Li Jian,
The Water Dragon
Better Link Press, 2012.
Ages: 4+
Every day Ah Bao collects firewood in the forest near his tiny mountain village. He carries a small ax and a rice crock made from a gourd. One day, Ah Bao notices a shiny red pebble on the ground and puts it in his rice crock. As soon as he does this, the crock begins to shake and rattle, and before he knows it, the crock is overflowing with more rice than Ah Bao could ever eat.
When he gets home he realizes that the stone has the same effect on money! Now Ah Bao and his neighbors are never hungry or poor, but it hasn’t rained in the village since he found the magic stone. Ah Bao places the stone inside a bucket of water in the hope that it will overflow, but instead, the stone absorbs all the water in the bucket. The next day, Ah Bao goes in search of the water dragon he dreams about, hoping he will convince it to shower his village with water once again.
Along the way, Ah Bao meets several animals caught up in trying predicaments. He helps each of them and is rewarded in turn. Each animal also warns Ah Bao that he will soon meet “a greedy red monster.” Undaunted, Ah Bao moves on. When he finally meets the monster, both Ah Bao and the reader are surprised at how he handles the situation and the turn of events that follows. Ah Bao becomes a hero, but not as we might have expected!
This remarkable book is experienced illustrator Li Jian’s first foray into writing his own picture book. The story was inspired by legends he heard his elders tell when he was a child. The pictures, which combine Li’s classical training in Chinese painting with his talent for bringing fairy tales to life, are at least as compelling as the bilingual text (in English and simplified Chinese characters). Ah Bao is both a courageous and humble hero with a big heart and a sense of responsibility. He will be admired by children and parents, who will doubtless look forward to Li Jian’s next solo offering.
Abigail Sawyer
May 2012
N.B. Li Jian’s illustration work is currently highlighted in PaperTigers’ Illustrator Gallery.
Last week after I posted about Shaun Tan‘s book The Arrival being set to a musical score, I spent some time searching the internet to find out about other children’s books which had been set to musical scores. Interestingly enough the first event that came up on my search was for a January 2012 production of another Australian author’s book: The Race for the Chinese Zodiac by Gabrielle Wang. I had been just been in contact with Gabrielle a few weeks ago when we posted our review of her book The Garden of Empress Cassia so I quickly sent off another email to her and she provided me with the following details on the event which is taking place at the Melbourne Recital Centre in Melbourne, Australia:
THE RACE FOR THE CHINESE ZODIAC
Date: 11 am, Sat. Jan 21. For ticket info click here.
Based on the picture book The Race for the Chinese Zodiac by Gabrielle Wang (author), Sally Rippin (illustrator) and Regina Abos (designer) and inspired music by the Australian Chinese Music Ensemble, led by Wang Zheng-Ting, this concert will delight and amaze children and their families as they enjoy one of China’s favourite fables.
The Jade Emperor has declared a great race: the first animals to cross the river will win a place in the Chinese Zodiac. Thirteen animals line up along the shore. But there are only twelve places to be won. Who will miss out?
The story of how the animals of the Chinese zodiac came to be is told through music and projected images. Learn about the story behind the Rat, the Snake, the Horse and other endearing characters of this traditional tale and discover the sounds of Chinese instruments.
CHINESE PAINTING WORKSHOPS FOR CHILDREN
Date: Sat. Jan 21, Sun. Jan 22. Click here for times and ticket info
Gabrielle studied Chinese painting at the Zhejiang Academy of Fine Art in Hangzhou, China. In this workshop she will teach children the four treasures of the painting studio and the basics of Chinese brush painting with plenty of hands on practice. Come join Gabrielle and leave with a finished Chinese painting of your own.
DRAGON TALES
Date: Sat. Jan 21 Click here for times and ticket info.
Celebrate the new year of the Dragon by taking a special Dragon tour. Gabrielle Wang, award-winning author of The Race for the Chinese Zodiac, will teach you how to draw these mythical animals, and then make a scale to place on the dragon that will wind up the Chinese Museum’s staircase.
Well, we knew it would be a success and it was! Check out Grace Lin’s blog to read and see photos of her recent book launch party for Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. Congratulations, Grace!
Also, be sure to check out Grace’s charity project, Small Graces: A Painting a Month for the FCB. Each month this year, she is auctioning off a piece of her artwork to benefit the Foundation of Children’s Books, a small, non-profit organization in Boston that makes a big difference in the lives of young readers by bringing children’s book authors and illustrators into under-served schools in Boston for visits and residencies. This month’s auction takes place June 15th - 19th and features a lovely original painting by Grace depicting the Chinese proverb “Flowers leave their fragrance on the hand that gives them”.
Congratulations and best wishes to award-winning author and illustrator Grace Lin on the upcoming launch of her newest novel Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. The launch takes place today, Saturday, June 6th at 5:30 pm at the Porter Square Bookstore in Cambridge, MA. Grace will be there reading and signing her books as well as giving away some very unique goodie bags! Amongst other things, each bag will contain a homemade, boxed cupcake and one of these cupcakes will have a coin baked inside it. Grace says that the person who has the cupcake with the coin in it will win their name or likeness in an upcoming book. How exciting is that!
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is a Chinese folktale-inspired fantasy novel geared towards kids in Grades 3 -6 and is being printed in full color, which is very unusual for a novel. An overview of the book states:
In the valley of Fruitless mountain, a young girl named Minli lives in a ramshackle hut with her
parents. In the evenings, her father regales her with old folktales of the Jade Dragon and the Old Man of the Moon, who knows the answers to all of life’s questions. Inspired by these stories, Minli sets off on an extraordinary journey to find the Old Man of the Moon to ask him how she can change her family’s fortune. She encounters an assorted cast of characters and magical creatures along the way, including a dragon who accompanies her on her quest for the ultimate answer.
This is a wonderous novel with an epic journey and memorable characters in the tradition of The Wizard of Oz. From the beautiful design and the breathtaking full-color illustrations throughout, to the gentle humor and touching prose, this book is truly a gem.
To get a sneak preview of Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, click here. Check out Grace’s blog to read about her book launch preparations!
(Author photo taken by: Alexandre Ferron)
