American Born Chinese Children's Book Alley: Cinderella's sister

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Cinderella's sister

Alan Schroeder (author) and Yoriko Ito (illustrator)
Lily and the Wooden Bowl
Doubleday, 1994

This lovely, traditional folktale rewards the virtuous and beautiful Lily with marriage to the noble and handsome Kumaso. Hints of the Cinderella story abound. Upon her death, a loving grandmother grants with three magical objects to protect her Lily: a rice paddle, a paper crane, and a lacquered wooden bowl. The objects come to Lily's rescue as she must defend herself against a venal and jealous mother figure, Matsu, who is not coincidentally Kumaso's mother. Matsu uses sorcery and lies to try to cast Lily from the household, but Kumaso and his father Yamoto both see the truth of Lily's innocence. Alan Schroeder's retelling flows beautifully; Yoriko Ito's illustrations are gentle, dreamlike, and dramatic. Whatever your opinion on the power and value of feminine beauty, and the impact of concealing it, the wooden bowl is an alluring symbol used to narrative and visual advantage here.

1 comment:

AnkeneyJanuary 23, 2011 at 12:09 PM
Thanks! I'm glad you liked this story.
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About this blog

When I was a child growing up in the 1970s in middle America, children's books with East Asian content were rare. The few that I knew were a mixed bag. Some seemed to have good intentions, but uncomfortable stereotypes; others snappy writing, but uneven illustrations. Since then, I'm thrilled to see that children's books in the US have flourished, and there is a much greater variety of good quality books that I can now read to my hapa (half-Asian Pacific American) son.

This blog was inspired by a good friend with fine taste in children's books. In the coming year (by November 1, 2011), my goal is to review 365 children's books that might appeal to American Born Chinese, friends, families, and others with an interest in East Asian culture.