveling across both pages. Sumi’s Mother, Umma has joined the army for money and education since Oppa (Sumi’s Father) died. When Sumi goes out to her rock to watch for trains, disappointed that all she gets for her birthday is doll Umma made, but not Umma herself, Harmuny comes to sooth her and tells Sumi her own story of disappointment when the Korean War forced her from show more her home in Seoul.
If You Liked This, Try: Chi-Hoon: A Korean Girl by Patricia McMahon, The Last Dragon by Susan Miho Nunes, Jin Woo by Eve Bunting, The Rise of Modern China (20th—Century Perspectives) by David Taylor, The Cold War (20th Century Perspectives) by David Taylor. show less