Materials from Asia
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF CHINA. Playing, exercising, resting under a lotus tree: the things happening in an ordinary park on an ordinary morning. Early morning, and a community is coming to life. Children are playing, an artist is painting, people are exercising and meditating. Each page in this lovely picure book presents a snap-shot, and a final foldout spread collects them all to give a panorama of daily life in China. Hu yong Yi’s paintings are saturated with color and rich in life and feeling.
In 1940, Chiune Sugihara-a Japanese diplomat stationed in Lithuania-risked his life to issue thousands of exit visas to Jewish refugees fleeing from the Nazis. Seen through the eyes of his son, Hiroki, who was five years old at the time, this moving story shows how one person can truly make a difference.
A children’s retelling of the epic story from India and Southeast Asia. Rama marries beautiful Sita, but Ravana, the 10-headed, 20-armed Demon King, falls in love with her, too. He captures her and takes her in his chariot to the Demon Kingdom, Lanka. Rama has to find a way to rescue Sita, and he seeks the help of the monkey general Hanuman, and Jambuvan, the King of the Bears. Rama, his brother Lakshman, and the band of monkeys and bears battle their way to the Kingdom of the Demons. With the help of the fish, they build a bridge to cross the sea and find Sita locked in Hanuman’s tower, guarded by demonesses. After a final, terrible battle, the Demon King is defeated and Rama and Sita are reunited. The touching ritual at the heart of the Hindu festival of Diwali features the lighting of earthen lamps, called “divas,” which celebrate Rama’s and Sita’s return home.
Even though he has only one leg, Niya Moto is studying to be a samurai, and his five fellow-students are similarly burdened, but sensei Ki-Yaga, an ancient but legendary warrior, teaches them not only physical skills but mental and spiritual ones as well, so that they are well-equipped to face their most formidable opponents at the annual Samurai Games.
Here is the real-life story about the fourth child in a family torn apart by China’s Cultural Revolution. After the death of both of her parents, Ting-xing and her siblings endure brutal Red Guard attacks on their schools and even in their home. At the age of sixteen, Ting-xing is sent to a prison farm far from the world she knows, where she survives for six years. Eventually, people leave the countryside, and Ting-xing passes the entrance exam for Beijing University, the only person in the prison camp to do so.
This series introduces young readers to the diverse cultures and peoples of different countries around the world.
Festivals of the World offers a colorful introduction to the festivals and cultures of countries around the world.
Festivals of the World offers a colorful introduction to the festivals and cultures of countries around the world.
This series introduces young readers to the diverse cultures and peoples of different countries around the world.
This series introduces young readers to the diverse cultures and peoples of different countries around the world.