From School Library Journal
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Kindergarten-Grade 4—In 1958, in a stunning demonstration
of unintended consequences, Mao Tse-tung decimated the sparrow
population of China by compelling every able-bodied citizen to
set off firecrackers, clang gongs, beat on drums, etc., over a
three-day period. The frightened birds took wing until they
dropped dead of exhaustion. Though this kept the sparrows from
eating the wheat crop, it also prevented them from controlling
the locust population, resulting in a famine. Pennypacker has
imagined the thoughts and actions of a little girl who loves the
sparrows and manages to rescue a few of them, keeping them safe
in a barn and feeding them secretly in the months that follow.
When the crops in her village are threatened by the insects,
Ming-Li shows the farmers the birds she has tended and they
release them, recognizing that the sparrows have always been
their friends. While this picture book, with its murky
folk-art-style illustrations, owes more to ecological concerns
than historical fact, it will be useful in teaching about the
potential of one person to make a difference in the world, and
the potential of many humans to create disasters.—Miriam Lang
Budin, Chappaqua Public Library, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed
Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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In 1958, Chairman Mao declared war on sparrows. He
blamed them for devouring the nation’s wheat crop, and he
required all citizens, armed with pots and pans and firecrackers,
to take to the streets and literally e the birds to death.
The successful campaign brought on a plague of locusts and a
three-year famine that resulted in the deaths of almost 40
million Chinese. The author takes these actual events as
inspiration for a resonant, contemporary fable about Ming-Li, a
girl who feels for the sparrows under attack, defies the leader,
and rescues seven birds as they fall from the sky. Pennypacker
strikes a suitably moralistic tone and tells her story with rich,
descriptive detail. Tanaka matches the somber elegance of the
text with opaque, folk-inspired paintings in a subdued
palette. An author’s note explains the difficult facts behind the
story. site the grave historical account, though, is an
uplifitng image: on a field of white, a small nest with seven
eggs promises the hope that springs from the simple actions of
one empathetic heart. Grades K-3. --Thom Barthelmess
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Review
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The so-called Sparrow War, declared by Mao in 1958,
furnishes the basis for this grim story. Deciding that sparrows
are eating too much grain, "our Leader" orders his people to
drive them away, and Ming-Li's whole village turns out to "[make]
so much noise the ground itself rumble[s]." Ming-Li objects,
pointing out that other birds will leave along with the sparrows,
but she is silenced; on her own, she creates a bird refuge in an
abandoned barn and becomes a heroine the following year, when the
birds are needed to control worms, grasshoppers and other pests.
Fans hoping for the insouciance of Pennypacker's Clementine will
look in vain; Ming-Li's determination rises up against the
frightening images of marauding villagers and of dead birds
raining from the sky. Debut artist Tanaka contributes skillful
but unsettling pictures-her overcast palette, skewed perspectives
and stylized faces create the atmosphere of a bad dream. PW"
Ming-Li is the youngest member of a farming family in China, and
she's distressed when the country declares war on sparrows in an
attempt to save the grain fields from the birds' depredations. As
the villagers raise a clamor to drive the sparrows away from
perches, the dead and dying birds drop to the ground. Even more
concerned after her older brother's pet pigeon becomes one of the
victims, Ming-Li convinces her brother to help her in rescuing
the few sparrows who've survived their fall ("Seven sparrows,"
she says sadly. "When there used to be thousands"), tending them
and hiding them through the winter; in the spring, the villagers
discover their crops overrun by the pests the sparrows would
formerly have eaten, and Ming-Li's secretly saved flock becomes
the miracle that brings better days. This is a tender story
smoothly told, based on China's misguided 1958 attempt to
eradicate sparrows, and audiences will appreciate the heroism of
the young protagonist. The relentless mowing down of the sparrows
makes the account rather harrowing for its likely audience,
though, and the story will leave them with a lot of questions,
such as how noise kills the birds and how a mere seven sparrows
can do the job of the lost flocks; the end, wherein Ming-Li's
her procls Ming-Li a real farmer, is more random than
satisfying. The illustrations have a smoothly grainy sweep that
suggests oil pastels, and the controlled regularity of the
modeling results in interestingly stylized scenes; the intricate
and lovely sparrows, looking like delicate woodcrafting, stand
out against the subdued background hues of misty landscape and
dark barn. The combination distances the events somewhat (which
may be for the better at its most heart-rending moments), but
it's an original and elegant look. This might make for an unusual
but dramatic addition to a unit on ecology, or it could simply
provide listeners with a thoughtful example of youthful activism.
A brief historical note is included. BCCB"
In this sober tale based on Mao Zedong's 1958 edict to eradicate
China's sparrows to prevent crop damage, a compassionate little
girl follows her heart instead of her Leader. When Ming-Li learns
of Mao's plan to eliminate the sparrows by creating noise for
three consecutive days, she prophetically fears the terrible din
will kill all birds. As mindless mobs beat drums, clang gongs,
c cymbals and explode firecrackers, Ming-Li's worst fears are
realized, but not before she hides seven sparrows, which she
feeds and tends in secret. When spring arrives and shocked
farmers watch helplessly as locusts decimate their crops, Ming-Li
reveals her secret and saves her village from famine. Tanaka's
quiet, simple illustrations in subdued tones match the somber
mood. In her red suit, Ming-Li's solitary figure stands out from
the villagers in their uniform blue jackets, reinforcing her
individuality. Moving images, such as a double-page spread of
dead sparrows falling like "teardrops" while a weeping Ming-Li
cradles a limp bird, send a powerful message that one small
person can make a big difference. (author's note) Kirkus"
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About the Author
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Sara Pennypacker is the author of the accled Clementine
series, illustrated by Marla Frazee; Stuart's Cape and Stuart
Goes to School, both illustrated by Martin Matje; and Dumbstruck.
Sara lives in Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
Yoko Tanaka made her children's book debut with Theodosia and the
Serpents of Chaos by R.L. LaFevers. Before graduating from Art
Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, Yoko won a Gold
Award from the Society of Illustrators in Los Angeles. Her work
has been featured in several magazines, and in galleries across
the globe. Sparrow Girl is her first picture book.
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