The Lotus Seed by Sherry
Garland
Garland,
S. (1993). The Lotus Seed. Orlando,
FL: Harcourt Inc.
International
Literature; Historical Fiction; Reading Rainbow Book
The Lotus Seed begins in the country of Vietnam during the war, and ends up in America. The family in the book are forced to move from Vietnam to America, in order to escape the dangers of the war. They endure hardships and the boat over, and in this new strange place when trying to adjust. The grandmother, who was younger at the time of the migration, takes the seeds from a lotus flower in Vietnam with her on her journey to remember her home land. One of her grandchildren decides to plan this seed in the front yard of their home in America, troubling the grandmother because she then had nothing to remember Vietnam. However, the seeds begin to sprout, and eventually a lotus flower has bloomed. The grandmother is overjoyed, taking the seeds from the new lotus plant and handing them to her grandchildren. She tells them to pass the seeds down, generation to generation, with each child planting a lotus flower to collect seeds for the next. All of this to help them remember their family history and culture back in Vietnam, to have a piece of it.
With the percentage of immigrants in the United States rising every year, it is highly likely I will have students in my classroom who are either immigrants to America, or who parents are. I think that reading this book would make them feel a bit more comfortable about talking to me about how to cope with being in a new country. Also, with discussion, students who are native to this country may think of ways to make the non-native students feel welcomed. This not only applies to students from other countries, but also students from other states, counties, and schools, if they are new to the school they will feel some type of anxiety. I would also read this book during a unit on the Vietnam War in social studies, adding a touching story to the lesson that may be full of facts and details.
With the percentage of immigrants in the United States rising every year, it is highly likely I will have students in my classroom who are either immigrants to America, or who parents are. I think that reading this book would make them feel a bit more comfortable about talking to me about how to cope with being in a new country. Also, with discussion, students who are native to this country may think of ways to make the non-native students feel welcomed. This not only applies to students from other countries, but also students from other states, counties, and schools, if they are new to the school they will feel some type of anxiety. I would also read this book during a unit on the Vietnam War in social studies, adding a touching story to the lesson that may be full of facts and details.
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