Review by Booklist Review
Ages 5-8. A Chinese girl describes how the members of her family come together to make and fly a dragon kite. Even the girl's two younger sisters help: Mei Mei cuts the whiskers and Jie Jie paints a laughing mouth. The overall simplicity is effective and appealing, and the spare text is accentuated by bright gouache illustrations, in colorful shapes and painted fabric patterns that call up the same strong style Lin used in Dim Sum for Everyone! (2001). The close-up perspective will draw little ones right into the project; the finished dragon kite flies as if «talking to the wind. What do you think he's saying?» Two pages of endnotes provide historical and cultural context for this favorite pastime, and clever endpapers display craft supplies and kite shapes. Julie Cummins.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 3-The parents and three daughters who were introduced in Dim Sum for Everyone! (Knopf, 2001) return this time to shop for supplies and make a dragon kite, which they fly on a windy day. The brief sentence on every spread describes what each family member is doing: "Ba-Ba glues the paper." "Mei-Mei cuts whiskers." Young Mei-Mei's protruding tongue is evidence of her complete absorption in and enjoyment of her task. Patterns in the wallpaper and floor that form the background for the brilliantly colored, flat paintings of family members add visual interest. More patterns appear on Chinese-style jackets and slippers and on the bright-red dragon as well. Lin's signature swirls in the sky along with diagonals of kite string, grassy hill, and kite ribbons; and blowing hair, clothing, and leaves combine to suggest the ideal blustery day for this activity. Front endpapers contain supplies needed to build a kite while the back pages depict different kite creatures and the attributes they symbolize. An author's note offers a brief history of kite flying. Demi's Kites: Magic Wishes That Fly up to the Sky (Knopf, 2000) provides even more information about Chinese kites and their meanings.-Marianne Saccardi, Norwalk Community College, CT (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
With supplies from the craft store, an Asian-American family of five builds a dragon kite together. Double-page spreads show the steps of gluing, cutting, and painting, then the fun of flying the creation. Breezy, vibrant illustrations capture the pull of the wind not only on kite strings but also on the eager children. The minimal text seems an afterthought to the patterned, whimsical art. A brief history of kite flying is appended. From HORN BOOK Fall 2002, (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
A windy day offers the family from Dim Sum for Everyone! (2002) the perfect opportunity to build and fly a kite. Beginning from raw materials, each member takes part in the creation of the flying paper dragon. "Ma-Ma joins sticks together. Ba-Ba glues the paper." The children take turns cutting the whiskers, painting a mouth, and adding colorful eyes. Finally the family attaches a noisemaker and some string. Heading out to a windy field, they send the dragon into the air, watching as it dances across the sky, joining dozens of other kites in flight. Painted illustrations that seem to be cut from brightly colored origami paper fill each page. The bold artwork and simple text with the obvious accompanying activity will interest young readers as they are introduced to this wonderful Chinese tradition. An author's note following the text summarizes the history and significance of kite-flying in the Chinese culture. Endpapers feature illustrations of the materials needed for building a kite and the symbolic meaning of some kite shapes. As cheerful as a breezy summer day. (Picture book. 2-5)
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
