by Sara Pennypacker, illustrated by Yoko Tenaka
A selection on the 2010 Bluebonnet Reading List.
When China’s leader declares war on sparrows in 1958, everyone makes loud noise in hopes of chasing the hungry birds from their land except for Ming-Li, a young girl whose compassion and foresight prevent a disaster.
We've been reading Sparrow Girl in the library lately and just can't get enough. Set during China's Four Pests Campaign, this picture book introduces readers to the Great Sparrow War of 1958. We were saddened to learn how famine was brought to China after this failed attempt to bring wealth to the country (by eliminating pests that threatened agriculture) was created by Chairman Mao Zedong.
This book inspired us to learn more about China, communism, and ecology - and since it was a man-made natural disaster, we also found connections to the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Links to Explore
View photos and a video clip from the real sparrow war here: http://sparrow.elte.hu/mao.htm
More about sparrows from Cornell Ornithology Lab: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/House_sparrow/id
More about the author: http://www.sarapennypacker.com/pennypacker-bio.htm
More about the illustrator: http://yokotanaka.com/bio.htm
What do you think about Sparrow Girl?
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