The Lotus Seed

Author:  Sherry Garland

Genre:  Multicultural and International Literature

This story is about a girl from Vietnam who had to leave her country and go to the United States.  She took a lotus pod seed to remember the Emperor.  She would always take out the seed when she felt sad and lonely and thought about the brave young Emperor.  When she married the man her parents picked for her, she carried the seed with her.  Throughout this story she is going through a lot of changes in her life and she always carries the seed with her.  She has children and grandchildren.  One of her grandsons steals the seed and plants it in their yard.  The grandmother is so upset and cries until the day the lotus plant grows.  She gives the seeds to all her grandchildren and keeps one.  The granddaughter who is narrating the story puts her seed in a special hiding place.  She said she would plant it someday and give the seeds to her children and tell them the story of her grandmother.

I would read aloud the book.  This book can be used to learn about the Vietnamese culture and compare it to it the United States.  I would have the students chart the differences and similarities including traditional Vietnamese dress; transportation, holidays and food.  We would talk about dragons and what those stand for in Asian countries.  I would bring in chop sticks and peanuts and have the students use the chop sticks to try to pick up the peanut to eat so they could experience that way of eating their food.  I would also use this book to describe what symbolism is.  The lotus seed, for instance, and go over what my class thinks it stands for.  Freedom?  Pride?  Courage?  Strength?   I would have the students draw their symbolism of what the lotus seed stands for and display those on the wall.