Water-breathing dragon

Grace Chang (author)
Chong Chang (illustrator)
Jin Jin the Dragon
Enchanted Lion, 2007

Born of a 1000-year old egg, a young hatchling asks nearby animals who he is. They recognize parts of themselves in the creature whose golden color inspires them to dub him Jin Jin, but they cannot answer his question. Thus, Jin Jin begins a quest to learn his identity. Along the way, he encounters more friendly animals and deciphers clues in the form of early Chinese script. At tale's end, Jin Jin saves a village from drought and in the process realizes that he is a water-breathing dragon. Readers learn a little Chinese and the true, beneficent nature of Chinese long 龍, or dragons.

Stealthy bravura

J. C. Phillipps
Wink: The Ninja Who Wanted to Be Noticed
Viking, 2000

Wink-chan has boundless energy and an exuberant personality, so the training to become a stealthy and invisible ninja proves an ill fit. By a chance encounter with a family of circus performers gives Wink his big opportunity. Bright collages give artistic flair to this charming adventure into martial entertainment.

Wish upon a Tree

Roseanne Thong (author)
Connie McLennan (illustrator)
The Wishing Tree
Shen's Books, 2004

Ming and his grandmother share a ritual, making a wish at the village's wishing tree, which blooms with brightly colored wishes tied to orange weights. As Ming grows up, we see the arc of his wishes shift from focusing on himself (growing big and strong) to concern for loved ones (a speedy recovery from illness for Grandmother). When the wishing tree disappoints him, Ming feels resentment. But, as he matures, he sees differently and returns to express gratitude to the tree. Roseanne Thong's story is based on a real wishing tree in Hong Kong.

More Compassion

Elizabeth Coatsworth (author)
Lynd Ward (illustrator)
The Cat Who Went to Heaven
MacMillan, 1958 (1st edition, 1930)

Elizabeth Coatsworth's tale of an old Japanese painter, his elderly housekeeper, and their sensitive cat, Good Fortune, is one of the most beautiful and deeply satisfying children's books I've read. Poor as they are, each member of this modest family demonstrates sincere concern for the others. After Good Fortune joins the household, a Buddhist priest comes to commission a painting on the subject of the death of Buddha. Over several days, the painter meditates, imagining himself as the Buddha, living a life of extraordinary privilege followed by strenuous seeking and finally awakening and teaching before expiring. Only after experiencing as fully as possible his subject, does the painter begin his artwork. In succeeding days, he imagines himself as the animals who come to witness Buddha's passage into nothingness. Again, the painter imagines himself as each creature before setting brush to silk. With each imagining, we are transported sympathetically into the world of sentient animals. At last, out of compassion for his dear cat Good Fortune, the painter adds the feline's image to the painting, going against tradition. When the priest sees the completed painting, he reacts with intense dissatisfaction. But ultimately, the painter's compassion is rewarded.

Coatsworth's writing, both poems in the housekeeper's voice and prose, is finely crafted, precise and loving. Here is a short excerpt: "He [the painter] thought of the fierceness and cruelty of tigers, he imagined them lying in the striped shadows of the jungle, with their eyes of fire. They were the danger by the water hole; the killers among the reeds." But soon, the painter sees a way to compassion for the beast. "It may be that this [the tiger's devotion to its cub] is the narrow pathway by which the tiger reaches to the Buddha. It may be that there is a fierceness in love, and love in fierceness." [51] Insights such as these abound in Coatsworth's wise and elegant words.

Enlightened One

Demi
Buddha
Henry Holt, 1996

Biographies of Prince Siddhartha who became the Buddha and founded one of the major religions of the world must inspire, and Demi's is no exception. Common anecdotes from the hagiography, like Queen Maya's dream of a white elephant, read alongside Demi's whimsical and rich illustrations. She does not shirk from the difficult parts about witnessing illness and death, which propel Siddhartha from the luxury of palace living to seek Truth in the wider world. Suffering and trials follow, but ultimately he achieves enlightenment, becoming the Buddha. Demi's biography does not end with this triumph, but continues with Buddha's teachings, and the last image of a multitude of monks accompanies a more general message to "be your own light."

Adoption stories

Janet Morgan Stoeke
Waiting for May
Dutton, 2005

Jean Davies Okimoto and Elaine M. Aoki (authors)
Meilo So (illustrator)
The White Swan Express: A Story about Adoption
Clarion, 2002

Janet Morgan Stoeke's story of adopting a Chinese girl is told from the point of view of a soon-to-be big brother. The boy's voice is yearning, patient, eager, and gentle. He is also inquisitive, asking his mother all sorts of questions about the adoption process, and he wonders about whether his sister is well cared for. His mother's answers are optimistic and thoughtful. Stoeke emphasizes the capacity to love someone you haven't yet met.

Jean Davies Okimoto and Elaine M. Aoki take a different approach. They simultaneously tell the stories of four Chinese girl orphans and the North Americans who will be adopting them. Apart from the joy experienced by all the characters, the authors pay special attention to diversity. Lewis and Beth Maynard are from Miami; Andrea Lee and Charlotte Appleford live on an island near Seattle; Rebecca Mandel hails from the midwest where she lives with her cat, Ralph; and Howard and Jessica Suzuki call Toronto home. The parents meet aboard the bus dubbed "White Swan Express," which takes them to the hotel where they are to meet their daughters, Wu Li, Li Shen, Qian Ye, and Chun Mei Ni. The families continue to correspond, celebrating their familial good fortune.

Not having experienced an adoption, I am unable to comment on the accuracy of these stories, whether the logistics of adopting or the emotional portions. Both of them were effective in tugging at my heart. I invite readers with more experience to comment.

HereKittyKitty

Lee Wardlaw (author)
Eugene Yelchin (illustrator)
Won Ton: A Cat Tale Told in Haiku
Henry Holt, 2011

A sassy but sensitive stray kitty is adopted by a little boy who names it Won Ton. Playful and expressive illustrations accompany the story told entirely in senryu (a form of Japanese poetry) from Won Ton's point of view.

Hybrid alphabet

Maywan Shen Krach (author)
Hongbin Zhang (illustrator)
D is for Doufu: An Alphabet Book of Chinese Culture)
Shen's Books, 1997

Maywan Shen Krach's introduction to Chinese culture is organized like an alphabet book with a single entry per letter (excepting i, u, and v), but it would more appropriate to think of it as a very select and idiosyncratic encyclopedia. For each letter, we encounter a term, such as ai (love), naohuadeng (lantern parade), xiaoshun (filial piety), or zhongguo (China). The terms are given in Chinese (written in a red cartouche), in pinyin, and in English translation. Following that, the author sometimes offers an explanation of the visual components of the character, which is at times illuminating (che), at other times less so (wo). Two or more short paragraphs then explain the term. The content is uneven as when the author relates the pipa to the American blues guitar without recognizing that both trace their origins to a common middle eastern musical ancestor. I was also disappointed in the quality of the writing, which unfortunately did not enliven the subjects. The divergent illustrations, too, seemed in need of some editorial direction. Still, the concept is an interesting one, and perhaps worth another visit.

The great khan

Demi
Chingis Khan
Henry Holt, 1991

Demo's biography of the great khan, Chingis (in a later edition, the author uses Genghis; in some scholarly texts one finds yet other spellings), takes us from his birth in 1160 to the Yakka Mongol tribe to his death in 1227 when he ruled over a vast empire that encompassed the Middle East, Russia, Central Asia, and China. (The conquest of South Asia would have to wait for a later generation.) His early accomplishments as a youth, typical of hagiography, foreshadow his future greatness. He demonstrates fearlessness and resolve in shooting his half-brother for stealing from the tribe. Such acts earn him the respect of loyal followers essential to the success of later military campaigns. Demi's biography is filled with drama and does not shy away from the violence in Chingis' life. It is an exciting read, and although I found Demi's charatericstically delicate and miniaturizing illustrations somewhat odd for this epic subject, I nevertheless thought it a good read for young audiences.

Kuai the Quick

Ying Chang Compestine (author)
YongSheng Xuan (illustrator)
The Story of Chopsticks
Holiday House, 2001

The youngest of three sons, Kuài, never gets enough to eat. One day he invents a solution to his dilemma. Two twigs will let him spear a chicken leg and a chunk of sweet potato, and he eats without burning his fingers and well before the rest of his family. Kuài's invention catches on quickly with his brothers, mother, and father, who name chopsticks in honor of him: kuaizi 筷子, or "quick sticks." Ying Chang Compestine's invented folk tale moves predictably from household to village to imperial court, and soon all Chinese eat with chopsticks. YongSheng Xuan's illustrations have an appropriately vernacular look, colorful and bold.

Giant Rice Cake Is Couple's Reward

Ann Tompert (author)
Demi (illustrator)
Bamboo Hats and a Rice Cake: a tale adapted from Japanese folklore
Crown, 1993

An old couple wish to have traditional rice cakes for the New Year, but they are very poor. Husband and wife agree to trade her 着物 (kimono) for 餅 (rice cakes). On his way to the market, the old man stops to brush the snow off six Jizo statues, promising to share 餅 on his return. Even before reaching the market, the old man begins to barter. First, the 着物 for some 扇 (fans), then 扇 for a gold 鈴 (bell), and so on until he leaves the market with five 笠 (bamboo hats). Along with his own, the old man gives the hats to the six Jizo before he returns home empty handed. His wife is not disappointed, but proud of her husband's kindness, and their virtues are rewarded. Ann Tompert's adaptation is moving, and incorporates kanji like rebuses. She carefully selects the characters so as to introduce readers to another language while reinforcing the narrative flow. Demi's illustrations are consistently delicate, sensitive, and alluring.

Pioneers

Yin (author)

Chris Soentpiet (illustrator)

Coolies

Philomel, 2001

Yin tells the story of the building of the transcontinental railroad through two brothers, Shek and Wong. The two flee the turmoil and famine of 19th-century China, cross the Pacific, and begin lives of bitter labor. Alongside hundreds of countrymen, they endure hardship and racism. Never losing their dignity or humanity, Shek and Wong help to complete the railroad, settle in San Francisco, and assist family to immigrate to the United States. Yin effectively uses the voices of later descendants—a young Chinese-American boy and his grandmother, PawPaw 婆婆—to capture our attention and transport us to the past. Chris Soentpiet's illustrations are sumptuous, grand, dramatic, and deeply moving. 

How Lattimore Writes about Little Pear

Eleanor Frances Lattimore
Little Pear: The Story of a Little Chinese Boy
Harcourt, 2005 (first published in 1931)


Mischievous Little Pear wanders the Chinese countryside around his rural home and makes all manner of funny, endearing, and useful discoveries. Eleanor Frances Lattimore's stories of Little Pear were first published in 1931, accompanied by her charming ink drawings. With chapter titles like "How Little Pear Lit a Firecracker" and "Little Pear Falls into the River and Decides to Be Good," the stories have the feel of Winnie-the-Pooh tales, filled with warm, caring characters. With minimal oversight from parents, Little Pear (like Pooh bear) are given wide latitude for exploration in a world populated by benevolent neighbors. Little Pear indulges in modest luxuries like tang-hulur (糖葫蘆, candied hawthorn berries on a stick), and he suffers mild pains as when he impatiently eats green peaches. The stories are idealized and can be easy targets for criticism, but that would be to miss the gentleness and generosity of heart that are the center of Little Pear's world.

Journey of Silk

John S. Major (author)

Stephen Fieser (illustrator)

The Silk Route: 7,000 Miles of History

HarperCollins, 1995

John S. Major offers the youngest picture book audiences a good, solid introduction to a rather complex, multifaceted topic, the Silk Roads. Three strategies help condense and focus the material. First, a decision to narrow the time period to circa 700 CE. Second, the highlighting of silk as a form of currency, as a commodity, and as a luxury material. And third, frequent use of double-page spreads introducing a single location, such as Chang'an or Herat or Byzantium, for example. Major's descriptions seem generally accurate. One might quibble about whether true porcelain had been developed at that time and heavily traded. Ceramics would have been the more appropriate term. A more serious concern would be about the use of loaded language. While calling the Tang dynasty "glorious" does not raise eyebrows, I am less comfortable with the new mosque described as "looming" over the city market. Whether intentionally or not, biases make their way subtly into the story. Likewise, in this narrative, nomads are a malevolent force against "brave and enterprising" merchants. Perhaps somewhere out there is book that tells the other view of the pressures of sedentary empires to capture and control the pasturelands upon which the nomadic peoples rely. Still, I thought both Major's writing and Stephen Fieser's illustrations were engaging and informative for young people.

Belonging

Margy Burns Knight (author)
Anne Sibley O'Brien (illustrator)
Who Belongs Here? An American Story
Tilbury, 1993

After losing his parents and fleeing from the Khmer Rouge, Nary escapes with his grandmother and an uncle first to a refugee camp in Thailand, then to the United States. Here, Nary finds food in abundance and freedom, but also ignorance and verbal slurs. One classmate calls him a "chink." Another tells him to "go home where you belong." But, who belongs and who would be left if everyone was told to leave? In between Nary's story, Margy Burns Knight weaves in broad strokes the story of immigrants from all parts of the world who came and continue to come to the United States. Nary's encounter with intolerance becomes a teaching moment, which leads to the story's happy resolution. I remember hearing those ugly words and phrases myself, and am glad to see Knight's book. The prose is, at times, somewhat heavy-handed, distancing, and didactic; but I couldn't agree more with the book's message.