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The Lotus Seed
When she is forced to leave Vietnam, a young girl brings a lotus seed with her to America in remembrance of her homeland. “Exquisite artwork fuses with a compelling narrative--a concise endnote places the story effectively within a historical context--to produce a moving and polished offering.”-- Publishers Weekly
32 pages, Paperback
First published April 30, 1993
17 people are currently reading
696 people want to read
About the author
Sherry Garland
29 books60 followersSherry Garland is the award-winning author of 30 books for children, teens and adults.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 148 reviews
March 25, 2023
A girl takes a lotus seed to remember her country Vietnam and flees to the U.S. with her family. That lotus seed is a reminder of her homeland and is there to calm her when she has trouble. That lotus seed is her symbol of hope. When she's a lot older and has many grandchildren, one of her grandsons takes the lotus and plants it. How does she react, and what happens to the lotus seed?
The oil illustrations were gorgeous. They were very simplistic, and the illustrations truly showed the culture of Vietnam. The ao dai was nicely drawn too. I also enjoyed the text because the verses were easy to read, and I could read them to my younger cousins.
As I went through the book's pages, I learned a lot more about my family's homeland and got teary-eyed because I was thinking of how my grandparents, mom, and dad went through the same experience when they went to the States. My dad fled Vietnam by boat and faced troubling storms and Thai Pirates. My grandma was also in an arranged marriage but could love my grandpa despite the age gap and gave birth to five children. She also raised those children alone when my grandpa was jailed in the Vietnam War. I learned a lot, especially when reading the author's notes. I had never heard of Bao Dai or Nguyen Vinh Thuy before, so that was very cool to learn. I am happy that I read this book, and I hope there are many books where children of immigrants can learn about their heritage.
"No matter how ugly the mud or how long the seed lies dormant, the bloom will be beautiful. It is the flower of my country."
The oil illustrations were gorgeous. They were very simplistic, and the illustrations truly showed the culture of Vietnam. The ao dai was nicely drawn too. I also enjoyed the text because the verses were easy to read, and I could read them to my younger cousins.
As I went through the book's pages, I learned a lot more about my family's homeland and got teary-eyed because I was thinking of how my grandparents, mom, and dad went through the same experience when they went to the States. My dad fled Vietnam by boat and faced troubling storms and Thai Pirates. My grandma was also in an arranged marriage but could love my grandpa despite the age gap and gave birth to five children. She also raised those children alone when my grandpa was jailed in the Vietnam War. I learned a lot, especially when reading the author's notes. I had never heard of Bao Dai or Nguyen Vinh Thuy before, so that was very cool to learn. I am happy that I read this book, and I hope there are many books where children of immigrants can learn about their heritage.
"No matter how ugly the mud or how long the seed lies dormant, the bloom will be beautiful. It is the flower of my country."
October 20, 2011
A story of history, of war, of refugees and a lotus seed, a treasured memory from Vietnam. This is a simple, easy to follow story told in lyrical, unrhymed verse of a Vietnamese girl who is forced to flee her homeland due to civil war and takes with her a lotus seed from the emperor’s garden. She and her family, through hard work and willingness, adapt to the totally new way of life in the USA, yet without losing their cultural roots. The little girl becomes an old lady and is devastated one day to discover her lotus seed has been stolen by her grandson, who has no recollection in which part of the muddy garden he buried the seed. But no circumstances, however horrendous, can prevent the family passing on its heritage to the next generation and the faithful lotus seed dutifully blossoms the next spring producing new seeds to be gathered and treasured and passed on. The Illustrations in oil are beautiful especially of the lotus flowers! I appreciated a brief historical overview of Vietnam, which the author adds at the end of the book. This is a charming story in itself, but also a great opportunity to discuss refugees etc with children.
August 4, 2015
Read the author's note at the end of the book it's very informative. Showed the kids pictures of our trip to Vietnam and told them stories of Daddy playing chase with a little boy there. It made the book more real to them.
December 1, 2012
The story itself was beautiful. I think it would work well for the beginning of the year and talking about hopes and dreams for the year and for the students' lives.
May 4, 2010
This was a good book about Vietnam and the life of a person living in Vietnam during the war. It talks about a family that was forced to flee their homeland when the war broke out. Then they are getting on a boat to come to American with very little possessions to escape the war.
This would be a good book to talk about immigrants, and how immigrants make it to America and to do further research as to why immigrants come to America.
This would be a good book to talk about immigrants, and how immigrants make it to America and to do further research as to why immigrants come to America.
July 11, 2011
Great for a multicultural unit on Vietnam. Beautiful and sad.
June 25, 2013
This picture book did more to explain Vietnam's history to me than all of my teachers and textbooks combined. (And that, sadly, includes a history teacher who was a veteran of the Vietnam War.)
September 1, 2010
This book used unfamiliar vocabulary very well by using context clues that are familiar to students so they can decipher meanings themselves while making their own connections to the text. Also, the tone of the book reflects the somberness of the tale of the Vietnam War and the nation's independence movement in the 1940's.
I believe this is an appropriate book for 5th graders because it give students a chance to see this sad tale for the perspective of a Vietnamese woman.
I believe this is an appropriate book for 5th graders because it give students a chance to see this sad tale for the perspective of a Vietnamese woman.
May 9, 2012
This story is really easy to understand for children. It is a great story with wonderful illustration. This story takes the place in Vietnam during the 1950's. It takes you in to the life of Ba, a young girl who collects a seed from the general imperial garden to have for the rest of her life. she takes the seed thought moments in her life from her wedding day til she moved out of Vietnam to the United States. This is a really good book that takes you to understand the Vietnamese culture.
February 19, 2013
This is a good book about a young lady that was forced to leave her home because of the war. When she left she took a lotus seed with her. She kept this lotus seed with her until she was very old, and her grandson picked it up and planted the seed. She was very upset, but the following spring the seed sprouted and there were many seeds to keep passing on generation to generation. This is a great book to talk about family traditions.
October 8, 2013
This is a great book to use with elementary students. It can introduce the Vietnam War or Vietnam culture and the symbols that are important in that culture. It can be used to introduce questioning to students and lead to discussions about ambiguity. This is a story about a woman who carries a lotus seed throughout her life until her grandson steals it and plants it. The seed blooms, and she gives the other seed to her grandchildren so that they will remember her.
December 25, 2016
Story of a Vietnam refugee who flees her war-torn country and then must adapt to life in an American city, where she doesn't even speak the language. The only possession she brings with her is a lotus seed, a symbol of her culture and the life she had to leave behind. Author's note at the back of the book provides a succinct history of Vietnam. Beautiful oil paintings really bring the scenes to life. The lotus bloom is especially lovely.
May 6, 2012
Good mentor text to use with kids to discuss symbolism. Have kids discuss what the lotus seed symbolized to Grandmother.
December 18, 2018
The story of a little girl's journey from war-torn Vietnam to her new life in America. Beautifully told and illustrated, we're given a glimpse into the history of Vietnam as the story begins with the little girl in the Emperor's garden. The girl picks a lotus blossom to remember the emperor by. When war breaks out and her family is forced to leave Vietnam, the girl brings lotus seeds with her to remember her homeland. Through rich illustrations and prose, the story captures the sights and sounds of a refugee family fleeing their homeland and arriving in a new country. When the little girl is older and a grandmother, her grandson takes the lotus seeds and puts them in the mud. Much to everyone's surprise, a lotus flower blooms. The new lotus seeds are able to be passed on, along with grandmother's story, from generation to generation. Family traditions and culture are represented and celebrated in this book.
I read this book to my students at the beginning of the year as we're building classroom community. It celebrates Vietnamese culture, and many students can relate to the main character's story of immigration to a new country. From a literary stand point, the book is perfect for teaching point of view and story elements such as setting, character development and theme.
I read this book to my students at the beginning of the year as we're building classroom community. It celebrates Vietnamese culture, and many students can relate to the main character's story of immigration to a new country. From a literary stand point, the book is perfect for teaching point of view and story elements such as setting, character development and theme.
October 27, 2017
The Lotus Seed by Sherry Garland is a children’s book about a young girl who took a lotus seed from a palace in her homeland long ago. She kept the seed with her through her arranged marriage and when she had to flee Vietnam because of a civil war. She wanted to have a remembrance of her homeland, Vietnam. She still had it even when she became a grandmother, and one day her grandson decided to take the seed. He forgot where he buried it though and the grandmother became very sad. One day though, the beautiful lotus bloomed in the backyard which reminded her of her homeland. The lotus is a representation of herself, and it’s something her grandchildren will remember her by. This story will help readers appreciate the remembrance of one’s birthplace and that starting anew doesn’t mean forgetting the past. It’s suitable for ages 6-9 and the theme includes wartime experience, immigrants, refugees, and memories.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 16, 2017
The story of one woman's courageous journey from Vietnam to the US, and how she managed to hold on to an incredible piece of her own history.
December 11, 2019
This is a good historical book about the Vietnamese, the war, and their immigration into America. I didn't enjoy the book, because it was pretty depressing.
August 15, 2022
I had recently read another book by this author that I liked, so I looked forward to reading this one. Great book and the Tatsuro Kiuchi illustrations are, too.
April 9, 2023
Fantastic storyline & illustration ! The story depicts how hope can be passed from one generation to another.
March 23, 2017
This story was about a young girl who kept a small lotus seed that she got from the emperor's palace, believing that it served as a reminder of the brave emperor as well as for good luck and long life. As the storyline progresses, the girl immigrated to the U.S. by boats and settled there. One day when one of her grandchildren planted the seed, the grandmother - although sad at first - was delighted to see the seed grew into a beautiful lotus blossom, the flower of her country.
This story tackled on the topics on Vietnamese history and immigration. The illustrations were beautifully drawn, depicting accurate images of the famous "ao dai" and the characters' facial expressions. The lotus flower, just as mentioned in the book, is a flower of Vietnam. When I was young, I read countless stories about this flower, and reading another one now (in English) made me miss my home country. So, the plot of this book regarding the lotus flower gave the readers a quick insight into the cultures of Vietnam. Additionally, the text were very easy to read and understand, and there was not any bias towards the specific culture. I also loved the author's note at the end (and I recommend everyone to read it) because it really complements the storyline. Furthermore, it gave a generous amount of information and history lessons about Vietnam. Students would be able to learn a lot from just that one page! Overall, I think that this would be an awesome book to read during a read-aloud; the students will have lots to learn after the book is finished!
This story tackled on the topics on Vietnamese history and immigration. The illustrations were beautifully drawn, depicting accurate images of the famous "ao dai" and the characters' facial expressions. The lotus flower, just as mentioned in the book, is a flower of Vietnam. When I was young, I read countless stories about this flower, and reading another one now (in English) made me miss my home country. So, the plot of this book regarding the lotus flower gave the readers a quick insight into the cultures of Vietnam. Additionally, the text were very easy to read and understand, and there was not any bias towards the specific culture. I also loved the author's note at the end (and I recommend everyone to read it) because it really complements the storyline. Furthermore, it gave a generous amount of information and history lessons about Vietnam. Students would be able to learn a lot from just that one page! Overall, I think that this would be an awesome book to read during a read-aloud; the students will have lots to learn after the book is finished!
March 19, 2018
Garland, Sherry. (1993). The Lotus Seed. New York: Harcourt Brace & Company.
This book as a beautiful historical fiction text about a grandmother's story of growing up and moving to a strange, new country with a new language, and a new life. The story follows the grandmother and her experiences with a lotus seed that has gotten her through all of her hard times. It is truly heartwarming, and you get to see the granddaughter cherish the seed, just like her grandmother.
Text-dependent questions:
1. What are some hard times the grandmother experienced with the lotus seed?
2. What happens to the seed?
3. Why does the grandmother collect the seed, in the first place?
This book as a beautiful historical fiction text about a grandmother's story of growing up and moving to a strange, new country with a new language, and a new life. The story follows the grandmother and her experiences with a lotus seed that has gotten her through all of her hard times. It is truly heartwarming, and you get to see the granddaughter cherish the seed, just like her grandmother.
Text-dependent questions:
1. What are some hard times the grandmother experienced with the lotus seed?
2. What happens to the seed?
3. Why does the grandmother collect the seed, in the first place?
November 20, 2013
A young girl is the narrator of the book and begins the story by discussing the day her grandmother Ba saw the emperor cry. That day the grandmother took a lotus seed to remember the emperor by and the narrator begins to describe the night her grandmother was taken from her land and brought to the Unites States. Even in the craziest of moments, the grandmother held on to the lotus seed. The grandmother and her children were taken to work in a sweatshop for the rest of their lives. One night the narrator’s brother took his grandmother’s lotus seed and planted it in the ground to see the lotus bloom. The grandmother was devastated, but one day the flower bloomed and the grandmother gave each of the children a seed. The narrator said that she too would keep her seed safe to remember her grandmother and to one day give her children a seed and tell them the story of the day her grandmother saw the emperor cry.
The author and illustrator did an amazing job with the wording and pictures presented in the book. Both the words and illustrations made the reader feel the character’s emotions and the devastation the grandmother felt when she lost her seed. Although the plot describes an accurate time in history when people from out of the country were brought in to work as laborers, that was really the only historical reference. It would have been beneficial to the reader if the author had described more about the historical event.
The author and illustrator did an amazing job with the wording and pictures presented in the book. Both the words and illustrations made the reader feel the character’s emotions and the devastation the grandmother felt when she lost her seed. Although the plot describes an accurate time in history when people from out of the country were brought in to work as laborers, that was really the only historical reference. It would have been beneficial to the reader if the author had described more about the historical event.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 4, 2017
The Lotus Seed is a touching book about a girl who has to leave Vietnam and takes a lotus seed with her. When she arrives in a new country, she starts her new life with her family and holds on to the lotus seed as a token of good luck. The young girl eventually gets married and has her own kids, and one day, the seed goes missing, but it is eventually found where the grandson left it in the mud. When it is found, it is blossomed into a beautiful lotus flower. The woman, who is know a grandmother gives each of her grandchildren a seed and the woman keeps a seed for herself.
This was a great book to use with my students to talk about theme. I use this book to talk about theme and to also work on summarizing, as there are a lot of important details and parts that we need to sequence. My students really enjoyed this book!
This was a great book to use with my students to talk about theme. I use this book to talk about theme and to also work on summarizing, as there are a lot of important details and parts that we need to sequence. My students really enjoyed this book!
October 29, 2014
The book talks about a girl who wraps a lotus seed in some silk to remember the death of the emperor of Vietnam. When she was forced to leave her homeland, she held on to the seed and traveled through a boat on a stormy night. She arrived on new land that had traveling cars and tall buildings which would describe as landing in the United States. She and her family lived in a house and she kept the lotus seed within the family altar until her seed was all of a sudden gone. She was depressed and then she found a pink lotus flower grown in the yard. It brought her joy and she gave seeds to her children in remembrance of the emperor of Vietnam. The story was very emotional and the lotus flower that grew symbolized hope and that the girl would live a great and happy lifestyle. The book was very interesting to read and the illustrations were done real well in accordance with the plot of the story. I would definitely recommend teachers to read this to their students so that kids will understand how a certain and special thing such as the lotus seed can bring hope and joy within a person's life and the story brought together a very happy ending.
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March 22, 2015 The Lotus Seed, written by Sherry Garland is set in Vietnam. However when the young girl is forced to leave Vietnam because it is no longer safe, she carried a lotus seed along with her. The lotus seed is symbolism of her homeland. The lotus seed then is passed down to her grandson, who then plants it and it blooms. The seed in this book is a symbol of good luck, long life, and many children. This book shows a great perspective of the Vietnamese culture.
The illustrations in this book are very simple. However I think that is the point, because the story is more powerful than the pictures. The illustrations are painted with dull colors. Although the paintings are dull the illustrator makes it a point to make the lotus flower noticed by using bright colors. The illustrations cover one page while the text takes up the other.
The text is simple. Although it is simple some of the story is written in a different language, and may be hard to read for beginners. This is a very serious book. No fun is to be had when reading. I find this a great book to read to a class to make them understand hardships.
The illustrations in this book are very simple. However I think that is the point, because the story is more powerful than the pictures. The illustrations are painted with dull colors. Although the paintings are dull the illustrator makes it a point to make the lotus flower noticed by using bright colors. The illustrations cover one page while the text takes up the other.
The text is simple. Although it is simple some of the story is written in a different language, and may be hard to read for beginners. This is a very serious book. No fun is to be had when reading. I find this a great book to read to a class to make them understand hardships.
April 18, 2016
The Lotus Seed by Sherry Garland was a great book with a powerful message. Forced to leave Vietnam with very little belongings, a girl decides to bring a lotus seed with her to America. It is a symbol of her homeland that brings her peace of mind. After some time, a young boy plants the lotus seed making the family very upset that the seed is no longer with them. Shortly after, the Lotus flower blooms and everyone is happy and reminded of their home. When the seeds of the Lotus appear again, everyone in the family gets one to remind them of their grandmother. I thought this story was a great reminder of how hard it is to be taken out of your home and forced into something completely new. The power of one small seed got the family through an extremely tough time. The story was very easy to read and it flowed very well. The artwork was done in oil and alkyd colors. I thought the paintings were a great assets to the story, adding a very real effect to the writing. Overall it was a great book and I would definitely read this to my classroom!
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November 19, 2013This book was my favorite one of this week. The oil paintings were a combination of dull and vibrant colors. The dull colors took place when the main character was unhappy and the vibrant colors were used when she was happier. I liked the story dealing with the woman and the lotus seed which meant so much to her. I felt like this one had more emotion than the other two that I had read. Even after the war and her relocating to the United States for a better life, she kept the seed for so many years. I thought it was so sad when the little boy had planted it. I could almost feel the woman's pain, because I know I would be really upset if one of my prized belongings disappeared too.
I found that the lotus seed had very many different meanings. It was a sign of the love she had for the emperor. It was also a remembrance of her land in Vietnam, because she was moving to the United States and would probably never go back.
I found that the lotus seed had very many different meanings. It was a sign of the love she had for the emperor. It was also a remembrance of her land in Vietnam, because she was moving to the United States and would probably never go back.
July 12, 2012
This is a simple yet powerful story about the fall of vietnam and a women who had to leave everything behind. The only thing left from her homeland that she cared the most about was a simple seed. The seed travels with her to America, the fast paced world, where she has a family and the family grows and one day her grandson plants the seed. This upsets the grandma, but in the end the seed blooms and you see the true beauty of the history behind the seed and the traditions and culture of vietnam.
May 28, 2014
I remember being read this in elementary school, and being so enchanted by the idea of a lotus seed growing into a symbol of hope and life.
Now that I've reread it years later, it's still powerful. You could easily incorporate this into a lesson on refugees, though you'd have to be very sensitive. Working with children who have fled countries because of war, I know it's a very difficult subject for them to digest. This book, though, is delicately done, and offers a promise of renewal in a place far away from home.
Now that I've reread it years later, it's still powerful. You could easily incorporate this into a lesson on refugees, though you'd have to be very sensitive. Working with children who have fled countries because of war, I know it's a very difficult subject for them to digest. This book, though, is delicately done, and offers a promise of renewal in a place far away from home.
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April 27, 2015This is great book. I liked how the flower represented hope for the family and remembrance of the emperor and her homeland. This teaches children of their past history which they can past down to their children. A women was forced to flee from her home and the only thing she took was her children and the lotus seed. Years later, her grandson took the lotus flower and planted somewhere in the yard and she thinks all is lost. One day the lotus flower blossom which reminds her of home and gives her grandchildren something to remember her by.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 148 reviews