The One Thing You'd Save by Linda Sue Park, Robert Sae-Heng
Published by Clarion Books on March 16, 2021
ISBN: 1328515133
Pages: 72
Genres: Fiction in Verse/Poetry
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
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The big question is – What would you save if your home were on fire?  If you only take one thing, excluding your family and pets and if  the size and weight didn’t matter.  What would you choose? This is the question a teacher poses to her classroom. It is interesting to read what each student feels is  valuable to rescue and how they arrive at their decisions. Some choices are sentimental while others are practical. The class argues over choices, some change their minds, and some discover things about their peers that they never knew before.  It is a thought-provoking book that makes the reader think of what they might too save in this situation.

This book is written in verse that is inspired by the Korean poetry form- “Sijo”. Classic Sijo has three lines of thirteen to seventeen syllables. It is a small, easy-to-read book with many pictures. Regrettably, I wish the illustrations were done in color.   However, there are many illustrations to compliment the text which is nice.  This would be a good book for teachers to read with children in a classroom environment.

It is appropriate for ages 8-12 and is a book that would definitely inspire some meaningful conversations afterward.

Reviewed by Amy Tobalske, Walker Memorial Library, Westbrook