Materials from China
Mo Shen Ma lives in a big city in China. Modern Chinese cities are very much like ours, so his life is not so different from your own: he goes to school, watches television, and gets into mischief, just like all over the world! Each story depicts Mo’s problem and his creative solution.
A tasty, original story. This striking picture book ends with a new beginning for three people who never expected to be friends – an orphaned girl cast out by her siblings, a slave escaping from a mighty emperor’s ship, and a hunchbacked old woman known for the bitter-melon and shrimp dumplings she brings to market each day – and for living in a haunted house at the edge of the marshes. As their hardship-filled paths cross, each of their lives begins to change for the better, in a moving affirmation of the power of compassion. Set long ago in a Chinese village by the sea, Jeanne M. Lee’s meticulously illustrated story has an extraordinary flavor all its own.
Each story depicts Mo’s problem, and his creative solution.
With the signature style and extraordinary artistry that have won her a loyal following, Demi tells the story of how kites came to be. Long ago in China, holy painters would paint the townspeople’s wishes on paper to be left in temples for the gods to see and grant. But one day, an impatient mother who wanted her son to grow up strong and wise, had a holy painter paint a dragon, the symbol of strength and wisdom, on a kite. She then flew the kite up to the heavens where the gods lived so they would see the wish sooner and grant it more quickly. Kites also explains the significance of different kinds of kite symbols, provides information about kite festivals celebrated around the world, and gives clear, kid-friendly directions for making and painting kites. Demi combines, beautiful artwork, an easy story-telling style, and good solid information about one of the world’s most popular hobbies.
This book examines the lives and times of the Tibetan people, their cultural complexities, the country’s astonishing geography, and its economic and political status.
The blue jays and cardinals of Stone-Run Forest have turned against each other. According to legend, only Swordbird, son of the Great Spirit, has the power to conquer evil and restore peace to the land. But is he real or just a myth? Can Swordbird arrive in time to save the forest . . . or will it be too late? Twelve-year-old author Nancy Yi Fan has woven a captivating tale about the birds of Stone-Run Forest and the heroism, courage, and resourcefulness in their quest for peace.
Mo Shen Ma lives in a big city in China. Modern Chinese cities are very much like ours, so his life is not so different from your own: he goes to school, watches television, and gets into mischief, just like all over the world! Each story depicts Mo’s problem, and his creative solution.
An enchanting story of a dragon that doesn’t know what it is and sets off on a journey of adventure and discovery to find out. Beautifully illustrated in Chinese watercolor, this wonderful read aloud includes information on Chinese dragons (and how they differ from what we usually think of when we think of dragons), Chinese written characters and a picture history of 13 Chinese characters that are central to the story.
Third Sister in the Tao family, Ailin has watched her two older sisters go through the painful process of having their feet bound. In China in 1911, all the women of good families follow this ancient tradition. But Ailin loves to run away from her governess and play games with her male cousins. Knowing she will never run again once her feet are bound, Ailin rebels and refuses to follow this torturous tradition. As a result, however, the family of her intended husband breaks their marriage agreement. And as she enters adolescence, Ailin finds that her family is no longer willing to support her. Chinese society leaves few options for a single woman of good family, but with a bold conviction and an indomitable spirit, Ailin is determined to forge her own destiny. Her story is a tribute to all those women whose courage created new options for the generations who came after them.
In December 1937 the city of Nanking, China, falls to brutal Japanese invaders, and thus begins a compelling drama of widespread chaos and personal courage. Against a backdrop of burning buildings and random atrocities stands Scald Ibis, the teenage daughter of an eminent scholar, who must transform herself completely in order to survive. With her family gone, she is forced to work as a prostitute in a bordello, changing slowly and painfully from a girl into a woman. Her fortunes improve when a Japanese warlord, Hayashi, takes a fancy to her; but her greatest challenge comes with the sudden appearance of her ailing father, whose inner demons threaten both of their lives.