Peach Heaven

Using watercolor washes in hues of yellow, blue-gray, brown and green, Choi (Nim and the War Effort) illustrates a childhood memory, the day in 1976 when the sky rained peaches in her hometown of Puchon, South Korea. During endless rainy days that August, young Yangsook avoids her homework by staring at what she calls \x93a picture of heaven,\x94 a golden peach orchard filled with children. One afternoon, the streets flood, and objects larger than hailstones pour down. A full-bleed spread shows the heroine wading in knee-high water while her grandmother and brother watch from the porch; in a subsequent spread, Yangshook bites into a succulent peach, her overturned umbrella filled with the fruit while more float by. \x93We... feasted on peaches until we could eat no more. I forgot about the rain. I was in peach heaven.\x94 That night, however, Yangshook could not sleep, thinking about the farmers who had lost their crops, and she and the other children find a way to aid the distressed farmers. Architectural details such as gray roof shingles, doors made of vertical wooden slats opening to minimally furnished rooms, and cultural details (children and parents wear contemporary clothes, while Grandma wears a traditional robe) capture the ambience of a small Korean town. Choi\x92s vivid recollection of one extraordinary day takes on the timeless feel of a classic tale. Ages 4-8. (May)