Waiting for mama A bilingual picture book

K-Gr 2-Originally published in a Korean newspaper in 1938, this slight story tells of a very young boy waiting patiently for his mother at her streetcar stop. He asks one driver after another if she is coming, standing alone in the cold as daylight dims and snow begins to fall. The last wordless spread shows a snow-covered village with the tiny, almost imperceptible figures of a woman and child walking hand-in-hand through the storm. Readers need to look carefully at this spread to find the pair; otherwise the story is baffling and tragic. The Korean text, written in Hangeul, is accompanied by the English translation, although many pages are wordless. The lovely new pastel-and-ink illustrations depict life of the period. Some are simple ink drawings on ivory pages; others fill the pages with color and texture. The contrast is very pleasing. Changes in perspective effectively create movement and involvement. The text seems secondary to the setting and the art. An afterword on various details in the pictures is included. A worthwhile addition for its multicultural interest and its striking illustrations.-Mary Hazelton, Elementary Schools in Warren & Waldoboro, ME (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

In this quiet tribute to filial devotion, a little Korean boy climbs onto the high platform of a streetcar station to wait for his mother. As each streetcar arrives with passengers hurrying to and fro, he asks the driver if his mama is coming. Finally, one driver warns the boy he will get hurt if he stands so close to the streetcar and tells him to stand still until his mama comes. Time passes, the wind blows and snow falls as the obedient child waits patiently without moving or speaking until his mother arrives. Presented in Korean Hangeul as well as English, the spare text depends on the illustrations for context and mood. The muted watercolors capture people and scenery as they might have appeared in Seoul in 1938, when the story was first published. Bustling passengers, crowded streets and the anonymous streetcar are seen from the perspective of the small waiting boy. A perfect union of text and illustration tell a simple but moving story. (afterword) (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.