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backonthealex's review against another edition
5.0
Bronze and Sunflower is set in communist China during Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution (1966-1976). The goal of the cultural Revolution was to eliminate traditional Chinese life and thought, to replace it with communist ideology and get rid of any opponents. Artists and other intellectual were sent to remote Cadre Schools, where they did heavy manual labor during the day, and attended political re-education meetings at night.
Sunflower, 7, and her father have been living in the country, in a Cadre School for a while. Her father is an artist, a sculptor, well-known for his beautiful sunflowers cast in bronze. Sunflower is the only child at the school and very lonely. Since she doesn’t go to school, she often watches the children across the river playing and laughing. When her father dies unexpectedly, women from the Cadre School take Sunflower across the river, to the small village of Damadai, to see if anyone there would take her in.
Only Bronze’s family, the poorest in the village, are willing to accept Sunflower and make her their own. Bronze, a few years older than Sunflower and just as lonely, hasn’t spoken since he was 5 and witnessed what was to him a traumatic event.
Bronze and Sunflower are soon inseparable, seeming to understand each other without the need to speak. Over time, the now-siblings and their loving, but poor family, endure and survive many hardships such as famine, locusts, bitter cold winters, and a fire that destroys their home. The children share not just friendship, but many adventures and good times, as well, like punting little boats on the river, riding to school together on Bronze’s water buffalo, even though only Sunflower is a student, Bronze letting Sunflower sit on his shoulders so that she is high enough see the circus over everyone else's head, even working together as a family making reed shoes to sell in the January market to pay for Sunflowers schooling or grandmother Nainai's medical needs.
Bronze and Sunflower is a beautifully written story about the many sacrifices that were made by Bronze's family when they decided to take in Sunflower, how they lived poor, but with great dignity and love, and how they continued to do that even when forced to make the greatest sacrifice of all.
Chinese life during the cultural revolution is not a usual subject for a children’s book, but Cao has managed to present a picture of rural life that neither sugarcoats nor romanticizes it. In fact, he has produced such a heartwarming story that it has a feeling of timelessness about it despite the time it is actually set in, mainly because Mao’s China takes a backseat to the traditional values of family that the book really demonstrates.
Cao grew up during the 1960s and 1970s and experienced China at that time first hand, which gives his novel a real feeling of authenticity. His descriptions, though beautifully rendered, are often heartbreaking at the same time.
Bronze and Sunflower is a large book, 400 pages long. It is a story of day to day survival, so there is not really a big central conflict. I have to wonder if it will appeal to young readers as much as it appeals to adults. My 12 year old self would have loved getting immersed in the lives of Bronze and Sunflower, but I didn’t grow up with as many distractions as kids have today (video games, screens, instant gratification, etc. I’m not putting these things down, just pointing out how life have become faster). Though I highly recommend it for its thematic portrayals community, family, loyalty, and poverty.
One a personal note: my Kiddo has been home visiting this and when I asked her if her husband’s parents, who both grew up in the midst of the cultural revolution, ever talk about it, she said no, never. They refuse to say anything, but her husband’s grandparents did tell her how hard life was in those days. I’m guessing, they would have really appreciated Bronze and Sunflower.
Bronze and Sunflower won the 2016 Hans Christian Anderson award and was translated from Mandarin by Helen Wang, who won the 2017 Marsh Award for Children’s Literature in Translation for it.
This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book was an EARC received from NetGalley
Complete review posted at Randomly Reading
Sunflower, 7, and her father have been living in the country, in a Cadre School for a while. Her father is an artist, a sculptor, well-known for his beautiful sunflowers cast in bronze. Sunflower is the only child at the school and very lonely. Since she doesn’t go to school, she often watches the children across the river playing and laughing. When her father dies unexpectedly, women from the Cadre School take Sunflower across the river, to the small village of Damadai, to see if anyone there would take her in.
Only Bronze’s family, the poorest in the village, are willing to accept Sunflower and make her their own. Bronze, a few years older than Sunflower and just as lonely, hasn’t spoken since he was 5 and witnessed what was to him a traumatic event.
Bronze and Sunflower are soon inseparable, seeming to understand each other without the need to speak. Over time, the now-siblings and their loving, but poor family, endure and survive many hardships such as famine, locusts, bitter cold winters, and a fire that destroys their home. The children share not just friendship, but many adventures and good times, as well, like punting little boats on the river, riding to school together on Bronze’s water buffalo, even though only Sunflower is a student, Bronze letting Sunflower sit on his shoulders so that she is high enough see the circus over everyone else's head, even working together as a family making reed shoes to sell in the January market to pay for Sunflowers schooling or grandmother Nainai's medical needs.
Bronze and Sunflower is a beautifully written story about the many sacrifices that were made by Bronze's family when they decided to take in Sunflower, how they lived poor, but with great dignity and love, and how they continued to do that even when forced to make the greatest sacrifice of all.
Chinese life during the cultural revolution is not a usual subject for a children’s book, but Cao has managed to present a picture of rural life that neither sugarcoats nor romanticizes it. In fact, he has produced such a heartwarming story that it has a feeling of timelessness about it despite the time it is actually set in, mainly because Mao’s China takes a backseat to the traditional values of family that the book really demonstrates.
Cao grew up during the 1960s and 1970s and experienced China at that time first hand, which gives his novel a real feeling of authenticity. His descriptions, though beautifully rendered, are often heartbreaking at the same time.
Bronze and Sunflower is a large book, 400 pages long. It is a story of day to day survival, so there is not really a big central conflict. I have to wonder if it will appeal to young readers as much as it appeals to adults. My 12 year old self would have loved getting immersed in the lives of Bronze and Sunflower, but I didn’t grow up with as many distractions as kids have today (video games, screens, instant gratification, etc. I’m not putting these things down, just pointing out how life have become faster). Though I highly recommend it for its thematic portrayals community, family, loyalty, and poverty.
One a personal note: my Kiddo has been home visiting this and when I asked her if her husband’s parents, who both grew up in the midst of the cultural revolution, ever talk about it, she said no, never. They refuse to say anything, but her husband’s grandparents did tell her how hard life was in those days. I’m guessing, they would have really appreciated Bronze and Sunflower.
Bronze and Sunflower won the 2016 Hans Christian Anderson award and was translated from Mandarin by Helen Wang, who won the 2017 Marsh Award for Children’s Literature in Translation for it.
This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book was an EARC received from NetGalley
Complete review posted at Randomly Reading
anakuroma's review against another edition
4.0
CW: ableism (name calling and internalised ableism), trope that disability is cured through love, parents hitting children, famine, death of a parent
Overall, a charming and sincere read about a family that loves each other deeply. I loved the example of how family love can be strong and pure even without blood ties.
Overall, a charming and sincere read about a family that loves each other deeply. I loved the example of how family love can be strong and pure even without blood ties.
anacob's review against another edition
5.0
This was such a wonderful read. It was slow, quiet and soul touching. Just beautiful.
sitausitau's review against another edition
5.0
Heart warming tale about love and sacrifice. It shows how love had different types and how far you would go for loved one. The translator has done a great job with this story.
cjeziorski's review against another edition
4.0
This is the first book for children by a Chinese author that I’ve read. I wish there were more books in translation for our students to read.
Sunflower is a young girl who accompanies her father to the countryside when he is sent to a cadre school to work. She is the only child there, but there are many children in the village across the river. When her dad drowns in a tragic accident, Sunflower is taken in by a family in the village, whose son, Bronze, is mute. This is a touching story that makes the reader think about what makes a family, as well as hardship and survival. It was one of the 2019-2020 Panda Award nominees.
Sunflower is a young girl who accompanies her father to the countryside when he is sent to a cadre school to work. She is the only child there, but there are many children in the village across the river. When her dad drowns in a tragic accident, Sunflower is taken in by a family in the village, whose son, Bronze, is mute. This is a touching story that makes the reader think about what makes a family, as well as hardship and survival. It was one of the 2019-2020 Panda Award nominees.
tamarayork's review against another edition
2.0
The cover is beautiful.
The middle is endless suffering and abysmal poverty.
The ending is sudden, unsatisfying, and confusing.
The middle is endless suffering and abysmal poverty.
The ending is sudden, unsatisfying, and confusing.
goyvonreads's review against another edition
4.0
It was a really hard to really 'get into' the story, but at the end it got me...
tvisser's review against another edition
4.0
This book is for elementary age kids. Great story about a girl who is in need of a family and the family that takes her into their home.
i_am_selinam's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0