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Peacebound Trains
While her mother is in the army, Sumi is living with her grandmother, on East Blossom Hill. Perched on her favorite rock, Sumi watches trains wind through the valley below, hears the lonely sound of their whistles piercing the air, and longs for the day her mother will return. The train whistle reminds Sumi's grandmother of a time when a train played an important role in her life too: long ago in Korea, when she and her family escaped Seoul at the last moment before the war came. In poetic language and exquisite paintings, PEACEBOUND TRAINS evokes the landscape and people of Korea and a special grandmother-granddaughter relationship.
48 pages, Paperback
First published August 16, 1996
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
January 13, 2009
A grandmother relates to her granddaughter the story of how she and her children escaped the Communists during the Korean War. It was touching and sad. There are few children's books set during the Korean War, and this one is based on the author's grandmother's experiences. Highly recommended.
January 10, 2017
Beautifully written and illustrated, this is a frame story of a grandmother telling her granddaughter about the Korean War. My children and I cried our way threw this short, but powerful chapter book.
July 20, 2012
Re-read alongside my daughter. It is a beautifully written book, by a dear friend, with wonderful illustrations. I cannot recommend it strongly enough.
March 25, 2011
c. 1996
i. Chris K. Soentpiet
About a family moving to Pusan after an invasion by North Koreans. The illustration is authentic and beautiful. Sumi lives with her Harmuny yearns for her mom who is off the war as a soldier. Harmuny tells Sumi about how her life back in the days with Harabujy who decided to stay behind to fight for the country and never returned.
"But right now, I want her to be my mother and nothing else. I want her to be home, singing "Happy Birthday" to me in half Korean, half ENglish. I long to hear her voice..."
On 6.25, 1950 N.Korean Communist troops invaded non-Communist S.Korea. The following winter, the roof of a peacebound train carried my grandmother, Kim Chun Som, and her three young children(one of whom was Haemi's mother) to safety.On July 27, 1953 a cease-fire was negotiated. After the war, American troops remained in South to ensure.
Info. on Balgassi: Bron in Seoul, immigrated to the U.S when she was 7.
*Yuh-bo (YUH'bo) a term of endearment husbands and wives use for each other.
i. Chris K. Soentpiet
About a family moving to Pusan after an invasion by North Koreans. The illustration is authentic and beautiful. Sumi lives with her Harmuny yearns for her mom who is off the war as a soldier. Harmuny tells Sumi about how her life back in the days with Harabujy who decided to stay behind to fight for the country and never returned.
"But right now, I want her to be my mother and nothing else. I want her to be home, singing "Happy Birthday" to me in half Korean, half ENglish. I long to hear her voice..."
On 6.25, 1950 N.Korean Communist troops invaded non-Communist S.Korea. The following winter, the roof of a peacebound train carried my grandmother, Kim Chun Som, and her three young children(one of whom was Haemi's mother) to safety.On July 27, 1953 a cease-fire was negotiated. After the war, American troops remained in South to ensure.
Info. on Balgassi: Bron in Seoul, immigrated to the U.S when she was 7.
*Yuh-bo (YUH'bo) a term of endearment husbands and wives use for each other.
April 9, 2015
1. Summary
This is the story of a little girl named Sumi. She lives in the United States with her grandmother and her mother, who has gone off to the army. Sumi is always lonely for her mother and watches the trains go by to pass the time. Her strong Korean roots tell a story of the korean war and how her family escaped communism in the Korean War.
2. Connections
This book is a heratage book. It tells the importance of strong roots and family. This book would be considered a historical fiction book because it tells a story of a historical event. It is fiction, though, because it is told by realistic but made-up charicters.
3. I thought this was a powerful story. It was imformaative because none of us really know too much about the korean war. It was really long, though, so i would not ever reccomend reading it to a classroom full of young children. The writing style and everything is pretty complex. I would reccomend this book for ages 10-15.
This is the story of a little girl named Sumi. She lives in the United States with her grandmother and her mother, who has gone off to the army. Sumi is always lonely for her mother and watches the trains go by to pass the time. Her strong Korean roots tell a story of the korean war and how her family escaped communism in the Korean War.
2. Connections
This book is a heratage book. It tells the importance of strong roots and family. This book would be considered a historical fiction book because it tells a story of a historical event. It is fiction, though, because it is told by realistic but made-up charicters.
3. I thought this was a powerful story. It was imformaative because none of us really know too much about the korean war. It was really long, though, so i would not ever reccomend reading it to a classroom full of young children. The writing style and everything is pretty complex. I would reccomend this book for ages 10-15.
July 13, 2017
One day when Sumi is missing her mother, she and Harmuny, her grandmother, take a walk to watch the trains. There, Harmuny tells Sumi the story of when she was a young mother in Korea and she fled the country in a hurry, through snow and icy waters, finally escaping on the top of a train with two young children, Sumi’s uncle and her mother. A heart-felt story of one family separated by a train ride and another family who the trains will reunite. The emotion of each moment is brought to life by Chris Soentpiet’s detailed watercolors. (Genre: Historical fiction picture book. Ages 9+)
January 26, 2012
This book would be great for 5th graders or higher. I love the way the author makes a point to show how social issues such as war are world-wide/culture-wide problems. This book makes everyone... regardless of color, race, religion, or country think about something in their lives they can relate to it. I do think it takes a mature brain and a deep understanding to get to the root of it, but it is a very touching story.
June 28, 2014
A recommendation from Nancy Pearl. Lovely and poignant; the illustrations exquisite and evocative.
This is a book for older children that adults will enjoy, too, especially those of us who grew up during the time of the Korean War.
This is a book for older children that adults will enjoy, too, especially those of us who grew up during the time of the Korean War.
July 25, 2023
I bought this book, Peacebound Trains, at NYDOE many years ago. The illustrator of this book, Chris K. Soentpiet was a guest speaker at NYDOE conference. Chris, a Korean adoptee, owed his success to a high school teacher who not only spotted his gift and but also allowed him to draw as much as he wanted in his class and supported him with his drawing materials. Chris' pictures are so beautiful and so does the story, Peacebound Trains.
This is the reflection of Korean War of a grandmother who was sepatrated from her loving husband during the war. She is telling the story to her granddaugher who has missed her mother who joined in the American army.
I like the writer's calm and poetic voice even though she deals with a very tragic Korean Civil War. I enjoy the illustration and the story a lot. I don't understand why I have not read or presented it to my daughter as I aimed in the beginning.
This is the reflection of Korean War of a grandmother who was sepatrated from her loving husband during the war. She is telling the story to her granddaugher who has missed her mother who joined in the American army.
I like the writer's calm and poetic voice even though she deals with a very tragic Korean Civil War. I enjoy the illustration and the story a lot. I don't understand why I have not read or presented it to my daughter as I aimed in the beginning.
December 12, 2018
Based on true events, this is the sad story of a Korean family escaping to Pusan in South Korea when Seoul is overtaken by the communist army. The illustrations are beautiful.
January 15, 2019
A grandmother tells her granddaughter how her family escaped Korea on a train during the war. This story is sure to touch the heart, and the significance of the train is described.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews