Common Sense Media Review
By Pam Gelman , based on child development research. How do we rate?
Snapshot of Vietnamese culture past and present.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 1 parent review
What's the Story?
A 9-year-old Vietnamese girl learns of an aunt living in America who is coming to visit. Her grandmother had a baby by an American soldier during the Vietnam War, but had to give her up, as the Communist party threatened to kill all American-fathered babies. There is great excitement among the family who thinks that this American woman may bring money as gifts. Maybe she will bring family members back to America who have visions of riches from the few movies seen in town. The aunt arrives, without gifts but filled with love for her family. She also carries painful memories of leaving her mother. Binh and her aunt form a special relationship to help each other understand the different cultures.
Is It Any Good?
Even for sensitive readers, this book is a wonderful opportunity to expose young kids to a very different world and period of history, and it's a real eye-opener for American kids. Not many families bring up the Vietnam War for dinner table conversation; it's hard to discuss for some adults, much less children. But Carolyn Marsden has made it easier by authoring WHEN HEAVEN FELL. Marsden has mastered how to describe a complicated period of history as though it's being interpreted by 9-year-old Binh. There are descriptions of children being killed by bombs and mothers hiding in the jungle to escape execution. These pieces are illustrated without blood, gore, or descriptive violence, but the fear is there.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the Vietnam War, as appropriate to the individual child. How did the war evolve? And how is Vietnam today shaped by what happened then?
Book Details
- Author: Carolyn Marsden
- Genre: Family Life
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Candlewick Press
- Publication date: March 1, 2007
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 8 - 12
- Number of pages: 192
- Last updated: July 12, 2017
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