Dear Juno by Soyung Pak

 

Juno is a child keeping in touch with his grandmother, who lives in Korea. There is a language barrier, as Juno cannot read Korean, but it does not stop Juno and his grandmother from connecting over hand-drawn pictures, photographs, and beautiful dried flowers. The bond they share goes beyond language and is held together by genuine love and a desire to share their life with each other.

This is a very heartwarming book in its simplicity. It is a story about a boy and his grandmother writing each other letters, but it speaks of cultural differences and things that could have been lost in translation. However, they never were. 

How I'd Use This Book In A Classroom:

A bond can transcend unique backgrounds, cultural differences, and language. I'd explain to my students that no matter where a person comes from, if you want to connect with them and be their friend, you can. I'd have them write letters to a loved one; it can be to someone different than them, but it should just be to someone they love. The age range is perfect (3-7) because young students' writing skills are still developing, so it would be ideal for them to include hand-drawn pictures and tangible things like dried flowers in their letters to express things they might not yet be able to say.