Postcards from South Korea

994.  Gyeonggi Republic of Korea

Hello!  Greetings from Korea!  All the best for you!  Larisa

689.  Hello from Korea!

y name is Eunji and I live in Ilsan, 12 miles from Seoul.  Hope you like this GF Korea card.  The place on the card is an artificial pond called Arapji.  It was constructed in the 7th century.  Happy postcrossing!  Best.  Eunji

932.  South Korea

Hello!  Many greetings from South Korea.  I am Inhye.  It is the entrance to the Korean-traditional style house "Hanok."  The curve eaves are imressive.  The stamps are the paintings of Sin Saimdang.  The topic are "grass and insect"

691.  Korea

Dear Chris, Greetings from Seoul, South Korea!  I'm Arom.  I like to watch movies, listen to music, and travel to other countries.  I watched a movie named "Doctor Strange" last week, and it was great!  I love Marvel movies so much.  Hope your new chapter in Pennsylvania will be full of Joy.

Tap Dancing on the Roof - Linda Sue Park

Poetry
Sijo (Poems)
Illustrated by Istvan Banyai
Clarion Books, 2007
40 pages
Endpapers: Ink bottle, splotches, kid dumping ink bottle, b&w on gray

What is sijo poetry? It's from Korea and, like haiku, is based on syllables. Usually three lines long, with 14 - 16 syllables on each line, it has one added requirement - there's a "twist" at the end. (Sometimes each of the three lines is split into two lines of 7-8 syllables.)

For example:

Art Class

Keesha says my fish doesn't look like anything she's ever seen.
"Flowered fins? Plaid scales? And the tail -- tie-dyed weirdo green?"

In this ocean, I am Queen. That tail, my dear, is aquamarine.

October

The wind rearranges the leaves,
as if to say, Much better there,"
and coaxes others off their trees:
"It's lots more fun in the air."

Then it plays tag with a plastic bag,
and with one gust uncombs my hair!

Bedtime Snacks

Good: Cookies and one glass of milk
for two dunkers -- me and my dad.

Better: Popcorn, a video,
and sleeping bags stuffed with friends.

Best: Blanket pulled up over my head --
book, flahshight, and chocolate bar.

Illustrations are simple, black, white, and gray with a touch of blue on one or a touch of red on another.

At the end, there's a two page author's note about sijo. Interestingly, she says there's only one other collection of sijo for young readers in English, Sunset in a Spider Web (Virginia Olson Baron, 1974) and it's out of print.

I wonder how hard these would be for fourth graders to write?