The Lotus Seed

My grandmother saw the emperor cry the day he lost his golden dragon throne,'' begins a young Vietnamese-American, whose lyrical narrative tells how the girl took a seed from the Imperial garden to remember the emperor by, then kept it as a talisman of hope through all the events of her life—marriage, raising her children alone after her husband went to war, crossing the sea in a flimsy boat, making a new life in America. When her little grandson takes the seed and plants it without remembering where, ``BÖ'' is deeply distressed. But the seed isn't lost—it comes up and blooms in the spring, a symbol of renewal: ``No matter how ugly the mud or how long the seed lays [sic] dormant, the bloom will be beautiful. It is the flower of my show more country,'' says BÖ—and now there are new seeds for the next generation to treasure. The Japanese illustrator debuts with spare, formally composed paintings reflecting the quiet mood and elegiac tone. A thoughtful, beautifully designed book that will find a place in many discussions. Historical note. (Picture book. 5-10)

-Kirkus Review show less

The narrator of this book is recalling the story of her grandmother, who saw the Vietnamese Emperor cry. Snatching a lotus seed from the palace, by which to remember him always, her grandmother keeps it in a safe place with her. In elegant prose, we see a compressed history of grandmother, from marriage through her flight from Vietnam as a refugee, and the seed is always with her. In her new life in America, grandmother passes on her story to her grandchildren. Her youngest is so curious that he takes the seed and buries it. Grandmother is at first devastated, but she soon learns the regenerative power of the lotus seed.

The story is beautiful, and discusses hefty subject matter in a simple and eloquent style. I love the symbol of the show more lotus seed as hope and rebirth, and the image of grandmother as a repository of important history and knowledge. I feel a lack of deep family roots in my own history, which makes me particularly like to read it of other families, even fictional. Also, the tale touches the heart with its understated poignancy. show less

This story follows a Vietnamese woman from childhood to old age as she carries a lotus seed that she took from the imperial gardens the day the Vietnamese emperor gave up his throne. She carries it all the way through the Vietnam War, and then again on a refugee boat to America. She safeguards the seed for many years until eventually one of her grandsons finds the seed, takes it, and plants it in her garden. At first she is distraught because she no longer has the seed that reminds her of her childhood home. But then the lotus blooms in her garden, and she tells her grandchildren her story, and gives them all a seed from the lotus pod from her garden to remember it by. This story has a nice underlying theme of home and accepting change show more as inevitable, and also of letting go of the past. The idea that heritage should be cultivated and shared instead of guarded and kept away is good for children to have, they often neglect to find the stories of their elders until it is too late. show less

The Lotus Seed was an overall great book. It was so good because it told a story about a lifetime. A girl’s grandma took a lotus seed from the Emperor of Vietnam and carries it with her throughout her life. The girl’s brother found it and planted it. The grandmother was very upset, but once the lotus flower began to bloom, she gave the seeds to each of her grandchildren. I also liked this story because it gave details about history. Although the details were vague, it still showed how the grandmother left Vietnam to come to America because a war broke out and she had to flee her country. The overall main idea is about family background. The family came from Vietnam to America and had struggles that they overcame. Throughout the book show more the granddaughter was very interested in her grandmother. show less

Years ago, a grandmother (before she was a grandmother), collected and saved a lotus seed, the day the emperor of Vietnam was overthrown. Decades later, when war came, she left Vietnam, but made sure to take her precious lotus seed with her, leaving other items behind. She traveled by boat to a new country with "a language she didn't understand." In this new country, she "worked many years, day and night." After many years passed, her grandson planted the seed, and a gorgeous lotus blossom grew. The grandmother distributed the flowers' seeds, and her granddaughter saved hers in a hidden spot in her room, just as her grandmother had done many years before. This story, written by Sherry Garland, is further explained through oil paintings, show more by illustrator Tatsuro Kiuchi. Pages show scenes from Vietnam, including a field full of lotus plants, as well as an image from the war-torn country, with bombs causing the sky to appear black with smoke. Readers see the rough sea, on which the grandmother traveled, and the overwhelming foreign city, in which she shared a crowded home. The text tells the story of the grandmother's life, with each page marking a milestone in her journey. Garland mentions events in minimal phrases, with each sentence conveying a significant period. She notes that the grandmother, "married a young man chosen by her parents," and later, "soldiers clamored door to door." Young readers can gain insight into a period of history, which has repeated itself in many countries, in which people escape their native homes during times of war. Readers will see the importance of carrying the past into the future, and sharing memories with future generations. show less

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The lotus flower is actually my favorite and I draw them all of the time. This book can be used for many different lessons. It could be used for a lesson on different cultures, and how in the story, the family had to make a hard move to a new land that was unfamiliar and they didn't understand the others. I could do this as a read-aloud and teach the hardships of moving, especially to a whole new country. I could also do a science lesson on how lotus' grow very differently from a regular flower. I could also have the students research their heritage and make a family tree from their findings.

An unusual book of Vietnamese culture. I like it. It carries through the generations and outlines many of the important moments in Vietnamese history with a nice synopsis of the events mentioned within right at the end. It's unusual for its topic and it's well presented for its audience.