Plot Summary: The story takes place in China where the Leader of the country declares war on the sparrow population. Farmers blame sparrows for eating too many of China’s wheat grains and causing hardship for them. When Ming-Li learns of the plan to eliminate the sparrows by making noise for three consecutive days, she is afraid of the consequences of this terrible din. The next morning a tremendous noise of clanging gongs, crashing cymbals and exploding firecrackers wakes Ming-Li. She joins the noise mobs and watches in dismay the birds falling down from the trees, frightened to death. She rescues seven sparrows, feeds them and tends in secret. With the arriving of spring, shocked farmers find out that locust decimate their crops. Ming-Li decides to reveal her secret and saves the village from famine.
Theme:
One little person can make a huge difference.
Blind following without personal thought can lead to destruction.
Human intervention to wildlife population can often be devastating. …show more content…
The colors and hues change from darker at the beginning of the story to lighter in the end, conveying the mood: from fear to hope. Ming-Li’s brave individuality and solitary figure are reinforced with a red color of her coat which makes her stand out from the mindless mob, all wearing greenish blue uniforms. I particularly liked two illustrations. The first one is when in the background people celebrate the victory in the sparrow war, raising their hands enthusiastically, while in the foreground, a reader can see a quiet, joyful face Ming-Li who holds a sparrow close to her heart. The second picture, which I find very moving, shows dead sparrows falling like teardrops and a little girl weeping and cradling a limp
Theme:
One little person can make a huge difference.
Blind following without personal thought can lead to destruction.
Human intervention to wildlife population can often be devastating. …show more content…
The colors and hues change from darker at the beginning of the story to lighter in the end, conveying the mood: from fear to hope. Ming-Li’s brave individuality and solitary figure are reinforced with a red color of her coat which makes her stand out from the mindless mob, all wearing greenish blue uniforms. I particularly liked two illustrations. The first one is when in the background people celebrate the victory in the sparrow war, raising their hands enthusiastically, while in the foreground, a reader can see a quiet, joyful face Ming-Li who holds a sparrow close to her heart. The second picture, which I find very moving, shows dead sparrows falling like teardrops and a little girl weeping and cradling a limp