Product Description

"A sensitive portrayal of a family in Thailand. . . . This gracefully told story will resonate with many young readers." — BOOKLIST (starred review)

Eleven-year-old Noi is learning to paint like her grandmother. She and her older sister, Ting, spend many rapt hours in the jungle watching as Kun Ya paints delicate silk umbrellas to sell at the market. But one day Kun Ma and Kun Pa announce that Ting must start working at a local radio factory to help support the family. As the days and weeks pass, Noi anxiously sees her own fate reflected in her sister’s constricting world. Can Noi find a way to master her fear of failure and stand up for her gift — and Kun Ya’s tradition — before the future masters her?

An American Library Association Top Ten Art Book for Youth Selection

A Bank Street College Best Children’s Book of the Year

Two starred reviews (BOOKLIST, PUBLISHERS WEEKLY)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #534682 in Books
• Published on: 2007-08-14
• Released on: 2007-08-14
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: 7.66" h x .42" w x 5.14" l, .33 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 144 pages

From School Library Journal
Grade 3-6--Noi, 11, lives in a small village in Thailand with her parents, her grandmother, and her older sister. Her carefree life, filled with family and school, is changing as farmland is sold to developers, costing her father his job. Money is scarce, and the girl is stunned when Ting is sent to work in a factory. Her horror grows when she visits her sister at her job one day and realizes that this might be her destiny as well. Noi, however, has other plans. She has been helping her grandmother, who paints silk umbrellas to sell at the market and knows that she has a talent. The interaction between Noi and Kun Ya, who teaches her how to paint with her entire body and mind, is beautiful, and reminiscent of Linda Sue Park's A Single Shard (Clarion, 2001). As the characters go about their daily tasks, facing hardships and illness, but sharing their love, the story blends details about food preparation, modes of travel, work, and the celebration of a special holiday, presenting a real sense of this distant place. The Thai words sprinkled throughout the text are clear in context and also defined in a glossary. A simple but inspiring story of a child with talent, desire, and belief in herself.--Susan Oliver, Tampa-Hillsborough Public Library System, FL
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
*Starred Review* Gr. 3-6. Marsden's first novel, The Gold-Threaded Dress (2002), concerned a Thai family living in America; her latest book offers a sensitive portrayal of a family in Thailand. The land Noi's father has farmed is sold for vacation houses, and the loss of income means that her 15-year-old sister, Ting, must work in a radio factory, though the work is hard on her eyes. Eleven-year-old Noi, who has a gift for painting, hopes to learn to decorate umbrellas to be sold in the tourist market. When her mother can no longer sell her sewing, Ting's future depends on whether Noi's talent can enable her to earn enough money to help support her family. In simple, lucid prose, Marsden tells a story that is foreign in detail and texture but universal in appeal. The community's weather, customs, and beliefs are reflected in the observant Noi's quiet narrative, but more fundamental is her love for each family member, her concern for their livelihood, and her longing to contribute to the family's fortunes in her own way. The few Thai words appearing in the text are generally understandable from context; they are also translated in the appended glossary. A short novel in a small, well-designed package, this gracefully told story will resonate with many young readers. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author
Carolyn Marsden’s debut for young readers, THE GOLD-THREADED DRESS, received enormous critical acclaim and was named a BOOKLIST Top Ten Youth First Novel. Of SILK UMBRELLAS, she says, "This story was the first I ever wrote for children. It was inspired by time spent in northern Thailand with a woman who worked to protect the jungle and young factory workers." Carolyn Marsden has an MFA in Writing for Children from Vermont College.


From the Hardcover edition.