Little Pear: The Story Of A Little Chinese Boy

by Eleanor Frances Lattimore

Little Pear is a young boy who lives in a small village in China. Although his story takes place long ago, he is much like any little boy today--always on the lookout for excitement and adventure!

Little Pear is just looking for fun, but he has a knack for finding trouble without even trying! Join him as he stows away to the fair in a wheelbarrow full of vegetables, nearly flies away on a kite, has a mishap with a firecracker, and is rescued from the river by a houseboat family.

Genres: Fiction, Childrens, Historical Fiction, China, Asia, Chapter Books, School

106 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1931

About the author

Lattimore was an American author and illustrator born in what was called the American Compound in Shanghai and raised in China where her father, David Lattimore, taught English at a Chinese government university.
Lattimore came to the United States and studied art in Oakland, California, Boston, and New York City and worked for several years as a freelance artist. She became known as the author and illustrator of more than fifty popular children's books; her first book, Little Pear, is considered a children's classic.

Reviews

[Calista · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story about a family growing up in China and the little boy named Little Pear who is always getting into trouble. It's a Chinese version of Judy Blume's Superfudge set in China. The story is simple and has it's own charm. I think 6 and 7 year olds will still enjoy these stories. It is a window into another time and culture.

[Carrie Brownell · Rating 4 out of 5]

We read this book aloud as a family and liked it to varying degrees. The author grew up in China and wrote this book as part of her reflections and experiences living there. This is a very cute story about a mischievous little boy who gets into all sorts of scrapes and struggles but has amazing adventures too. Much loved by his family, they have plenty of reason to worry when he doesn't show up for dinner! My eight year old loved the book enough to want to pick up the sequel which he is reading on his own.

Recommended for a quick and easy read aloud. Likely to prompt conversation about social issues. Note that our family is comprised of adopted kids of Asian decent as well as bio children. We didn't come across anything that was offensive and we talked about how the author's perspective was clearly respectful as she grew up in an Asian culture and clearly enjoyed her time there.

[Jazzy Lemon · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a child I was captivated by the stories of Little Pear, a mischievous Chinese boy, and read all the books, which are now, sadly, much more difficult to find.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely vintage... today's parents would not let their children have so much freedom. And the girls were much more in the background & more domestic, with no way for a child reader to know if that's representative of the time, the culture, or that family.

However, it's a fun read, still relevant and valuable, and most of all amusing, to modern families.
Surprisingly culturally friendly: Little Pear is first a bold, impulsive, loving & lovable little boy, second he is from a small Chinese village of about a century ago... and nothing strikes me as racist or stereotypical or derogatory at all. I also enjoyed the sequel and will copy this review there.

Borrowed both from open library.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let's just say this. The day when John Eric could read well enough to read this book, it was a Great Honor to put it into his hands. :) If you love children's books and have never seen this, PLEASE go find it.

[Bo · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable short chapter book, about a boy in China who gets into mischief and has adventures. Would make a good read-aloud, or alternatively, a book for early readers who are advancing into chapter books.

Gives perspective of the difference of a young boy growing up in China, and yet, the similarities to a young boy in other cultures.

Luck and good-luck charms mentioned several times, but that is a very real part of Chinese culture.

[AmyintheWind · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was our Sonlight read-aloud for the last few weeks. The book is filled with the silly and mischievous adventures of a Chinese boy named Little Pear. Each chapter is a new adventure, and, in spite of how mischievous Little Pear is and how much trouble he gets into, his family loves him and is always just relieved and happy that he made it home ok. I appreciated that the family wasn't punitive. This book showed the very positive side of the way the Chinese treasure their children.

I must add that this read-aloud immediately followed Gladys Aylward on our reading schedule, and it was such a relief to read something light and fun after such a serious book.

[Kate Willis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was actually really cute. 😂

[Myersandburnsie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A re-read. I read aloud the Beatrice who just loved sweet Little Pear. A great introduction to global cultures.

[Bea Manuel · Rating 4 out of 5]

My little boys enjoyed the story of Little Pear by Eleanor Frances Lattimore⁠
⁠
They can relate to Little Pear's mischievous ways but Grey Wolf said HE is too extreme in a lot of ways like when he ran away, hid in his father's wheelbarrow full of vegetables so he can go to the fair, ate the green pear, and fell into the river and almost got drowned⁠
⁠
Yes, he is a "naughty boy" who loves excitement and adventures but in the end, he realized that he is a "big boy" already; he decided to good (which is great!)⁠
⁠
WHAT WE LOVE ABOUT THE BOOK⁠
1️⃣ We DISCOVER a lot about Chinese Culture:⁠
- the games, they played a long time ago such as shuttlecock, wooden skates, spinning wooden top, and kites.⁠
- the importance of New Year and family gathering⁠
- "tang-hulur" or candied fruit lollipop⁠
- what are the means of livelihood during the olden times⁠
- the friendship of Little Pear and Big Head⁠
- their clothing and houses⁠
2️⃣ The book is SHORT BUT RICH in the cultural details of the CHINESE, it highlighted the importance of GOOD CHARACTER, FRIENDSHIP, and FAMILY VALUES, and everybody CAN CHANGE for the better.⁠
⁠
📖 Excerpt from the book:⁠
"We all loved you very much you were naughty," they said, "but we shall love you even more if you are good."⁠
"I will always be a good boy now," Little Pear promised, nodding his head very hard. Ergu looked at her small brother and suddenly felt rather sad.⁠
"Little Pear is growing up," she said.⁠
- page 106⁠

[Ebookwormy1 · Rating 1 out of 5]

i was disappointed. I really wanted to like a book set in China that illuminates cultural differences for children. Little Pear is a handful, but I found the stories a bit disturbing.

He goes to the city when he knows he is not to, and a nice man helps him home (glad he found a nice one!). His mother's response is: "Ay-ah! He was very naughty, but I am so glad to have him back that we shall not spank him this time." pg 25

He treats his best friend rather ungraciously. He disobeys, lights a firecracker and burns his brand new outfit. His mother's response is: "Oh Little Pear, what a bad boy you are! But I am glad that it is only your jacket that is hurt, and not you. Firecrackers are very dangerous, and you must never, never, light one again! At least, not until you are a very big boy." And then she sews up his jacket and the spot isn't even noticeable.

The Top and Tang-huler story was cleverly resolved, but after the firecrakers, we were done. It appears Little Pear is to raise himself. I wasn't frustrated at his mischief, but at his mother's complete negligence in helping him mature or understand his world. Maybe I'm just to tired this week, but we only made it half way through and I put it on the 'to sell' pile.

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I LOVED it and it was so funny. One of the things that was so funny is that Little Pear hid in the vegetables and got to go to the fair. Another funny thing is that some people are all bald, and they only have a patch of hair. It was funny because one had only a little strip of hair on his forehead. It was funny how Little Pear lit the firecracker, because he told everyone to stand back, but he didn't, and he burnt a hole in his jacket. China sounds cool and I want a tanghuler but my mom says they don't taste good. I went to China but some people say it doesn't count because I was in my mom's tummy." -- Joshua, age 6 1/2

[Jeni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Drawn by an old set of vintage covers, I plucked this book set off the shelf at our children's library. I read the original version handsomely illustrated by the author(highly recommend.) Each chapter is its' own curious mischievous adventure of a young Chinese boy named Little Pear. The author takes us through life in China through the eyes of a little boy. My children and I fell in love with these stories. This is the perfect book series to read aloud. The author's story telling has a beautiful sing songiness too it that I miss amongst so much of today's more edginess that is so common in children's novels today.

[KingdomReader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book!
Its so very..... cute? I think thats the word I'm looking for!
This book is perfect for all ages and its clean!
No cursing, sex, gore, etc.
LOVE IT!!!!!

~KingdomReader
http://www.KingdomReader.Wordpress.com

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet, episodic story, but largely forgettable when pitted against all the other amazing books we read for school. I liked the exposure to a different culture and LOVED his big sister. But a year later, I'm not sure the girls remember we read it at all...

[Olivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute and fun read! Great way for curious minds to learn about Chinese culture. Unique little novel!

[Claire Kizziah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. I like the setting of the book which was in China. It was easy to read and a quick book to read, too. I only had one problem. But over all, it was a great and fun book to read. I recommend it to you if you are beginning to read, or if you want to read a short and easy book.

[Julia Koehn · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book may be fine for a read aloud, but it was pretty boring in my opinion.

[Rachael Marsceau · Rating 4 out of 5]

So cute! Loved the simple illustrations, and Peter and I got several laughs out of Little Pear's antics.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short, sweet, simple stories. Little Pear gets himself into some humorous adventures. An entertaining read aloud for my kiddos.

[Elisha Bronner · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ehhhh. Read this book before putting it on my classroom bookshelf for my 3rd graders. Hopefully the kids will enjoy it more than I did. The stories felt random and disconnected, and not as engaging and I anticipated. A few towards the end made me laugh slightly, but other than that.. underwhelmed.

[Mike Conroy · Rating 3 out of 5]

My 6 and 9 year olds loved it! Quite enjoyable, little book.

[H. Z. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A humorous story about a mischievous little kid... we were all like that once.

[Karen Whitehead · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always delightful.

[Jamey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Little Pear is the story of a young Chinese boy, and all the mischief he gets into. The author, Eleanor Frances Lattimore, grew up in China, so this book and many of her others are based on what she experienced there.

[Elsa K · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute, silly read aloud. My boys enjoyed hearing about Chinese culture, but it was a lot about Little Pear getting into trouble. Short chapters and some illustrations. The boys also thought it was hilarious that Little Pear's best friend is named Big Head. :)

[Natasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 4 and 5 year old couldn't get enough of this book! We finished the 9 short chapters in 3 days, almost every page illustrated by the author. It was a fascinating look into Chinese culture. My least favorite part was how often they referred to Little Pear as naughty or "a bad boy", not that what he had done was naughty or bad, and because I was reading-aloud I was able to quickly re-word several sentences, as well a couple references to a good-luck chain. I personally did not have a problem with Little Pear far-off adventures, which I'm sure was fairly accurate for those times, when parents had to work to survive and did not consider it their responsibility to entertain their children (even if they had had time) and expected them to use their commen sense. I would love to find the other books in the series, if possible. Excellent.

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! Even though it takes place in a little Chinese village, it captures so well the way boys are! Little Pear reminds me of my Calvin, looking for adventure and finding some trouble along the way. As I read the book with my boys, I find myself repeatedly saying, "Please don't do this yourself!" But I also find us all laughing hysterically. This is one of my feel-good books.

[James Tetley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read to my son as part of his homeschool curriculum. Quaint stories set in China about Little Pear and his misadventures - (which mainly involved running away from home) - the finale is a resolve to never do this again. Its hard to work out whether the morale of the book is have fun whilst you are still young, or beware of the consequences. Good but not gripping.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story about a lovable and mischievous youngest son in a family in China. Many cute misadventures that would have most of us calling 911 about in today's world. Made my 6-year old laugh out loud and talk about Little Pear incessantly.