1. Bibliography
Park, Linda Sue. 2004. The Firekeeper’s Son. New York: Clarion Books. ISBN 0-618-13337-2.
2. Plot summary
Sang-hee’s father is the firekeeper in their small village. He lights the fire on the mountain top to signal the next village that all is well. And that fire signals the firekeeper in the next village to light a fire on their mountain top to signal the village next to them that all is we; and so on to the next village until the signal fire reaches the king. If Sang-hee’s father sees enemy ships he will not light the fire and when “the king sees only darkness...He will know that trouble has come to our land, and he will send soldiers to fight the enemy.” Sang-hee’s grandfather was a firekeeper too. “We live in an important village,” declares Sang-hee’s father. “Our fire is the first fire.” But the village does not seem important to Sang-hee; until one evening when his father starts up the mountain to light the fire. Sang-hee waits, but the fire doesn’t appear. When Sang-hee’s starts up the mountain to find out what is wrong he discovers his father has fallen and broken his ankle. Now it is up to Sang-hee to light the fire so the king will know all is well. Will Sang-hee light the fire in time? And will he come to understand why his father believes their village is so important.
3. Critical analysis
Set in a small village in Korea in the early 19th century The Firekeeper’s Son tells the story of the villages’ dependence on each other, and the king’s dependence on the villages to ensure the entire country’s safety. The bonfires were used throughout Korea to signal not only invasions but how large the force and how well-armed. The signal bonfires were used in Korea to communicate information for almost 100 years. “Our part of Korea is like a dragon with many humps. The humps are the mountains-the first hump facing the sea, the last hump facing the king’s palace,” explains Sang-hee’s father. While the text tells the story of Sang-hee’s developing understanding of the importance of his village and the firekeeper’s place in the village; the full-page watercolor and pastel illustrations by Julie Downing tell the story of life in a Korean village during the early 19th century. Thatch-roofed houses, and enclosures made of long sticks are nestled between sandy cliffs, the blue sea, and evenly-rowed green fields sloping up to the blue-green mountains; their tops poking out of the clouds. Cows are tethered next to houses and chickens roam the village. Women squat on the ground separating the grain from the wheat stalks and Sang-hee, dressed in a blue, roughly woven smock and rattan slippers, plays with hand-carved, wooden soldiers and horses. When Sang-hee must start the fire after his father is injured he carries coals in a cast iron kettle and starts the pile of sticks, left ready the night before, at the top of the mountain by placing the coals in the sticks with tongs. Sang-hee “ wished he could see soldiers” their swords and pointed helmets gleaming in the orange glow from the fire, but after racing up the mountain to light the fire for the first time on his own he realizes the importance of not only the village, but his family as well. “The village will be pleased to hear another trustworthy firekeeper has been born to our family,” declares Sang-hee’s father. K-3rd graders will identify with Sang-hee’s wish for excitement and feel his pride when he joins his father in the very important work of the firekeeper. Included is an afterward detailing the history of the bonfire signal system used in 19th century Korea.
4. Review excerpts
School Library Journal: “School-Grade 3-Park's command of place, characterization, and language is as capable and compelling in this picture book as it is in her novels. Set in 19th-century Korea, this story centers around an actual bonfire signal system. Every night, when Sang-hee's father sees that the ocean is clear of enemies, he climbs the mountain to light his fire, setting in motion a chain reaction of blazes that eventually reaches the peak closest to the palace and assures the king that all is well in the land. When Father breaks his ankle, his son must ascend alone into the darkness with a bucket of burning coals. During a dramatic pause, he contemplates the consequences of inaction and his secret desire to see the king's soldiers. Lyrical prose and deftly realized watercolors and pastels conjure up the troops in a vision linked to the glowing coal clasped in the boy's tongs. In the next scene, a close-up of the last coal illuminates Sang-hee's eyes, his face a study of concentration. Upon the child's descent, his father shares the memory of his own youthful desires and his pride in his son's accomplishment. A sense of inherited mission pervades the conclusion as Sang-hee learns that he, too, is "part of the king's guard." Children will be intrigued by this early form of wireless communication, caught up in the riveting dilemma, and satisfied by the resolution.
Park, Linda Sue. 2004. The Firekeeper’s Son. New York: Clarion Books. ISBN 0-618-13337-2.
2. Plot summary
Sang-hee’s father is the firekeeper in their small village. He lights the fire on the mountain top to signal the next village that all is well. And that fire signals the firekeeper in the next village to light a fire on their mountain top to signal the village next to them that all is we; and so on to the next village until the signal fire reaches the king. If Sang-hee’s father sees enemy ships he will not light the fire and when “the king sees only darkness...He will know that trouble has come to our land, and he will send soldiers to fight the enemy.” Sang-hee’s grandfather was a firekeeper too. “We live in an important village,” declares Sang-hee’s father. “Our fire is the first fire.” But the village does not seem important to Sang-hee; until one evening when his father starts up the mountain to light the fire. Sang-hee waits, but the fire doesn’t appear. When Sang-hee’s starts up the mountain to find out what is wrong he discovers his father has fallen and broken his ankle. Now it is up to Sang-hee to light the fire so the king will know all is well. Will Sang-hee light the fire in time? And will he come to understand why his father believes their village is so important.
3. Critical analysis
Set in a small village in Korea in the early 19th century The Firekeeper’s Son tells the story of the villages’ dependence on each other, and the king’s dependence on the villages to ensure the entire country’s safety. The bonfires were used throughout Korea to signal not only invasions but how large the force and how well-armed. The signal bonfires were used in Korea to communicate information for almost 100 years. “Our part of Korea is like a dragon with many humps. The humps are the mountains-the first hump facing the sea, the last hump facing the king’s palace,” explains Sang-hee’s father. While the text tells the story of Sang-hee’s developing understanding of the importance of his village and the firekeeper’s place in the village; the full-page watercolor and pastel illustrations by Julie Downing tell the story of life in a Korean village during the early 19th century. Thatch-roofed houses, and enclosures made of long sticks are nestled between sandy cliffs, the blue sea, and evenly-rowed green fields sloping up to the blue-green mountains; their tops poking out of the clouds. Cows are tethered next to houses and chickens roam the village. Women squat on the ground separating the grain from the wheat stalks and Sang-hee, dressed in a blue, roughly woven smock and rattan slippers, plays with hand-carved, wooden soldiers and horses. When Sang-hee must start the fire after his father is injured he carries coals in a cast iron kettle and starts the pile of sticks, left ready the night before, at the top of the mountain by placing the coals in the sticks with tongs. Sang-hee “ wished he could see soldiers” their swords and pointed helmets gleaming in the orange glow from the fire, but after racing up the mountain to light the fire for the first time on his own he realizes the importance of not only the village, but his family as well. “The village will be pleased to hear another trustworthy firekeeper has been born to our family,” declares Sang-hee’s father. K-3rd graders will identify with Sang-hee’s wish for excitement and feel his pride when he joins his father in the very important work of the firekeeper. Included is an afterward detailing the history of the bonfire signal system used in 19th century Korea.
4. Review excerpts
School Library Journal: “School-Grade 3-Park's command of place, characterization, and language is as capable and compelling in this picture book as it is in her novels. Set in 19th-century Korea, this story centers around an actual bonfire signal system. Every night, when Sang-hee's father sees that the ocean is clear of enemies, he climbs the mountain to light his fire, setting in motion a chain reaction of blazes that eventually reaches the peak closest to the palace and assures the king that all is well in the land. When Father breaks his ankle, his son must ascend alone into the darkness with a bucket of burning coals. During a dramatic pause, he contemplates the consequences of inaction and his secret desire to see the king's soldiers. Lyrical prose and deftly realized watercolors and pastels conjure up the troops in a vision linked to the glowing coal clasped in the boy's tongs. In the next scene, a close-up of the last coal illuminates Sang-hee's eyes, his face a study of concentration. Upon the child's descent, his father shares the memory of his own youthful desires and his pride in his son's accomplishment. A sense of inherited mission pervades the conclusion as Sang-hee learns that he, too, is "part of the king's guard." Children will be intrigued by this early form of wireless communication, caught up in the riveting dilemma, and satisfied by the resolution.
Booklist: Park, who won a Newbery Medal for her novel A Single Shard (2001), tells a picture-book story set in Korea in the early 1800s about a young boy in a remote village who suddenly finds himself serving his country. At sunset Sang-hee's father always climbs the mountain and lights a fire that signals to another firekeeper on the next mountain to light his fire, and so on, all the way to the mountain at the palace of the king, who knows from the fire signals that all is well in the land. Then one evening Sang-hee's father breaks his ankle, and the boy must keep the light burning. Downing's handsome, watercolor-and-pastel double-page pictures personalize the history, showing realistic close-ups of the child, who plays soldiers and dreams of the excitement of battle. In contrast are the panoramic views far across the country as the boy tends the flame that preserves peace from mountain to mountain. Add this to those lighthouse stories about the brave child who must take over for adults.
5. Connections
Reader’s advisory suggestions for those who liked The Firekeeper’s Son:
The Green Frogs: A Korean Folk Tale by Yumi Heo
Bee-bim Bop! by Linda Sue Park
Tap Dancing on the Roof: Sijo (poems) by Linda Sue Park
5. Connections
Reader’s advisory suggestions for those who liked The Firekeeper’s Son:
The Green Frogs: A Korean Folk Tale by Yumi Heo
Bee-bim Bop! by Linda Sue Park
Tap Dancing on the Roof: Sijo (poems) by Linda Sue Park
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