A very inspirational story of a young boy who hungers for knowledge for the sake of both his and his mother’s future. ( )

This children's book was great. I really loved the story. The book was about a poor young boy in ancient Korea. He dreams of learning how to read and becoming "something", so he can take care of his mother. One day he sneaks to the school and the teacher (Master Lin) tells him he can't there because he is from the poor village. But Song-ho is determined to learn and sits outside the school listening to Master Lin. Master Lin finds out that Song-ho is listening so he speaks louder so he can learn. Eventually the weather gets cold and Song-ho sits outside freezing. Master Lin has had enough and invites Song-ho in to the school house. The other children quiz him on what he knows and when he answers correctly, they accept him into the class. Each year the school prepares the children for an important scholar bowl called The Royal Bee. Song-ho is chosen from his school and attends the Bee. He makes it to the final two. Song-ho and the other contestant are asked as a tie breaking question "what does winning mean to you?". Song-ho wins with his honest answer of him being a poor boy and will be able to take care of his mother. He then goes home with his prizes to show his mother.

Personal Reflection:
I love the dedication this boy has to learning. I wish some students now would have this drive to want to learn and to see that it is privilege. That's what I want the children listening to this or reading this book to get from it.

Classroom Extension Ideas:
1. We could learn more about the Ancient Korean Culture and expand to their current culture. We can do this by reading more books that talk about the culture.
2. We can learn about the dress they wore. In the book the illustrations show how they dressed. I can search for a costume to show the students what it really looked like, and have them try it on as well.
3. We can have our own Royal Bee. We can ask questions relevant to our curriculum and see who wins within our class. ( )

Placed in historical Korea, a young boy wants to study, but he was too poor. One day he eavesdrops outside the classroom and learns each lesson through listening. The teacher notices him and brings him into the class. He quizzes the young boy and finds that he is quite smart. Eventually he goes to the Royal Bee. ( )

This was an inspiring tale, with an undercurrent of truth since it was based on the authors' own grandfather's story. It really demonstrates the power of perseverance and strong character in the face on poverty and unfairness. ( )

ESL classroom use: introduction to Korean culture, spelling, sentence structure. ( )