Linda Park Books

I don't know why I feel this way, but you'd think there would be a lot of Newbery winning children's authors who'd switch their focus from time to time to picture books. And yet, this is not the case. In fact, it's rather rare for someone of Lunda Sue Park's stature to go about writing for children younger than her usual fare. It's almost as if she's slumming. But Park (who won the Newbery for "A Single Shard") has discovered what most winners fail to realize. That a picture book can be every bit as morally complex and intricate as a 230-some page novel. All it takes is excellent writing and an illustrator who knows their stuff. Which makes, "The Firekeeper's Son" a perfect example of a picture book that does everything right and ends up wowing the reader with its intensity.

Sang-hee lives in a small, unassuming, and peaceful village in Korea. One day, his father informs him that their little space is infinitely important (a fact that Sang-hee has a bit of difficulty believing). But his father is absolutely correct. Located beside the sea and just next to the first of a row of mountains, it understood that in the event of a seaward attack by Korea's enemies, this village is the first line of defense. That is why, every night, Sang-hee's father climbs the nearby mountain and lights a fire that can be seen for miles. Then, someone on the next mountain will see that fire and light their own. This continues all the way to the king's palace where, if the king sees the last mountain lit, he'll know that all is well. Of course, if the fire is not lit, the king would immediately send his soldiers out to battle with the enemy. Now this system has gone on for generations, but Sang-hee is not content. He would love to see the king's glorious soldiers more than anything else in the world. Then, one night, his father hurts his ankle while climbing up the mountain. Sang-hee is given the task of lighting the fire himself, but as he nears the pile of dried twigs he thinks about how much he'd like to see a soldier up close. And the hot coals are slowly burning out...

The book weighs an individual's personal wants and fantasies against the greater good of the whole, and does so beautifully. You completely understand Sang-hee's dilemma. On the one hand, there's the fact that not lighting the fire would be a callous lie. On the other hand, "Maybe there is a soldier who would be glad for a chance to visit the sea". Park's story is based on factual information, as she mentions in her Author's Note. However, the system by which bonfires informed the king of potential attacks was, in real life, far more complex than the one featured here. As Park herself mentions, "additional fires could be lit to convey further information, so the court would know not only which province was facing danger but things like the size of the enemy forces and how well armed they were!". She provides additional resources for further reading.

It was a real stroke of luck that Park was paired with illustrator Julie Downing too. Downing plays with lush watercolors and pastels that perfectly convey not only the cool blue nights Sang-hee must run through, but also the glow of the slowly dying coals and eventual hot orange flames. If you look on the cover of the book, you can see dream soldiers fighting in the fire and the bright orange flickers reflected in the black of Sang-hee's eyes. Downing's images are the perfect compliment to Park's deeply rich story.

As historical fiction picture books go, this one has to be one of the most beautiful on record. If you'd like a picture book that lures those sometimes hard to interest boy readers, but is just as doggone interesting to the girls of the world, this book's a safe bet. It's beautiful to look at and remarkably complex to contemplate. Art in the purest sense.

The book is so interesting, so informative, and so gorgeous. Also, my kids enjoyed comparing the fires on the mountains to their favorite fantasy, LORD OF THE RINGS. The tie-in made it even batter for them.
Well done, Ms. Park, and while I am here, let me say, KEOKO is my other favorite of yours.

Set in Korea, some time in the nineteenth century, a young boy discovers the great responsibility of lighting the bonfires. When Sang Hee and his mother see that his father has not yet lit the bonfire, and see that there is no enemy coming from the sea, the boy takes up a responsibility that has been in the family for generations. He follows the path up the mountain to find his father injured and unable to climb the mountain. His internal conflict is against the temptation of satisfying his curiosity of soldiers versus responsibility. Good judgment outweighs his selfishness and the bonfire is lit. The systematic communication sends the message to the palace that the kingdom is peaceful. Park is an accomplished writer. The narrative is moving and interesting. The radiant colors of Julie Downing are well crafted.

Perhaps for centuries, the royal court of Korea kept infomred of invading forces and problems in it eight provinces through a series of bonfires lit from one hilltop to the next. In this story, a young boy and his father live in a seacoast village on the first line of defense for the bonfires. Each night, the boy's father lights a bonfire which is seen by hilltop after hilltop all the way back to the king. But when he in injured, his son must light the fire. But would it not be better to not light it, so that some excitement and soldiers will come to the village? Or does reponsibility win out?

Linda Sue Park's The Firekeeper's Son is a picture book that tells of life in a Korean village several hundred years ago. At that time fires were lit as signals that all was well. It is an exciting story the pits a young boys dreams for excitement against his duty and responsibility. Julie Downing's illustrations showing traditional Korean village life really bring the past alive.

First there were the fires in Yellowstone in Summer of Fire, and now we have earthquakes and volcanoes in Rain of Fire. Wow! What a ride! I could not put this book down. It grabbed me from the first page and had me sitting up late at night devouring it until the very end. The details of Yellowstone and the surrounding areas is fantastic.

When the Utah Institute Director Professor Stanton suffers a debilitating stroke, he wants geologist Kyle Stone to replace him. Instead ambitious Dr. Hollis Delbert pulls a stunt and takes charge. He removes Kyle's earthquake reading equipment slated for Yellowstone, which has had some activity of late, and uses it for his study of the Salt Lake areas though that has been inundated with equipment since just before the 2002 Olympics.

Still she defies Hollis and brings some portables to the area where her parents died during an earthquake in 1959 when she was a little girl. Desperate for help, she turns to her former lover volcanologist Dr. Nicholas Darden, who assists her with some of his equipment. As the tremors increase, Hollis manipulates the Institute brass leading to Kyle's firing even as Ranger Wyatt Ellison and Nicholas heat the air as much as the geo-thermal activities do the ground as they compete for her affection.

RAIN OF FIRE is an exciting thriller that grips the audience with the tremors that threaten Yellowstone as a time when there seems to be an increase in major natural disasters. The story line is action-packed but driven by the rivalr between Hollis and Kyle in which he behaves totally unprofessional while she is absolutely dedicated. The romantic triangle is deftly handled, but the tale is more a cautionary thriller warning people about the potential of natural disaster in a place where most people fail to realize the danger.

Have read both of Linda's Yellowstone books and loved them both. Makes you want to get in your car and go!!. Linda knows the park and her info is right on target. Rain of Fire will scare you with its natural activites, and you can not wait for the next page.

The world's largest volcano does not reside beneath Hawaii's mountains, or in Washington state, but Yellowstone National Park. Past eruptions have darkened our continent and covered it with a blanket of ash that smothered both plant and animal life. Now the supervolcano, with its earthquakes and geysers, is monitored on a daily basis for signs of the beast reawakening. As a terrified child, geologist Kyle Stone watched her family die in the 1959 Hebgen Lake Earthquake near Yellowstone. Fighting a lifetime of fears, she is one of the scientists with a finger on Yellowstone's pulse. When a new hot spring appears overnight in the park and a noted naturalist is scalded to death, Kyle mounts an expedition into the Yellowstone backcountry to unravel the mystery. Accompanying her are Ranger Wyatt Ellison, former student and friend, and Dr. Nicholas Darden, volcanologist and former lover. More than just a volcano is heating up. Amid personal conflict, earthquakes uprooting the land, and poison gases killing wildlife, Kyle finds herself in the unenviable position of convincing park officials to evacuate Yellowstone before tens of thousands of people die. As the earth shudders, Kyle must also choose between past and present, and defeat her darkest terror simply to survive. According to NY Times Bestselling author Robert Vaughan 'Rain of Fire is a thrilling vision of what might happen tomorrow. Based on fact, the book details the signs, warnings, and the eruption that could take place in Yellowstone - tomorrow. Fast-paced, yet with touchingly human characters, Rain of Fire is a page-turner of the first magnitude.' Yellowstone Superintendent Bob Barbee says, 'Linda Jacobs is in the zone. This book is a grabber for sure.'

GREAT BOOK! This simple to follow workbook makes writing a business plan for a small business an easy to understand, easy to complete task! The book contains worksheets within each chapter, which, when compiled, leave you with a written business plan that makes sense. Best of all, the book is written in plain english -- no jargon, no complicated ratios and formulas, no assuming you already possess an MBA. This book is perfect for real world use -- nothing theoretical here. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

What a delight! Intelligent, thoughtful, provocative, helpful, thoroughly entertaining. A rare find!

I found this book to be simple to follow and full of practical, real world advice. There is no business theory here, just real steps to take to market on a shoestring, write a business plan, manage cash flow, understand financial statements, set goals and keep records. I enjoyed the common sense approach, and easy to understand advice.

Hansa: The True Story Of An Asian Elephant Baby is a remarkable picturebook for young readers about a baby elephant born in the Woodland Park Zoo. Children will learn that Hansa was 235 pounds when born and by her first birthday had gained almost 800 pounds! Filled cover to cover with true facts about elephants and splendid color photographs from the Woodland Park Zoo, Hansa is very highly recommended for young people who want to learn more about this wondrous, exotic animal species.

Even though this book is really written for older children, my 17-month-old son loves it too! We don't read the words to him, but he loves to look at the pictures and make elephant sounds. As he gets older, I'm sure he'll appreciate the information more, and my husband and I find it very interesting too.

The book is very well written and the pictures are great. I highly recommend it for all ages, especially if you have an elephant fan of your own at home!

This is a great book about Boulder, Colorado and the communities that are nearby, as well as Rocky Mountain National Park and the town of Estes Park. Overall, it shows the Boulder Metro Area to be both wealthier AND more liberal than the Denver area, which is also fairly progressive. If you read this book, you'll think twice before even thinking of moving to ultra-conservative Colorado Springs. This volume also discusses great opportunities for physical fitness through outdoor activities. This book is a must-own for anyone interested in the western half of the United States.

Bought this for a recent trip to Boulder/CoSprings after looking at many different regional travel books. This was by far the best one.

I was featured in this book along with my mother(pg.22)and I remember when it was just a homework assignment in elementary school. When I was told it was a book I was amazed to see all of the people I knew and the moving stories it consisted of. I enjoy that book everytime I pick it up. It is especially easy for children to read because it was written by people aging 10-14. I especially love the foreword that was written by Rosa Parks herself. Very insiteful.

There are many wonderful stories told within the context of this rather difficult subject. For those who use writer's workshop . . . this is an excellent example of the use of interviews and other nonfiction techniques.

I have backpacked and camped for years, but when I decided to try canoe camping, I had questions. This book provided guidance. First, we were going to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, and that's the focus area of this book. From Roughing It Elegantly, we gained a better idea of how to pack and portage a canoe, and learned about how canoeists pace themselves. I also got some great recipes! This book spends a good deal of time discussing the pleasantries of canoeing to and through a wild area, not just describing how to lug equipment. A pleasant and useful read.

This is the best how-to guide to canoe camping/tripping--period. Ms. Bell covers the gambut of canoe camping, from planning, equipment selection, considerations concerning traveling with children, health & safety issues, and on and on. It exhaustively covers every imaginable topic, and should answer any question any potential canoe tripper might have. We've been canoe tripping in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness for several years, and Roughing it Elegantly is our how-to guide book. Even veterans will find it useful.

For a scholarly consideration of Chaco Canyon's importance and discoveries, don't miss the college-level guide ARCHAEOLOGY OF CHACO CANYON: AN ELEVENTH-CENTURY PUEBLO REGIONAL CENTER. Two decades following the largest field research program to excavate Chaco, the original researchers and other Chaco scholars convened to evaluate what they knew and to discuss new theories and new data: a meeting which held an advanced seminar at the SAR, where the Chaco Project was born in 1968. ARCHAROLOGY OF CHACO CANYON reflects this meeting's insights and results and embraces over thirty years of research and ideas.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

A shoulder to cry to, someone who can comfort you in times of crisis just isn't something that's always available. "Becoming Your Own Emotional Support System: Creating a Community of One" acknowledges this and provides comfort and encouragement to those who are cut off from others that could help them. Promoting a step by step self-support system, it gives the invaluable information needed for the early steps of recovery. Enhanced with an index and with nearly two hundred pages of support, "Becoming Your Own Emotional Support System: Creating a Community of One" is highly recommended to self-help shelves everywhere and for loners who still need assistance in the recovery process.

I never realized how much (and how little) our state parks have to offer those of us who have mobility limitations. The Mitchell's have taken the time to visit every park in their book - and it shows. I was especially impressed with the detailed descriptions of trails and points of interest. Now I have a very good idea of whether I will be able to enjoy each park. Most importantly, I know which parks I do not want to miss. Thanks for your efforts and awareness of the needs of wheelchair users and others with limitations.