MY THOUGHTS ON “PEACEBOUND TRAINS”:
“Peacebound Trains” is my first picture/chapter book. The author, has a talent for detail, and as she described how Sumi watches trains wind through the valley below, hears the lonely sound of their whistles piercing the air, and longs for the day when her mother will return, I was there with her. Going back to South Korea for the research of this story was another reason I decided to illustrate this story. It gave me a chance to visit my biological brother and three sisters whom I haven’t seen since I was adopted at 8 years old. It was a happy reunion. A year later, the illustrations for this book received a gold medal from the Society of Illustrator’s Original Art Show in New York City. That honor is a wonderful and humble tribute to my family in Korea. – Chris Soentpiet
WORDS FROM THE AUTHOR, HAEMI BALGASSI:
My inspiration for this story was a gift from two courageous women: my grandmother and my mother. When I was a young girl, my grandmother shared with me the story of her harrowing rooftop train ride during the first harsh winter of the Korean War. My grandmother passed away when I was eleven, but her story stayed with me. When I was in high school, I asked my mother to tell me what she remembered of that rooftop train ride. My mother added another layer to my grandmother’s story-the memories she’d carried since she rode the train as a five year old. Her sisters, my aunts, also made the trip. I knew then that, one day, I would write a story based on my family’s experience in the Korean War. And a decade later, I did. I titled it PEACEBOUND TRAINS, after the train that has haunted me since my grandmother told me about it all those years. – Haemi Balgassi
BOOK REVIEWS:
“A lovely combination picture book/chapter book based, on family memories about the trauma of leaving a beloved home for fear of an invading army; in this case, there is the added tragedy of civil war, with brother fighting brother as South Korea and the Communist North battle over Seoul. In expressive watercolors, Soentpiet provides an accurate look at Korean culture of the 1950s as well as Sumi’s contemporary setting.” – Kirkus Reviews
“The text, divided into short chapters, is gracefully written and told with great emotion. The richly colored illustrations are splashed with light, and convey the unfolding drama. Facial expressions are particularly effective. Readers will come away from this book with the understanding that the struggle for peace is universal and timeless, and that sometimes sacrifices must be made to achieve it.” – School Library Journal
“Powerful Narrative” – The New York Times Book Review
AWARDS:
- Society of Illustrators Gold Medal 1966
- American Bookseller Pick of the List 1996
- IRA Notable Children’s Book for a Global Society
- NCSS/CBC Notable Children’s Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies
- Smithsonian’s Notable Book 1996
- San Francisco Chronicle’s Best Book List
- Notable Children’s Trade Books in the Field of Social Studies 1997
