Review by Booklist Review
Gr. 4-6, younger for reading aloud. A small, harmless water serpent that is saved from death by a young teen changes into an immense dragon and threatens a poor farmer's life. The farmer's only chance lies in convincing one of his seven daughters to marry the dragon. Readers familiar with fairy tales may guess that the youngest and prettiest daughter, who was the serpent's savior, will agree to the marriage to save her father. In this Chinese variant of "Beauty and the Beast," dragon and girl soar into the night sky and then plunge into a deep sea, where the girl's courage and character are tested again before she discovers that her future husband is a handsome human and ruler of the sea kingdom. After spending some time in her husband's kingdom, she visits her family's home, where both her inner and her outward strength are further tested. Mak's illustrations dramatically combine realism and fantasy. The suspense of the story and the charm of its language should appeal to readers of different ages. A good choice for reading aloud. (Reviewed July 1997)0060243813Karen Morgan
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
For aficionados of the "Beauty and the Beast" theme, this Southern Chinese adaptation of a traditional Chinese tale gains notability through Yep's (Dragonwings) elegant, carefully crafted storytelling. Seven, the seventh and youngest daughter of a poor farmer, consents to marry a dragon in order to save her father's life. The courageous girl soon perceives a strange beauty beneath the dragon's ferocity. Touching his cheek, she says, "I know the loom and stove and many ordinary things, but my hand has never touched wonder." The dragon then dances, "curling his powerful body as easily as a giant golden ribbon" and spins until he becomes "a column of light, and from the light stepped a handsome prince." An original twist involves an attempt by Seven's vindictive sister, Three, to usurp her riches and position. In contrast to Yep's fluent prose, Mak's visual imagery appears disjointed. Incongruously lifelike representations of the characters tend to chafe against the narrative's fantasy elements rather than ushering readers through the magical journey. Although skillfully and radiantly rendered (especially one painting of the dragon's watery home, with fish and kelp in the foreground), the illustrations adorn rather than enrich this alluring tale. Ages 5-8. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 1-5Yep presents a polished, touching retelling of a story he calls "a Southern Chinese version of a traditional Chinese tale." When a poor farmer falls into the clutches of a dragon, he begs each of his seven daughters to save him from death by marrying the horrifying creature. At last, the youngest consents. The dragon carries Seven (the daughters are named in birth order, following Chinese tradition) to his home under the sea. Far from being frightened, Seven is full of wonder. When she tells the dragon, "The eye sees what it will, but the heart sees what it should," the monster turns into a handsome prince. They live happily until Seven longs to return home. There, her jealous third sister tries to drown her and takes her place as mistress of the dragon's palace. Then the Prince must go searching for his lost bride. Lavish, hyperrealistic paintings appear opposite each page of text, with two wordless double-page spreads interspersed. However, few of the paintings begin to capture the shivery wonder of the narrative. Most are too literal to illuminate the mood of the story, and leave little scope for the imagination. In the version included in Betsy Hearne's Beauties and Beasts (Oryx, 1993), the monster bridegroom is a snake. Here, the snake transforms itself into a dragon, increasing the excitement and danger. Still, Yep's version of this romantic adventure celebrates resilience and understanding.Margaret A. Chang, North Adams State College, MA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
In an old Chinese version of the classic fairy tale, a daughter who is as dutiful as she is talented in embroidery agrees to marry a terrifying dragon. After it turns into the requisite handsome prince, one of Beauty's jealous sisters tries to kill her and take her place, but the dragon-prince knows she's not his wife. Lush, photorealistic paintings match the mood of the story. From HORN BOOK 1997, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
The subtitle says all: A dragon ambushes a poor farmer and promises to eat the unfortunate man unless one of the farmer's seven daughters marries him. Six daughters run away in fear, but Seven can't bear to see her father suffer and consents to marry the dragon. Seven is not afraid of the dragon; she finds him beautiful and tells him so. At that the dragon transforms into a handsome prince and the two are very happy together until Seven begins to grow homesick. During a visit to her family, her real troubles begin--one of her sisters is jealous of Seven's match. She gets rid of Seven and returns to the prince in her sister's place, but the prince's heart is not fooled. Yep tells the tale with colorful descriptions and repeated refrains, while Mak's splendid, realistic paintings, in dark jewel tones bordered with white, extend the text elegantly--the scene of the dragon flying over Chinese tile roofs is especially beautiful. (Picture book/folklore. 5-8)
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
