Book Review on Bronze and Sunflower

Bronze and Sunflower is a children’s novel written by Cao Wenxuan. Cao Wenxuan is a Chinese writer for children and this is his first novel to be translated from Mandarin to English. The novel was translated by Helen Wang. This book is a historical fiction story set in rural China during the Cultural Revolution in the late 1960s and early 1970s (Wenxuan, 383). Although a fictional story, Cao Wenxuan grew up during this time in China and was very familiar with Cadre Schools. In the novel, the main character Sunflower has to move from the city to a rural area of China. The government required her father to move to a Cadre School, and her life was greatly changed. During this Cultural Revolution, the Chinese government forced many professional people (Cadres) to labor camps (Cadre Schools), (Wenxuan, 383). This story uses the character Sunflower to talk about this rough transition from the city to the rural villages that so many professional Chinese workers had to make, while also focusing in on the main themes of friendship and family.

Sunflower had only her father when she moved from the city to the Cadre School. Since her father worked all day and went to meetings in the evening, she was often lonely. Early in the novel, Sunflower’s father drowns trying to cross the river during a storm. The people of the Cadre School bring Sunflower to the village of Damaidi, across the river. There, she was adopted by the poorest family of Damaidi. Despite having barely enough money for themselves, the family gives all their love to Sunflower and works hard to keep her going to school. Both the family and the entire village welcome her and treat her as one of their own. Sunflower forms a strong bond with her new brother Bronze. Although Bronze is mute, the two grow to understand each other and Sunflower even teaches Bronze to write. The novel continues on, showcasing the various hardships of living in a rural village in China during this time period. Nature seems against the family and villagers, as they encounter fires, locusts, floods, and freezing winters. The family is often dangerously low on food and money, but their love for each other gets them through the tough times. The story ends in a bit of a bittersweet way. The city that Sunflower is originally from wants to take her back. Although Sunflower’s family and village are initially very upset by this, they soon realize that it would be best for Sunflower since she would go to the best school in the city and have many opportunities for her future. Sunflower reluctantly goes back to the city she is from, knowing that she can come back to visit Damaidi whenever she wants.

In my opinion, Cao Wenxuan did an incredible job writing this book. Although the book is full of sad events and natural disasters, it still manages to be positive. Friendship and family is what this book is centered on. No matter how bad times got, everyone always persevered and put others before themselves. Even though Sunflower and Bronze were from two different worlds, they still became the best of friends and cared deeply about each other. I thought the story was touching. It was entertaining and was also able to give children (of any culture or background) a historical background of the tough life in China during the Cultural Revolution. Before I started reading this novel, I was unsure if I would be able to understand a novel translated from Mandarin. I wondered if some words would get lost in translation or if there were some topics that I would not understand or have enough background information on. I was happy to discover that this was not the case. Any English-speaking child would be able to follow this translated story and enjoy it, while also learning a bit about Chinese history. I had never heard of Cadre Schools and knew very little about the Cultural Revolution in China, so this was a nice way to get a very broad idea about this time in history. Also, family and friendship are universal themes that anyone, despite age or culture, can relate to.

I think any children who have enjoyed the Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls will love these books because the characters face similar challenges trying to survive against the unpredictable forces of nature. Both Bronze and Sunflower and the Little House on the Prairie books are also similar in the way they’re written. There are lots of little events throughout the books and they focus on surviving everyday life, so neither of them are fast-paced novels. Overall, I found Bronze and Sunflower to be a great historical fiction children’s novel. The love between Sunflower and her adopted family is strong and inspiring, and the characters are great role models for hard work and perseverance. Family and friendship lie at the heart of this novel, but it also provides suspenseful and entertaining experiences for the reader.

Reference:

Wenxuan, C. (2015). Bronze and Sunflower (H. Wang, Trans.). Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press. (Original work published in 2006)