Sunflower is the young daughter of an artist living in a Cadre School across the river from the Chinese village of Damaidi. Bronze is a village boy who has been mute since a fire years before. Both children are lonely and after meeting at the river they form a close friendship. When Sunflower’s father dies, Bronze’s family takes her in. Sunflower quickly becomes a beloved younger sister to Bronze and beloved daughter and granddaughter to his parents and Nainai. Because he can’t speak Bronze has never gone to school. He was finally going to start when Sunflower joined their family. They use the school fees they’d saved to send her instead. Aware of this sacrifice, Sunflower gives back by teaching Bronze what she learns, but as she gets older she wants to do more to help her family. A story grounded in vivid details—of characters and relationships, of place, of events—follows the family across several years. A sense of community also emerges—the village has its characters, including a mean-spirited boy who is Bronze and Sunflower’s nemesis—in a novel set in the waning years of the Cultural Revolution. Engaging episodic chapters offering moments of humor and abundant warmth make this an ideal read-aloud choice. (Ages 7-10)

A beautifully written, timeless tale by Cao Wenxuan, best-selling Chinese author and 2016 recipient of the prestigious Hans Christian Andersen Award.

Sunflower is an only child, and when her father is sent to the rural Cadre School, she has to go with him. Her father is an established artist from the city and finds his new life of physical labor and endless meetings exhausting. Sunflower is lonely and longs to play with the local children in the village across the river. When her father tragically drowns, Sunflower is taken in by the poorest family in the village, a family with a son named Bronze. Until Sunflower joins his family, Bronze was an only child, too, and hasn’t spoken a word since he was traumatized by a terrible fire. Bronze and Sunflower become inseparable, understanding each other as only the closest friends can. Translated from Mandarin, the story meanders gracefully through the challenges that face the family, creating a timeless story of the trials of poverty and the power of love and loyalty to overcome hardship.