More on Chinese characters

 Catherine Louis (author and illustrator) and Feng Xiao Min (calligrapher)
Liu and the Bird: A Journey in Chinese Calligraphy
North-South, 2006

Huy Voun Lee

In the Leaves

Henry Holt, 2005

  Here are two books that embed Chinese characters into narratives. Catherine Louis' beautifully illustrated book unfolds after a dream in which young Liu hears her grandfather calling. On her way to meet him, she encounters a child 子 by a river 川, a woman 女 in the fields 田, and a man 人 resting beneath a tree 休. Each two-page spread reveals a linocut and dyed paper image of gorgeous colors accompanied by a series of pictures that proceed from image to early Chinese script to modern characters. There is one error in the text: "shine 明" and "sun 日" are reversed. There is some inconsistency in traditional vs. simplified characters, and the implied links between pictures, early script, and standard characters are not all consistent with the archaeological record. And even though the story is a little thin and contrived to meet the highlighted vocabulary, I still enjoyed this beautiful book. One last note, there are some interesting suggestions for games and activities.

  Huy Voun Lee's In the Leaves has on its cover the compound for autumn (秋天 qiutian), and it is one of a set of four books with seasonal themes featuring Chinese characters. In this one, Xiao Ming and his friends visit a farm, where he teaches his friends the Chinese for things they encounter, such as grain 禾, fields 田, and pig 豕. Xiao Ming cleverly introduces more complex characters that use these characters as elements. For example, mouth 口 with grain 禾 make harmony 和. His friends respond to these lessons enthusiastically, and so do we. As with Louis' book, bilingual editorial scrutiny is needed. Inside the back cover, the pronunciation guide mistakenly gives the pronunciation for snake, "ssh'uh," for the word for pig 豕 zhu. Still, Lee's images are pure delight, and she makes Chinese characters accessible and fun to learn.