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40 pp.
| Lee/Children's
| January, 2022
|
TradeISBN 978-1-643-79068-8$19.95
(3)
PS
Mia and her uncle Eddie walk through their Chinatown neighborhood to the Big Wok for dim sum. On the way--ten blocks in all--they encounter one giant panda, two stone lions, and so on, up to ten red lanterns. As Mia enjoys dim sum, she counts in reverse ("...nine fried wontons, eight shumai, seven tofu-skin rolls..."). The text is printed in both English and Chinese and ends with notes about each object's significance in Chinese culture. Hu's bright, cheerful digital illustrations of a child whose smile never wavers invite the reader to notice and enjoy the many special elements of Mia's neighborhood. A guide to the numbers one to ten in Chinese and sources are appended.
40 pp.
| Holiday
| December, 2021
|
TradeISBN 978-0-8234-4764-0$18.99
(3)
PS
In this bilingual book, handsome animal-shaped kites fly across the page, back and forth against a watercolor sky. English text and "simplified Chinese" characters describe the actions of each kite: "a crab moves sideways beneath the clouds"; "a tiger pounces across the sky." The final two pages list the fourteen animals and their significance in Chinese culture. The digital watercolor art is particularly effective; each pictured kite is "built" with layers of color that mimic the three-dimensional structure of an actual kite.
40 pp.
| Immedium
| April, 2016
|
TradeISBN 978-0-8234-1955-5$15.95 New ed. (2009, Holiday)
(4)
K-3
Translated by Carissa Duan.
Illustrated by
James Yamasaki.
In the English/Chinese bilingual edition (Chinese translation not evaluated) of an original fable, a hungry ghost in Beijing sets his sights on a plump little boy. The clever kid convinces the ghost to follow a recipe for "boy dumplings" ("1 chubby boy, 10 pounds stinky garlic..."), which requires many distracting errands for supplies. Ghoulish watercolor illustrations occasionally veer into garish territory.
40 pp.
| Immedium
| April, 2016
|
TradeISBN 978-1-59702-122-7$15.95 New ed. (2003, Holiday)
(3)
K-3
Amazing Chinese Inventions series.
Illustrated by
YongSheng Xuan.
In bilingual editions of these original tales (Chinese texts not evaluated), the clever Kang brothers tackle various challenges: eating hot food (Chopsticks), scaring birds from their rice fields (Kites), salvaging their mother's botched cooking-contest entry (Noodles), and saving face at school (Paper). Bold images, reminiscent of traditional Chinese cut-paper designs, illustrate the tales. An author's note provides brief history of each invention. Recipe/activity appended. Review covers these Amazing Chinese Inventions titles: The Story of Chopsticks, The Story of Kites, The Story of Noodles, The Story of Paper.
40 pp.
| Immedium
| April, 2016
|
TradeISBN 978-1-59702-123-4$15.95 New ed. (2003, Holiday)
(3)
K-3
Amazing Chinese Inventions series.
Illustrated by
YongSheng Xuan.
In bilingual editions of these original tales (Chinese texts not evaluated), the clever Kang brothers tackle various challenges: eating hot food (Chopsticks), scaring birds from their rice fields (Kites), salvaging their mother's botched cooking-contest entry (Noodles), and saving face at school (Paper). Bold images, reminiscent of traditional Chinese cut-paper designs, illustrate the tales. An author's note provides brief history of each invention. Recipe/activity appended. Review covers these Amazing Chinese Inventions titles: The Story of Chopsticks, The Story of Kites, The Story of Noodles, The Story of Paper.
40 pp.
| Immedium
| April, 2016
|
TradeISBN 978-1-59702-121-0$15.95 New ed. (2002, Holiday)
(3)
K-3
Amazing Chinese Inventions series.
Illustrated by
YongSheng Xuan.
In bilingual editions of these original tales (Chinese texts not evaluated), the clever Kang brothers tackle various challenges: eating hot food (Chopsticks), scaring birds from their rice fields (Kites), salvaging their mother's botched cooking-contest entry (Noodles), and saving face at school (Paper). Bold images, reminiscent of traditional Chinese cut-paper designs, illustrate the tales. An author's note provides brief history of each invention. Recipe/activity appended. Review covers these Amazing Chinese Inventions titles: The Story of Chopsticks, The Story of Kites, The Story of Noodles, The Story of Paper.
40 pp.
| Immedium
| April, 2016
|
TradeISBN 978-1-59702-120-3$15.95 New ed. (2001, Holiday)
(3)
K-3
Amazing Chinese Inventions series.
Illustrated by
YongSheng Xuan.
In bilingual editions of these original tales (Chinese texts not evaluated), the clever Kang brothers tackle various challenges: eating hot food (Chopsticks), scaring birds from their rice fields (Kites), salvaging their mother's botched cooking-contest entry (Noodles), and saving face at school (Paper). Bold images, reminiscent of traditional Chinese cut-paper designs, illustrate the tales. An author's note provides brief history of each invention. Recipe/activity appended. Review covers these Amazing Chinese Inventions titles: The Story of Chopsticks, The Story of Kites, The Story of Noodles, The Story of Paper.
32 pp.
| Groundwood
| April, 2014
|
TradeISBN 978-1-55498-322-3$17.95
|
EbookISBN 978-1-55498-323-0
(2)
K-3
Illustrated by
Qin Leng.
A boy is puzzled when the dog his family adopts doesn't respond to even the simplest commands. It turns out that Norman is neither untrained nor stupid; he "speaks" Chinese! So off the family heads to Chinese-language school. There are lessons here--about patience and intercultural understanding--but they're very lightly worn; the casual line of the ink-and-color illustrations reinforces the story's warmth.
Reviewer: Roger Sutton
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
July, 2014
32 pp.
| Tuttle
| April, 2013
|
TradeISBN 978-0-8048-4367-6$12.95
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Aya Padrón.
With attractive illustrations stylistically recalling traditional woodblock prints, this captivating and informative alphabet book in verse gives a Chinese word--simplified and traditional Chinese characters, Romanized form (Pinyin), and tone--for every letter of the English alphabet. Each poem explains what the Chinese word means, while smaller text gives some cultural background; the words can be heard on the publisher's website.
(1)
4-6
Eight vignettes in graphic-novel format bring Liu's childhood in 1970s China to life. Much will seem the same, but the particulars make all the difference. Author and illustrator together give an unvarnished, intimate account of a real childhood: plain-speaking, rough-hewn, and down-to-earth. While the book's time and place are very different from our own, there's not a hint of sentimentality or exoticism. Timeline. Glos.
Reviewer: Roger Sutton
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
September, 2012
24 pp.
| Candlewick
| April, 2012
|
TradeISBN 978-0-7636-5279-1$6.99
(3)
PS
Despite their subtitles, these are not the number and color books one might expect. Instead, these are simple stories, with texts in English and Mandarin Chinese, that include colors and numbers and thus nod quietly to their conceptual underpinnings. The final spread in both books provides English-language readers with an explanation of Mandarin's tonal subtleties and assistance with pinyin pronunciations. Review covers these titles: A Nest in Springtime and Summertime Rainbow.
24 pp.
| Candlewick
| April, 2012
|
TradeISBN 978-0-7636-5280-7$6.99
(3)
PS
Despite their subtitles, these are not the number and color books one might expect. Instead, these are simple stories, with texts in English and Mandarin Chinese, that include colors and numbers and thus nod quietly to their conceptual underpinnings. The final spread in both books provides English-language readers with an explanation of Mandarin's tonal subtleties and assistance with pinyin pronunciations. Review covers these titles: A Nest in Springtime and Summertime Rainbow.
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Huy Voun Lee.
Jasmine's grandfather (agong) uses storytelling to introduce her to calligraphy. After Agong dies, Jasmine begins teaching her younger brother the same way. Attractive cut-paper illustrations cleverly incorporate Chinese characters into the objects they represent; thus, the stylized character for "horse," for example, becomes part of the horse image. Brief notes about Chinese art and food, as well as Mandarin pronunciation, are appended.
(4)
K-3
Lin is upset about losing her pet dragon. As the search progresses, readers learn how to write Chinese characters, which are then incorporated into the cleanly composed digital illustrations in crisp lines and vibrant colors. The mishmash of clichés (ping-pong playing, the Great Wall), some errors (girl with boy's hairstyle) in the imagery, and lack of a pronunciation guide are drawbacks.
32 pp.
| Holt
| January, 2001
|
TradeISBN 0-8050-6205-X$$16.00
(3)
PS
Children at play are shown in elegant cut-paper collage, while a simple text counts from one to ten: "Five carry. / Six pull. / Seven tiptoe." Included are Chinese characters for the number and the verb; the verbs contain either the "hand" or "foot" symbol as part of the character. Not an introduction to the language, the book is instead a brief look at the inherent logic within Chinese characters.
32 pp.
| Shen's
| April, 1999
|
TradeISBN 1-885008-11-2$$16.95
(4)
K-3
A crane and a clam, engrossed in their own locked combat, are scooped up by a passing fisherman for his dinner. This story, and five others adapted from Chinese proverbs, portray timeless truths and are presented here in both English and Chinese. Although the language is at times stilted, the accompanying cut-paper illustrations are striking and effective. Brief notes on the proverbs are appended.
Reviewer:
16 reviews
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