Q&A with Linda Sue Park

   I recently sat down with Linda Sue Park to talk about two of her most recent books: Tap Dancing on the Roof: sijo (poems) and Keeping Score. What appears at first to be a departure from her previous works is actually more of a continuum that presents Korean history and culture. Granted, teachers do not expect to find Linda Sue Park in the poetry section. But there she is with an engaging collection that introduces us to a Korean form of poetry. And just in time for Major League Baseball’s Opening Day, we are given a book for all seasons.

Q: Why a book of poetry?

A: While it may seem strange for the Newbery Award-winning author of A Single Shard and the acclaimed My Name is Keoko to write a book of poetry, it was just a natural thing for Linda Sue to do. She began writing poetry as a child. She studied poetry and wrote it all through college. Ever a poetry fan, she still reads it today. Linda Sue says, “When I finish a novel, I often write poetry. I discovered this Korean poetry form while researching my historical novels. I read what poems were available in English – there aren’t many – and then I began to experiment about eight or nine years ago.”

   This is, essentially, a return to Linda Sue’s roots. Poetry was her first love. “Studying poetry was so beneficial to writing fiction. There is a discipline that comes from writing poetry: the economy of text; the careful choice of words and phrasing,” she says. She approaches the writing of her novels in the same way. It is not by accident that reviewers always remark on the eloquence of her stories.

Q: You make the poetic form appear so easy to follow. Is it difficult to write sijo?

A: “I wrote over 100 poems. Some are not very good. 28 made it into the book. The collection is almost the same as that which I first sent to my editor. Of the originals, she weeded out a couple and I weeded out a couple and then created a few more,” states Linda Sue. “I hope that teachers who are tired of Haiku will have their students write Sijo,” she continues. And I hope that teachers who love Haiku will branch out and try something new. While academics might find issue with my approach for young people, I feel strongly that providing the simplest structure possible is in order to encourage students to write. It is the old issue of accuracy vs. accessibility. What works in the Korean language cannot always be easily translated into English.” She offers tips on writing this type of poem in the back matter of the book.

Q: What are some of your favorites in Tap Dancing on the Roof: sijo (poems)?

A: Linda Sue mentioned these right away:
      “Breakfast”    “Pockets”    “Vanishing Act”    “Summer Storm”

   She commented that when she read “Vanishing Act” to fourth graders but did not show them the illustrations they didn’t “get it.” It worked with sixth graders but it took them a moment to understand the last line. The illustrations allow you to “see” the last line.

   Isn’t this what poetry should do? It should help us see ordinary things in a new light; help us to see the extraordinary in the ordinary.

Q: How was the illustrator chosen?

A: “I sold this collection in 2001. The process of finding the right illustrator took a long time. It had to be someone with the right spirit for the poems and someone who was also available. Istvan Banyai was actually quite busy at the time he was approached. He read the poems, loved them and said he would do the illustrations right away. While it seems as if it took forever to get this in final book form, it was worth the wait. I am very happy with the result,” says a smiling Linda Sue. Indeed, Banyai’s illustrations capture the humor and nuances of the poems. Page design and additional intriguing images in a minimalist style add a new dimension to the vivid images of the sijo.

Q: What do you think about having children memorize poems?

A: “Committing a couple poems to memory gives children an intimate relationship with language that is hard to get otherwise. Think about the songs you learned in childhood. They stay with you your entire life. The same is true with a poem. The rhyme, meter and sound all become a part of you. And the nice thing about sijo? It’s short!” adds Linda Sue, giving a plug to her collection.

   She tells students that reading is essential: “It is very important to get all those words in your head so you can select just the ones you need when you talk or write.”

   Keeping Score is a coming-of-age story about a baseball-loving girl who learns that, as hard as we try, we cannot control everything in our lives. It just so happens that the story is set during the time of the Korean War and the fabulous baseball years of Willie Mays and Jackie Robinson.

   It certainly brought back lots of memories for me of New York Giant baseball games on the radio, my father’s passion for baseball, and how my mother became an avid fan. Indeed, diehard baseball fans, from 9 to 90 will become entranced in the play-by-play action of these crucial games. Some will discover these games for the first time; others will relive the history. Those who are not sports fans will find in Maggie a warm-hearted, well-rounded character with whom they can identify. It is a fine introduction to a war that is not often presented in children’s books.

Q: Why is the main character a girl when the book has so much baseball in it?

A: Linda Sue said, “Ed Emberley once created a book dedication that said something to the extent of: to the child I was – the book I could never find. I was a girl who loved baseball but I couldn’t care less about playing it. In her love of baseball, Maggie is just like me.”

Q: What is your favorite baseball team?

A: Says Linda Sue, “I grew up in Chicago where I was a die-hard Cubs fan. In fact, that was when I learned to keep score. In 1969, the Mets defeated the Cubs for the division title. Being a rabid CUBS fan--I HATED the Mets!! As we all know, life takes some funny little turns. I am *now* a Mets fan, but it took twenty-five years to get over what they did to me in 1969!”

Q: Why did you write about baseball in New York in the 1950s?

A: “From 1947 to 1957 there was almost no competition with other sports. Baseball was America’s game. African Americans began playing in the major leagues and changed the game forever. Almost every year during this time a New York City team won the World Series. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, I saw Willie Mays play. He was always at the top of the list of players whom I would have liked to see play in their prime. And he began his career in the 1950s, which of course coincided with the Korean War. That's why this novel takes place between 1951 and 1954.”

Q: Which means Maggie goes from age 9 (going on 10) to 12 (going on 13)?

A: “Yes. My young protagonist has to age through the story, which is very difficult to do,” Linda Sue states. Although it is difficult, she has successfully done so in her previous novels, A Single Shard and My Name is Keoko. And she says with a laugh, “It is the reason Archer’s Quest is set in an afternoon!”

Q: How did the Korean War become such an integral part of this story?

A: Linda Sue says, “I knew that someday I wanted to write a book about the Korean War. In 2000 I read about the tragedy at the bridge at No Gun Ri in which South Korean civilians were killed. I thought that I would write a book about a kid who was under the bridge and survived. Then came the Iraq War. I became frustrated by the lack of real information available to the public about the war and I wondered what was really going on. I then realized that it must have been even more difficult to get information during the Korean War. It was then that these two strands, baseball and the Korean conflict, suddenly came together. I decided I would ‘keep score’ of the Korean War.”

Q: Why did you include the maps of Korea in the book?

A: With the help of several maps, Linda Sue explains the movement of the lines of demarcation between North and South Korea. “It becomes obvious that after 4 years of the Korean conflict, the line stayed essentially the same at the end as when the conflict began. It is a stark way of comprehending the futility of war,” Linda Sue remarked.

   “As you read the book you will notice that there are some maps that are two to a page and some that stand alone. I asked for that particular placement so the readers could compare those that are two to a page and concentrate on the maps, the timeframes, and the actions of those that are individually listed,” Linda Sue continues.

   Between the maps and the captions, Linda Sue presents the war in a very comprehensible way. Linda Sue wanted to make sure the readers did not miss the Epilogue. Her wishes were respected and it is across from the last page of the story.

Q: There is much to discuss in Keeping Score beyond baseball and war. Another strand to this story presents an interesting question: Maggie is a die-hard Brooklyn Dodgers fan. Under what circumstances would she ever pray for the arch-rival NY Giants to win the pennant?

A: Linda Sue says, “I knew it had to be something quite terrible. With a bit of poetic license I changed the date of the Bridge incident to fit my novel.”

   By the way, you can also begin a booktalk asking your readers if there is ever a circumstance when they would hope the team they hate the most will win the World Series/ Superbowl, etc.

   When you ask authors which of their books is their favorite, they often say the next one, or they cannot choose among them... or they are like having children: each is a favorite in its own way. Not so with Linda Sue. I didn’t even ask this question. Linda Sue, just blurted out, “Of all the books I have written, this is my favorite. This is the book I would have loved to have had as a child.”

Q: Who do you see as the audience for Keeping Score?

A: Linda Sue says, “I see this as more than a baseball or war book. I hope children who love baseball and those who don’t will like it. As a coming of age story, I think many children can identify with Maggie and her superstitious attempts to influence life’s big and small events. I do hope that adult baseball fans will read it, too.”

Linda Sue shared with me a couple interesting facts that you might want to share with your readers when you booktalk Keeping Score:
   The font used for the chapter numbers is the same font used by the Los Angeles Dodgers on their uniforms.
   Linda Sue created the scoring cards for the end papers. Just like in the book Bobby Thompson’s homerun is missing. You will need to read the book to find out why.

Contributor: Sharon Salluzzo

To link to an earlier feature about the author, click here.

Find out more about Linda Sue Park and her books at www.lindasuepark.com

Reviews

Keeping Score
Linda Sue Park
   More than anything in the world, nine year old Maggie wants the Brooklyn Dodgers to win a world series. The men at her dad’s old firehouse are big Dodger fans and Maggie had spent so much time there listening to the games on the radio that it became her team as well. The new fireman, Jim, is a NY Giants fan. He taught Maggie how to keep score during the games. When Jim leaves to fight in the Korean War, Maggie promises him she will continue with the score books. Maggie looks forward to receiving Jim’s letters, and is saddened when they stop. She becomes curious about the Korean War and keeps track of who is winning by drawing maps. Her frustration grows until her father tells her about the horrible event that has left Jim with what we now call post-traumatic stress disorder. Maggie is determined to help Jim recover, even to the point of wishing that the Giants will win the World Series. Although her grand idea does not work the way she had planned, she learns that hard work and hope can make a difference. Avid baseball fans will appreciate the play-by-play of the historic games between the Giants and the Dodgers in the 1950s. The captions under Park’s maps give a simplified account of the events of the Korean War, thus providing a fine introduction for readers who might otherwise be unfamiliar with it. Park’s usual smoothly elegant writing style, her spunky heroine, other well-drawn characters, and the multiple plot strands give the reader a fascinating glimpse into the past and a story that is as fresh as today’s news. 2008, Clarion Books, Ages 9 to 12, $16.00. Reviewer: Sharon Salluzzo
ISBN: 978-0-618-92799-9

Tap Dancing on the Roof : Sijo (poems)
Linda Sue Park
Pictures by Istvan Banyai
   Sijo poetry traces its roots back to Korea in the 15th century and beyond. Similar to Japanese haiku verse, sijo differs in that it has a slightly varied structure, is not solely focused on nature, and often has a surprise ending. In this book Newberry Award winning author Linda Sue Park takes the sijo style and applies it to everyday moments that many children can identify with. Subjects such as lunch at school, beachcombing, and watching the fall leaves scatter in the wind all come to life in this concise poetic form. In addition Park adds a touch of both humor and pathos to her words in a way that will leave readers, young and old, thinking about what they have read long after the slim book is finished and put on a cozy bookshelf. Time and again these little poems tickle the foot of memory to elicit a laugh or a sigh. In addition the illustrations of award-winning artist Istvan Banyai help establish and maintain an atmosphere of wonder that augments the words on the page. Tap Dancing on the Roof introduces readers to a form of poetry that is uncommon and which some of them may wish to experiment with. Further, Linda Sue Park has crafted a small collection of gems in the form of sijo poems that will touch and engage her readers for years to come. 2007, Clarion Books/Houghton, $ 16.00. Ages 8 to 14. Reviewer: Greg M. Romaneck (Children's Literature)

   Park meets the challenge of the traditional Korean poetic form of sijo in more than two dozen carefully and cleverly fashioned verses. For those tired of haiku, these are a real treat. The author clearly explains the form: sijo are usually three lines, each fourteen to sixteen syllables and each with a special purpose. The subjects of the poems are not limited to nature, like haiku, but range from “Breakfast” and “Long Division” to weather, creatures, and sports. Rhymes are optional. Banyai’s digitally-executed illustrations add considerably to the enjoyment. The endpapers echo some early black and white cartoons. In the beginning, a young ink-covered boy falls into an inkwell, supplying ink. At the end, he satisfies his curiosity by dumping the ink out and covering himself with it. The line drawings that accompany each sijo have touches of color but their charm is in the depicted action with no settings needed. A youngster with attached wings seeks pollen in a purple blossom; another stretches his waistband to accommodate more Thanksgiving turkey. Historic background, a bibliography, and tips for aspiring sijo writers are included. 2007, Clarion Books/Houghton Mifflin, $16.00. Ages 8 to Adult. Reviewer: Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz (Children's Literature)
Best Books:
   Booklist Book Review Stars , Dec. 1, 2007; United States
   Horn Book Fanfare, 2007; United States
   Kirkus Book Review Stars, September 1, 2007; United States
   Notable Children's Books, 2008; ALSC American Library Association; United States
   School Library Journal Book Review Stars, November 2007; Cahners; United States
ISBN: 978-0-618-23483-7
ISBN: 0-618-23483-7

Added 3/27/08

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