{"id":14817,"date":"2011-08-12T11:02:30","date_gmt":"2011-08-12T15:02:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bookdragon.si.edu\/?p=14817"},"modified":"2014-05-17T15:26:54","modified_gmt":"2014-05-17T19:26:54","slug":"good-fortune-in-a-wrapping-cloth-by-joan-schoettler-illustrated-by-jessica-lanan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/apa.si.edu\/bookdragon\/good-fortune-in-a-wrapping-cloth-by-joan-schoettler-illustrated-by-jessica-lanan\/","title":{"rendered":"Good Fortune in a Wrapping Cloth by Joan Schoettler, illustrated by Jessica Lanan"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Good<\/a><\/p>\n

Manga addict that I\u2019ve become in my old age, I tend to start books-with-pictures from the back cover. This, I\u2019ve learned, often yields insightful rewards. [And no, I am not<\/em> one of those skippers with novels, ahem!]\n

Going backwards worked well here: author Joan Schoettler, who is not of Korean descent, reveals in her \u201cAuthor\u2019s Note\u201d that she was so inspired after visiting a collection of bojagi \u00a0\u2013 <\/em>traditional Korean wrapping cloths\u2013 on exhibit at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, that she was inspired to write this, her first picture book! She shares her new knowledge in an informative historical overview of bojagi <\/em>and its importance in everyday Korean culture. Her \u201cAuthor Acknowledgements\u201d point to her extensive research, as well. Context always makes any story richer \u2026<\/p>\n

Ji-su\u2019s mother\u2019s sewing skills are so accomplished, she is chosen to create her bojagi<\/em> for the royal household. But in order to serve in the palace, she must leave Ji-su behind with her aunt. Already fatherless, Ji-su begs her mother to stay.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy dear daughter, be strong like bamboo,\u201d her mother encourages. Handing her a parting gift, she gently tells Ji-su: \u201cOpen this after I leave. Wrapping a package with a bojagi<\/em>, we send good luck to the person \u2013 blessings and wishes of happiness, health, and good fortune.\u201d<\/p>\n

Inside Ji-su finds her mother\u2019s \u201cseven close companions\u201d \u2013 the tools with which her mother created her intricate bojagis<\/em>. She begs her aunt to teach her to sew, and vows she will one day create a bojagi<\/em> of her own so beautiful that she, too, will be called to the palace. And so the young girl\u2019s lessons begin \u2026 hoping every stitch will someday bring her closer and closer to her beloved mother.<\/p>\n

Illustrator Jessica Lanan<\/a> has a dreamy style that evokes Korea of centuries past. Certain panels clearly stand out \u2013 little Ji-su trying to envelop her mother with her too-short arms, Ji-su flying high all alone above the tall tree branches bursting with autumn colors, frightened Ji-su silently awaiting the judgment of the two looming palace masters as they examine her handiwork.<\/p>\n

As engaging as Good Fortune<\/em> is, two rather minor details I found myself questioning. The Anglicization of the Korean word for \u2018mommy\u2019 is \u201cEomma\u201d here. The first syllable is just a plain \u2018uhm\u2019 \u2013 \u2018eom\u2019 just doesn\u2019t work \u2013 and it\u2019s usually written out as \u2018umma.\u2019 Because the book starts with \u201cEomma …,\u201d to see the word thus written was initially a jarring surprise. Additionally, Lanan\u2019s choice to depict Ji-su\u2019s aunt as elderly didn\u2019t seem to fit the story. Ji-su is 10, her mother couldn\u2019t be more than 30 given childbearing practices hundreds of years ago; even if her aunt is much older, she wouldn\u2019t possibly be 60, which is what she looks like here. Other pictures suggest that the aunt has fairly young daughters, the oldest maybe a teenager \u2026 so maybe she’s 40 at most?<\/p>\n

Small details, yes, but enough to make me take sharp notice. More importantly, however, will your kids be bothered? Most likely not \u2026 they\u2019ll be too busy enjoying and celebrating Ji-su\u2019s hardworking\u00a0Good Fortune<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Readers<\/strong>: Children<\/p>\n

Published<\/strong>: 2011<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Manga addict that I\u2019ve become in my old age, I tend to start books-with-pictures from the back cover. This, I\u2019ve learned, often yields insightful rewards. [And no, I am not one of those skippers with novels, ahem!] Going backwards worked well here: author Joan Schoettler,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28021,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[62,6,37,60],"tags":[6608,178,10,2184,24,2185,2186,129,39,41],"class_list":["post-14817","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-children-picture-books","category-fiction","category-korean","category-nonethnic-specific","tag-bookdragon","tag-crafts","tag-family","tag-good-fortune-in-a-wrapping-cloth","tag-historical","tag-jessica-lanan","tag-joan-schoettler","tag-mother-daughter-relationship","tag-parent-child-relationship","tag-royalty"],"yoast_head":"\nGood Fortune in a Wrapping Cloth by Joan Schoettler, illustrated by Jessica Lanan - BookDragon<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/apa.si.edu\/bookdragon\/good-fortune-in-a-wrapping-cloth-by-joan-schoettler-illustrated-by-jessica-lanan\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Good Fortune in a Wrapping Cloth by Joan Schoettler, illustrated by Jessica Lanan - BookDragon\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Manga addict that I\u2019ve become in my old age, I tend to start books-with-pictures from the back cover. 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