Review by Booklist Review
Gr. 4-6. Beautifully rendered art illustrates these picture-book-size retellings of well-known Chinese stories, which are available in English as well as several in bilingual versions: English/Spanish, English/Chinese, and English/Vietnamese. The Monkey King, like Coyote or Anansi, is crafty, sly, and full of self-importance. In this tale, the second in a series, he takes a powerful wand from the Dragon King and challenges Heaven and the Jade Emperor. Translucent layers of shimmering color and figures echoing traditional Chinese painting fill the pages. Shepard retells a popular story in Chinese opera, the tale of Lady White Snake, a serpent that becomes a human woman for love, only to be betrayed by her spouse. Richly patterned images that call up Chinese and Japanese sources, as well as impressionism, bring this version to life for older readers. Children who eagerly watched the movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon will recognize the fierce grace in Lady White Snake's swordplay, a grace evident even while she's pregnant. Notes at the back talk about Chinese opera stories, costumes, and actors, as well as the geography and cultural content of the tale. --GraceAnne A. DeCandido
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-4-Monkey King is trouble from the start. Not content with his little kingdom of Flower Fruit Mountain, he sets out to get himself a weapon of conquest. He finds one in Ruyi, a golden staff that adjusts its size on the whim of the owner. Unfortunately, the staff is the property of the Dragon King, and its theft by the Monkey King sends the owner up to Heaven to complain. The Jade Emperor of Heaven attempts to intercede, resulting in the chaos of the title. Only the all-wise Buddha can control the obstreperous Monkey King, and it is he who finally intercedes to bring peace. This retelling of a Chinese folktale is written in workmanlike, pedestrian prose in both languages. The telling is straightforward, making sound use of dialogue, but lacks pizzazz. This, along with the length of the text, makes it best suited for independent reading. Ma's detailed pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations, painted in soft, clear hues, are attractive and help to balance the rather small, dense typeface. For those who have purchased Robert Kraus and Debby Chen's The Making of Monkey King (Pan Asian, 1998), this companion story may be popular. It can serve as part of a comparative unit about tricksters, looking, for example, at the Native American Coyote in Janet Stevens's Coyote Steals the Blanket (Holiday, 1993) or Paul Goble's "Iktomi" stories (Orchard). However, for general reading, it's strictly an additional purchase. (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.
