Review by New York Times Review
CHINA HAS A LITERARY CANON at least 2,000 years old filled with fables and myths, fox spirits and dragons, but a minuscule tradition of books specifically for children. For much of China's history, books were a luxury reserved for the elite, and children learned to read by reciting the classics. After Mao Zedong founded the People's Republic of China in 1949, he initiated a nationwide literacy campaign. Boys and girls - and their parents - learned to read, but the country was still so poor that buying books for reading at home, apart from the "Little Red Book," was beyond the reach of the masses. Then, between 1981 and 2008, as more than 500 million people in China moved out of "extreme poverty" as defined by the World Bank and began to pursue the deeply held belief that education is the primary tool to move up in society, families began to purchase books for their children. It is within this new atmosphere that Cao Wenxuan has become one of China's most prolific and popular authors, publishing over 100 works, including novels, short stories, essays and picture books. Last year, he won the Hans Christian Andersen Award, the most prestigious international honor for children's literature. His 2005 novel "Bronze and Sunflower" is his first to be published in the United States. Sunflower, age 7, and her father, an acclaimed artist known for his sculptures of sunflowers cast in bronze, are living at a so-called cadre school deep in the countryside. The time period isn't stated, but the details of what happens to the "city people" are hinted at: It's the Cultural Revolution, and artists, professors and other educated people have been sent to the middle of nowhere to do hard labor during the day and attend political indoctrination meetings at night. This leaves Sunflower, the only child in the compound, to fend for herself. The landscape Cao describes is beautiful - reed marshes stretching as far as the eye can see, a meandering river, a pretty village on the opposite bank - but Sunflower is alone and lonely, "like a solitary bird in a vast blue sky with nothing for company but the sound of its own beating wings." One day Sunflower climbs into a boat to see if she can pole across the river to the village from which she can hear children singing and laughing. Things go wrong, and she's rescued by Bronze, the only child of the poorest family in the village. A devastating trauma has lefthim mute, so he, too, is "as lonely as the only bird in the sky, the only fish in the river, the only horse on the steppes." When Sunflower's father dies, Bronze's family takes her in. Orphans who must find their own ways and cobble together new "families" are common in children's literature - Heidi, Anne of Green Gables and Harry Potter, to name a few - but Sunflower's journey is especially arduous. A storm blows apart the family's home, a plague of locusts devours the crops, and people nearly starve to death. Cao's descriptions are evocative but sometimes horrifying: "But there was no sky, just a seething mass of screeching locusts blocking out the early-morning light. The rising sun was like a large round pancake covered in black sesame seeds." Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House series exposed generations of children to the hardships of pioneer life, while also teaching practical, if perhaps no longer useful, lessons on how to do farm chores. Similarly, Cao draws on his own experiences of growing up in the countryside to describe how to harvest and use cogon grass to build a roof, make a necklace out of icicles, weave reeds into shoes and collect arrowhead corms - a tuber sometimes eaten during the Chinese New Year's celebration. Some American parents may be troubled by Cao's old-fashioned views about girls. If Sunflower comes up with an original idea or plan, she typically must be saved. If she gets lost in the marsh or picked on by the village bully, Bronze rescues her. If she does something wrong, Bronze volunteers to take the blame. Cao has written a female protagonist whose father makes sunflowers cast in bronze and who is herself called Sunflower, a girl very much cast and shaped by Bronze. To read their adventures is to be embedded in the Chinese countryside - for good and bad. The daily circumstances of their lives may be different from those of American children, but the emotions and relationships are universal. LISA SEE'S latest novel is "The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane."
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [September 24, 2017]
Review by Booklist Review
*Starred Review* When Bronze and Sunflower meet on the banks of the rushing river, they know they are kindred spirits. Sunflower is small and quick, while mute Bronze is patient and calm. When Sunflower's artist father suddenly dies in a tragic river accident, she is taken in by Bronze's poor but hardworking family in the tiny rural village of Damaidi, China. Over several years, readers follow the family as they celebrate the good things in life the circus, Sunflower starting school, a handmade gift and the bad famine, flood, and the loss of their beloved grandmother, Nainai. Translated from Mandarin, the confident, well-paced, episodic storytelling alternates laughter and tears. The vivid imagery employs all the senses, evoking emotions and creating beautiful moments of reflection about the natural world. Written by a cultural insider, this story provides a window into life as a child in rural China near the end of the Cultural Revolution. Virtuous and kind, Bronze and Sunflower's family reflects important cultural values including filial piety, respect for elders, the value of hard work and education, and the importance of saving face. This not-to-be-missed story reminds us to be thankful for family and love, no matter our station in life. Helpful back matter provides additional insight into this specific time in China's history.--Seto Forrester, Amy Copyright 2017 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Hans Christian Andersen Award-winner Wenxuan's moving story of a friendship between two lonely Chinese children, orphaned Sunflower and mute Bronze, bears all the elements of a classic: an inviting and solidly constructed setting, a close-knit family, and a kindhearted community (there's even a pet buffalo). Traversing five years, the book is beautifully translated into lyrical prose that brings to life the riverside village of Damadai ("The glints of sunlight on the water rippled into a golden glow that rose and fell with the river") and its inhabitants, especially Bronze's impoverished family, who adopt Sunflower-a stranger from the city-after her father's drowning. The two children grow inseparable, becoming each other's protectors as the family and community persevere through the small and large dramas of life in rural China. While the story seems timeless, a closing note explains that it takes place during the Chinese Cultural Revolution of the late 1960s and early 1970s, and describes the cadre schools that brought people like Sunflower and her father from the city to the remote countryside. Ages 9-12. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-8-Quiet and gentle Sunflower is a bit lonely but content with her simple life in rural China during the Cultural Revolution. When she is orphaned by a storm, Sunflower and Bronze, a mute boy a few years older whose family takes her in, become steadfast friends who share adventures with the family's hardworking water buffalo. The story portrays the roles of men and women as befits the 1960-70s setting; men's shoes are "sturdy" while women's are "pretty." Bronze looks after "timid" Sunflower, protecting her from a bully, forgoing his schooling so that she can attend, and making sure she gets the best seat at the fireworks display. Life takes place largely outdoors: driving ducks, gathering reeds, and taking "lucky mushrooms" to market. Emily Woo Zeller narrates with authentic inflection on Chinese words and phrases. Occasionally Sunflower's cries of distress come across as shrill, but Bronze, family, and neighbors quickly lend a hand. VERDICT The writing and narration are lovely, yet the traditional role portrayals and agricultural setting may not have wide appeal. The chapters of adventure are separated by descriptions of selling shoes at a market, and netting ducks in a pond. Some chapters could work in a social studies or folk tale curriculum.-Maggie Knapp, Trinity Valley School, Fort Worth, TX © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Set during the Chinese Cultural Revolution, this book does not focus on the soul-crushing experiences of intellectuals forced to undergo re-education in rural China, although the protagonist is the daughter of one such person, an artist sent to a cadre school. While her father labors all day, seven-year-old Sunflower explores the countryside. After a village child plays a mean trick on her, shes rescued by a boy named Bronze, an outcast for his odd ways. The two form a strong bond, one that stems from the mutual devotion lonely children often develop when confronting the worlds difficulties together. After Sunflowers fathers untimely death, she is taken in by Bronzes kind family in the nearby village of Damaidi. Nainai (grandma), Baba (father), and Mama all care for Sunflower fiercely, sacrificing their scarce resources so she can attend school. But life in 1960s rural China is filled with hardship. The author does not shy away from heartbreaking events such as famine, storm devastation, and the loss of loved ones, resulting in a moving and at times shockingly honest account. Despite all the suffering, the lasting impression is one of gentle affection and the pursuit of a better tomorrow fueled by unwavering hope. The meandering narrative style, with little dialogue and much descriptive language, a quintessential traditional-Chinese literary trait, slows down the pace and might occasionally seem excessively lyrical. However, the emotional depth and unflinching realism help sustain readers interest. Translator Wang manages successfully the difficult tasks of maintaining the stylistic integrity of the original text and achieving a high level of readability in her translation. roxanne hsu feldman (c) Copyright 2017. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Set during China's Cultural Revolution (1960s-70s), this import follows the trials and tribulations of a poor, rural family.Sunflower accompanies her artist father to the countryside, where he undergoes political reform at a labor camp. Left on her own for most of the day, Sunflower longs to play with the village children across the river. When her father tragically drowns, Sunflower is taken in by Bronze's family, the poorest family in Damaidi village. Bronze, who is mute, and Sunflower form an instant bond and become inseparable. In Wang's translation of his leisurely, languid prose, Hans Christian Andersen winner Cao captures both the infinite joys and harsh realities of rural farming life: Sunflower and Bronze picking wild plants or catching fish; the family's struggle to rebuild their house after a storm. Yet despite their adversities, the close-knit family members remain fiercely loyal: Bronze hoists Sunflower on his shoulders and stands for hours so she can watch a circus; Sunflower deliberately fails her exams so the money for her schooling can be used for Nainai's medical expenses. Eventually, the family makes the ultimate sacrifice but does it with the same grace and resolute strength they've demonstrated throughout the story. While seemingly idealized, the story and its protagonists reflect the Confucian values of filial piety and society above selfthe very foundation of Chinese culture. Readers of all ages should be prepared to laugh, cry, and sigh with satisfaction. (historical note, author's note) (Historical fiction. 9-14) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
