Reading Rockets offers reading comprehension and language arts teaching strategies for kids, and is a free web site for parents and educators
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Reading Rockets offers a wealth of reading strategies, lessons, and activities designed to help young children learn how to read and read better. Our reading resources assist parents, teachers, and other educators in working with struggling readers who require additional help in reading fundamentals and comprehension skills development.

An interview with

Linda Sue Park

Linda Sue Park

Linda Sue Park is the Newbery Award-winning author of A Single Shard. In this exclusive video interview with Reading Rockets, Linda Sue Park compares writing to sports, questions animal sounds among different countries, and even reads an excerpt of The Firekeeper's Son!

Click on the links below to watch this interview online or to download it. You can also read the interview transcript or a short biography of Linda Sue Park, or see a selected list of her children's books.

For more information and options, please see the Podcasts & Videos section.

View online

  • Always writing (:27)

    Linda Sue Park reveals how her Kindergarten teacher failed to get her to put down her pencil to expand her free time activities.

  • Free books (:44)

    Emigrating from Korea, Park's father didn't enter a library until the age of nineteen. Learn how American and Korean libraries differ.

  • Exotic stories (:49)

    A desire of learning about different parts of the world is what sparked Linda Sue Park's passion of reading.

  • Family stories (:42)

    Park clarifies the importance of knowing and sharing your family history.

  • Reasons for writing (:44)

    Learn about Park's reason to write – to allow others to read your thoughts.

  • Practice writing (:36)

    Linda Sue Park explains how the first draft is never perfection.

  • Animal noises (1:04)

    Explore how animal noises vary in each country. Is it "bow-wow" or "mung-mung?"

  • Remember the stories (:32)

    Linda Sue Park doesn't get offended if her readers forget her name, as long as they remember her story.

  • Dragon humps (1:02)

    Listen to an excerpt of The Firekeeper's Son, read by the author herself!

‡ This video clip will appear in Windows Media Player, which most computers already have installed, or you can download it now. Macintosh users can download the free Flip4Mac playback file, which allows you to play Windows Media files in your Quicktime player.

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