Juna's Jar facts for kids
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| Author | Jane Bahk |
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| Illustrator | Felicia Hoshino |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children's picture book |
| Publisher | Lee & Low Books |
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Publication date
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2015 |
| Pages | 32 |
| Awards |
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| ISBN | 978-1-6006-0853-7 |
Juna's Jar is a children's picture book written by Jane Bahk. It has beautiful pictures by Felicia Hoshino. This book tells the story of a young girl named Juna. Her best friend moves away, and Juna feels sad. She uses her imagination to find comfort. She fills an old kimchi jar with many different things. A kimchi jar is a special container. It is used to store kimchi, a popular Korean dish made from fermented vegetables.
About the Book
Juna's Jar was the first book written by Jane Bahk. It was published in 2015 by Lee & Low Books. This happened after it won the publisher's "New Voices Award". This award helps new writers get their books published.
The book received many good reviews from people who read and judged books. They liked Felicia Hoshino's watercolor paintings. Watercolor painting uses paints that mix with water. They also praised Jane Bahk's writing. Juna's Jar also won an award. It was honored by the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association.
What's the Story About?
Juna is a Korean-American girl. This means she is of Korean heritage and lives in America. She is best friends with Hector, her neighbor. They live in Koreatown, a neighborhood in Los Angeles. Many Korean-American families live there.
Juna and Hector often played together in a nearby park. They loved to collect interesting objects. These included cool rocks, leaves, and even insects. They would put these items in Juna's old kimchi jar. After looking at them closely, they would let them go.
One day, Juna found out Hector had moved away. He went to live with his parents in a far-off place. He left without saying goodbye. Juna felt very sad and missed him.
To help Juna, her older brother, Minho, started adding things to the jar. Each day, he would put something new inside. He added a small fish, some twigs, and a bean plant. Every night, Juna would imagine going on a journey inside the jar. She hoped to find Hector there.
Where Did the Idea Come From?
The story of Juna's Jar came from Jane Bahk's own childhood. It also came from her husband's experiences.
When Bahk was a child, she loved to collect insects. She would put them in kimchi jars. She would build little homes, called habitats, for them.
Bahk's husband grew up in Koreatown, Los Angeles. This is where the story of Juna is set. He also had a childhood friend named Hector who moved away. This part of the story is very similar to his own life. While her husband lived in a diverse neighborhood, Bahk was the only Korean child in her school.
