GOODBYE 382 SHIN DANG DONG, by Fraceses Park, Ginger Park, and Yangsook Choi


Park, F., Park, G., & Choi, Y. (2002). GOODBYE, 382. National Geographic Society.

 

In this story, Jangmi moves from her home in Korea to a new home in the United States. At first, she is sad about leaving behind her friends and Korean customs and traditions, but once she arrives in America she begins to adjust. She becomes hopeful that someday America could feel like home, too.

 The book is based on the experience of the authors' older sister, who moved with their parents from 382 Shin Dang Dong to 112 Foster Place in 1956. To make sure to get the pictures just right, the illustrator (who herself emigrated from Korea to the U.S. at the age of 19) returned to Seoul to paint the illustrations during the Monsoon season. https://www.amightygirl.com/good-bye-382-shin-dang-dong

 As I read the book, I see many cultural markers. The main character is named Jangmi which means “Rose” in English. When Jangmi wakes up on the morning they are to leave, she thinks about the decorations in her room that are packed. Things such as hand-painted scrolls, colorful fans, silk cushions and straw mats show the differences from American children who put pictures of movie stars on their walls. The book discusses monsoons that don’t happen in the United States but do in Korea. In the artwork, you see the family sitting on the floor around the table instead of using chairs and eating breakfast. They do not wear shoes inside. Jangmi and her friend Kisuni go to the market to get a fruit called “chummy” for a farewell lunch at their home before they leave. They discuss that chummy are not in the United States, but honeydew melons are. On the taxi ride to the airport, Jangmi’s father tells her about their new home in America. She nots all of the differences in architecture from her home in Korea. When her new neighbors visit, she sees new foods and customs. She even makes a new friend, although she cannot yet speak English, they still have a nice greeting.

 

SLJ: Grade 1-3-Jangmi looks sadly at her room. The hand-painted scrolls and colorful fans have been removed from the walls and the silk cushions and straw mats are no longer on the waxed floor in preparation for her family's move from Korea to the U.S. She takes one last visit to the open-air market with her friend Kisuni to buy chummy, her favorite melon. After a farewell party, Jangmi, and her friend promise to write to one another. Jangmi's first reaction to her new home in Brighton, MA, is to see only the differences. However, she begins to feel more at home when her familiar possessions arrive and she meets her new neighbors, including a girl her own age. The oil paintings done in a simple, childlike style are formally framed with white space. While this quiet story explores the universal fear of change in rather predictable ways, children will find the details of cultural differences and the immigrant experience well evoked.” Adele Greenlee, Bethel College, St. Paul, MN Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information Inc.

 

Publisher’s Weekly: “Choi (Nim and the War Effort) effectively contrasts the landscapes and customs of the two cultures, including a Korean city skyline and a glorious array of foods at the farewell luncheon, as well as the row houses in Massachusetts and Jangmi's first exposure to casseroles. The book nimbly charts the common anxieties of a child moving to a new place, from worries about making friends to the strangeness of new surroundings. Choi's oil paintings, with their subdued, saturated colors and perspectives that emphasize Jangmi's loneliness, create an effective backdrop for this resonant tale.” Ages 4-8. (Oct.)

 

GOODBYE 382 SHIN DANG DONG

Reading on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjIu5McAFvo

 

Other books by Yangsook Choi:

THE NAME JAR ISBN  978-0440417996

PEACH HEAVEN ISBN 978-0374357610

 

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