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.

D is for Double

In 2006, two alphabet books sharing the theme of Chinese culture were respectively titled, D Is for Dragon Dance and D Is for Dancing Dragon: A Chinese Alphabet. Coincidence? Despite the near duplication of titles and some of the entries (A is for acrobats and Z is for Zodiac, among them) the two books have different content.

Carol Crane's D Is for Dancing Dragon resides in the non-fiction section. For each entry, she gives a short rhyme describing the selection. Thus, "C is for Chopsticks/an ancient eating skill./Bamboo sticks called 'quick little fellows.'/How do you eat and not spill?" Beside the rhyme, a sidebar provides substantial commentary on sites, people, animals, events, ideas, and things. Her alphabet ranges widely and is remarkably inclusive, as it includes the Himalayas, Mongolians, the Silk Road, alongside the more common Great Wall. Other entries don't seem particularly Chinese (transportation and umbrellas, for example) but those, too, may be seen as a positive feature, defending against exoticizing China as the Other. Illustrations by Zong-Zhou Wang are colorful, but not especially memorable, as they serve a more documentary function.

By contrast, Ying Chang Compestine's D Is for Dragon Dance resides with other picture books in the fiction area. The book also has a more narrow scope, focusing specifically on things that may be linked to the Chinese New Year holiday. Compestine's text is pared down, and Yongsheng Xuan's illustrations more imaginative and more unified in palette and style. We know less about China at the end of this ABC, but we feel more immersed in a single, significant Chinese event.


Carol Crane (author) and Zong-Zhou Wang (illustrator)
D Is for Dancing Dragon: A Chinese Alphabet
Thomas Gale, 2006

Ying Chang Compestine (author) and Yongsheng Xuan (illustrator)
D Is for Dragon Dance
Holiday House, 2006