What can I truly say to get to the heart of this book? This book is deep and introspective, yet light and full of heart. It made me think of what I would save in a fire, and what I would forgo for the safety of my family.

I'd save my wedding ring -- the promise my husband and I made to each other for life.

I read this book in just one sitting. Linda Sue Park is master and using poetry mimicking the conversation of a classroom lesson, crafts a short but meaningful story about identity and what our possessions say about ourselves. This could be used in class so easily. Wonderfully written that will be enjoyed in the classroom.

I absolutely love this book and all of the different voices it represents. Each child in my class was able to find someone they could relate to, either through a window or through a mirror. Excellent!

I was gifted an egalley from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. When I saw Linda Sue Park I knew I had to request because I adore her other work. This book was not what I was expecting at all but was glad to find. The One You'd Save is full of prompts and beautiful pictures that would be excellent to engage a classroom. I will be buying this picture book for my classroom because I know whether I teach first grade or middle school this book will become an amazing resource.

I adore The One Thing You’d Save! It’s a story about saving one item if there was a fire and how a classroom of students can influence and empathize with each other when sharing their stories. The story is written in an ancient form of traditional Korean poetry called sijo which was lovely to learn about at the end of the book as well. 

What I loved about this story was the inclusion of Ms. Chang’s encouragement for every student to take a turn to tell their story about what they would choose and I especially loved when some students would interrupt, they were gently reminded to be respectful. Some of the stories from the start would circle back after other students were influenced by their class mates for a fresh perspective on their chosen item. There was a student that had experienced a house fire that added a more serious layer to the story. 

This story was beautiful and I would highly recommend it as a classroom activity. All children would enjoy this story and it opens up that opportunity to discuss fire safety and raises thoughts on what mementos children find value in and why. An absolutely great story with much discussion to evolve from it. 

Thank you NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children’s Book Group / Clarion Books for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's Book Group + NetGalley for the advance review e-copy of "The One Thing You'd Save" by Linda Sue Park, illustrated by Robert Sae-Heng.

Linda Sue Park is a literary genius. 
A teacher poses a question to her students - if your home was on fire, what is the one thing you'd save (knowing your family and pets are safe). Told in poetic verse (according to the author's note, it's an update on sijo - a form of traditional Korean poetry), the students' responses are varied and thoughtful. The conversations between the students as well as their teacher, the respect for each other, and the important moments, memories, and items that make up each of their lives - this is a story that will stay with you. 
Perfect for all ages - it will make you think, it will make you reflect, and it will make you treasure what you have that's important.

What a creative take on a book in verse.  This story of a class deciding what to bring save in case of a fire forces the kids to think about what really matters.  The short but impactful lines will engage kids, and they will all find someone to relate to.  Park introduces readers to a traditional Korean form of poetry, but puts her own creative mark on it.

I loved this book. In the year 2020, I believe we need more stories like this one for our kids; raw and honest about how times can be hard and that we are going to be okay. I love Linda Sue Park and her writing style and this book's style was different than her other books. I really enjoyed it and I hope to read it in book club with my kids soon.

This is a short, quick read but don’t be fooled by that. This slim book is also very deep and thought provoking. Each student in Ms. Chang’s class is deciding what one object they would grab if there was a fire.  As they listen to their classmates, some of  them question their choices, thinking another’s choice is more worthy.  Then Ms. Chang shares what she would save and how she also changed her mind while listening to the students.  This title will be a consideration for our school’s Mock Newbery group.

If your house caught fire, and your loved ones and pets were all safe, what ONE material item would you save from the fire? This is a question a teacher asks her students during a thought exercise. Some students know without hesitation, others wonder if their choice is as good as others or share their opinions on what others would save, and others struggle to make a choice at all.

This is a beautiful book in modified verse with black and white illustrations that explores the items we hold closest to our hearts and how different our perspectives can be from another person. It brought tears to my eyes thinking of these children's wholesome reasoning. Some of the children think about how their phones and laptops contain so many pictures and files, or could be used to call for help. I had three absolute favorites that stuck with me: a child wanting to save an ugly, old sweater because it was made by a grandparent; a child who has experienced a fire before and is clearly still traumatized by it; and a child who sees nothing worth saving at all. 

The sweater one hit hard because I was reading the book while wrapped in one of my grandfather's old coats as I like to do in the winter, and I found it hard to consider choosing anything else. I also found myself "cheating" by saying "well I could just put the jacket on real fast and slip some things in the pockets, it's not like I can go out in this weather without a jacket anyway." The whole book is very thought-provoking, even at times where it is being funny or sad, and would make great discussion material for reading with children. This book reminds me a lot of Mel Glenn's collections of high school poems. Each of the children have a distinct voice and you can tell they come from different backgrounds, despite never being depicted.

Below are a few of my favorite lines:

On sweaters: "...so there's never gonna be another sweater like it in. the whole history of the universe, not ever. Things that you can't go buy another one, that's what you gotta save." The student speaks up again in another scene: "Both grans and my dad - maybe this will sound silly, but when I'm wearing it, it's kinda like all three of them are keeping me warm."

On poverty: "I'd walk out with nothing...place is a total dump. Be a great day for me. Be glad to see it burn down."

Note: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley. I was not compensated in any other fashion for the review and the opinions reflected below are entirely my own. Special thanks to the publisher and author for providing the copy.

A short read, but will leave you contemplating for a long time — what would YOU take with you in an emergency? I loved reading about the students’ deliberations and reasoning.

A smart group of poems where students are tasked with choosing the one item they would save if they could in an emergency, The structure of the book makes it difficult for the reader to identify who is speaking.

With thanks to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's Book Group for an early copy in return for an honest review.

Where do I even begin with how much I liked this book?!? As a teacher, this will be an excellent addition to my classroom and I look forward to teaching my students about Sijo poetry and having discussions on the one thing they would save. I also think this book is an excellent way to introduce students to the format of novel-in-verse if they hadn't yet read any of those books. 

This is also a book where you get more out of the story with each read. There is much to be gleaned from the illustrations and as you re-read the poems you'll make additional connections and spark further discussion.

This is a book that I yearn to have in my classroom as an educator. The question is posed by Linda Sue Park: if your house was on fire, what would you save? The poetic format and inspiring words hit home with me and will strick a cord with my students. It allows myself to really reflect on what matters through this trying time.

If your house was on fire and your family and pets were safe, what's the one thing you'd save? This is the question a teacher poses to her students in this book written in sijo, an ancient form of Korean poetry. This book lets children see that what's worthy of saving varies from person to person. It also encourages them to ponder the question themselves. This book would make a great launching point for a classroom writing project.

This book blew me away. A very long picture book about a class that tells their teacher what they'd save in a fire if all their family were safe. I'd recommend for grades 4 and up due to what some of the students pick (a lock of hair from their brother that passed away, or their dog's collar that passed away). A beautiful way to start discussions and writings about things that are important to students and why.

I love the idea of this book, and I loved the book itself! I love the poetic format and the explanation about it in the back. I love everything we got to know and deduce about each of the characters from the little they said about what they would choose to save. There’s so much worth discussing with a book club or class full of students with this book. It invites you in to think about priorities and what’s important and how you rarely know all the things that are in the hearts of others.

This is a beautiful story told sparsely through Korean sijo poetry. Linda Sue Park masterfully weaves a story of a class of students together through a simple discussion prompt from their  teacher: what object would they save from a fire? (Family and pets are safe in this scenario.) They are assigned to think about this and then discuss it the following day, and the answers (and voices) are diverse. Some students know immediately what they would save, while some need to think about it. Some choose items that are irreplaceable while others choose things that are valuable. I loved their interactions and the way that Park shows, in very few words, the  respect that characterizes this classroom community, Parts of this story are heartbreaking, while others are hilarious, the responses as unique as the students, The black and white illustrations work well with the text to add background and images to the students’ lives. 
This would be a perfect book to use with 5th-7th grade students. It is short enough to keep them intrigued, and would open up important discussions about what we value and treasure in our lives.

“If there were a fire, and you could save just one thing, what would it be?” 

This is the premise of ,Newbery winning author, Linda Sue Park's unique book. A teacher presents this question to her class and the result is a lively discussion as teens learn more about one another's lives, connect with each other, and gain insight into classmates that may have otherwise been overlooked. Accompanied by black and white illustrations and written in a Korean form of poetry-sijo syllabic structure, this is a must have addition to school libraries. 

I highly recommend this book for grades 5-7 as it offers so many opportunities within the classroom. 

Thank you NetGalley and Clarion Books, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children’s Book Group for the e-arc..

I loved the idea and premise of this book, and was lucky enough to have early access granted by NetGalley and Clarion Books, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children’s Book Group. 

In The One Thing You’d Save, Linda Sue Park explores the hypothetical question, “If there were a fire, and you could save just one thing, what would it be?” Of course, family and pets are all safe in the scenario, and size and weight of the object doesn’t matter. Through a series of linked poems, written in the ancient Korean sijo (pronounced SHEE-zho) style, Linda presents the thoughts of each child in a middle school class. 

It is remarkable the diversity and range of voices which Linda has succeeded in representing, through words on the page, and in the form of their different choice of object. Although we never see the children, they are very different in their thinking and their answers. Some children come to their object very quickly and know exactly which they will save, others have to think more carefully. Some objects are valuable, others worthless to anyone but their owner. Some have sentimental value, others are associated with a specific memory. Some try to stretch the bounds of the question to include more of their precious possessions. But the way in which Linda delves into the thoughts and emotions of each child, giving us an understanding of their backgrounds and lives, with little more than an object to characterize them is extraordinary. I very quickly tuned in to each child, feeling particularly bereft at the one children who had nothing they deemed worth taking. 

Linda has turned quite a simple hypothetical question into a powerful discussion of materialism, sentimentality, values and worth. Illustrations from Robert Sae-Heng add to the beauty of the message and the objects. 
I will absolutely be sharing this with my year 5 in the new year, and I look forward to hearing their own answers to this question, and me learning more about them in the process.