Simonds, Nina, et al. 2002. MOONBEAMS, DUMPLINGS, & DRAGON BOATS: A TREASURY OF CHINESE HOLIDAY TALES, ACTIVITIES & RECIPES. Ill. by Meilo So. San Diego: Harcourt. ISBN 0152019839.

This compilation of traditional stories, legends, folklore, recipes, and suggestions for engaging multicultural activities is a readable resource and a visual treat. The book covers five major holidays and is divided into four sections covering a full year of festivals: Chinese New Year and the Lantern Festival in late winter; Qing Ming and the Cold Foods Festival of spring; the Dragon Boat Festival of summer; and the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival. Each holiday is explored with a brief history and an explanation of traditional holiday customs, a story, and two-three craft activities and recipes for customary holiday foods.

Recipes are given for Rabbit-in-the-Moon cookies, fresh spring rolls, tea eggs, sweet rice balls, and more. Instructions for crafts cover Chinese shuttlecocks, kites, bamboo clackers, paper pinwheels and lanterns, and a shadow puppet theater. The book also includes a guide to the pronunciation of Chinese words, a listing of the animals of the Chinese zodiac, notes about the Chinese lunar calendar, further resources for adults and young readers, and internet sites of interest.

The watercolor and ink illustrations by award-winning artist Meilo So are lively and bright, full of color and whimsy. Many pictures feature children and families enjoying holiday traditions together. Calligraphy by So Hing Bun gives an added dimension throughout the book as headings are given in both English typeface and Chinese characters.

Reviews and Awards

Publishers Weekly: “Step-by-step illustrations aid in food preparation or crafts such as New Year Prints or Good Luck Characters in this elegantly designed volume. “

School Library Journal: “Moonbeams is a useful, visually appealing addition to any holiday collection.”

Booklist: “Attractively designed, the pages include plenty of white space, creating a fine background for So's brilliantly colored, stylized paintings.”

Connections

This volume is an excellent resource for multicultural classroom units or library story programs to celebrate Chinese New Year. I’ve personally used the tale of “Dongfang and the Festival of Lanterns” numerous times by using enlarged color copies of the illustrations as flannel board pictures to accompany an abridged story text. After the story, the children make paper lanterns, we munch pre-cooked sweet rice balls, and then hold a little Parade of Lanterns around the Children’s Library.

Sierra, Judy. 2000. THE GIFT OF THE CROCODILE: A CINDERELLA STORY. Ill. by Reynold Ruffins. New York: Simon & Schuster.

In this Indonesian Spice Island version of the Cinderella story, a girl named Damura escapes her cruel stepmother and stepsister to marry a handsome prince with the help of Grandmother Crocodile. In an unusual twist, after Damura becomes a princess, her jealous stepfamily members push her into the river where she is swallowed by a crocodile. An angry Grandmother Crocodile forces the guilty one to “spit her out right now!” Naturally, Grandmother Crocodile brings Damura back to life and all ends well, with Damura and her prince raising a happy family together.

As a variant of the Cinderella fairy tale, this story exemplifies the rags to riches theme of the good-natured heroine and embodies the human desire to escape everyday drudgery and find true love. The Gift of the Crocodile features many traditional motifs: the cruel stepmother/stepsister; the supernatural benefactor/mentor; the beautiful new clothing magically provided; the time limit; the lost slipper; the prince’s quest; the “surprise” of the perfectly fitting slipper; and the splendid wedding celebration. The story adheres to the usual Cinderella tale formula which contains mostly strong female characters, follows the customary story pattern and narrative structure, compresses time - “a year passed, several years passed,” and ends predictably with the happy couple living together “for many years in great splendor and happiness.”

Reynold Ruffins’ illustrations are as bold and colorful as Indonesian formal dress. Painted using acrylics on watercolor paper, the pictures vary in size between full two-page spreads to small silhouettes accompanying blocks of text. The houses, boats, palm trees, parrots, clothing designs, and dance steps are authentically depicted, giving readers a glimpse of traditional Indonesian culture. The emotions of the story characters are clearly conveyed by expressive body position and facial expression, even the stinky baby crocodile seems to be grinning mischievously as it nips the stepsister’s fingers.

Reviews and Awards

Booklist: “a storytelling treat.”

School Library Journal: “Sierra's retelling is strong and fun to read aloud. A fine addition to the groaning shelf of Cinderella stories.”

Publishers Weekly: Ruffins's primitivist acrylic art… creates a visual syncopation. Even with an abundance of available Cinderella stories, this version is memorably vivid.”

Connections

This particular version of the Cinderella story seems to lend itself well to performance or readers theater. The well-known plot is easy to reenact and could be quite humorous with the addition of the stinky baby crocodile and the regurgitation incident. Colorful printed fabric lengths are all that’s needed for the sarong costumes and headwraps. With a little adaptation and a few dress rehearsals, upper elementary or middle school students could easily perform this traditional tale on stage for younger students who would enjoy it immensely.

Author Judy Sierra has also gathered versions of tradition tales from around the world that resemble the stories of “The Three Little Pigs,” “Rumpelstiltskin,” “The Frog Prince,” and “Hansel and Gretel” featured in her book, CAN YOU GUESS MY NAME? : TRADITIONAL TALES AROUND THE WORLD. Ill. by Stefano Vitale. (2002, Clarion Books).

Goble, Paul. 2003. MYSTIC HORSE. New York: Harper Collins. ISBN 0060298138

In this picture book version of a traditional tale, Goble retells the story of young boy who is rewarded for his generosity and bravery, earning the name Piraski Resaru, Boy Chief. The legend is based on the oral traditions of the Pawnee people of the Nebraska and northern Kansas region. The tale illustrates the spiritual connection between people and animals and shows how kindness and generosity is rewarded.

While travelling on a buffalo hunt, a poor Pawnee boy and his grandmother discover an old abandoned horse, sad and sickly. The boy takes good care of the horse and nurses him back to health. When a rival group threatens the tribe’s herds, the horse speaks to the boy, advising him to count coup on the enemy four times with a willow branch. Following the horse’s instructions, the boy demonstrates his bravery and earns the admiration of the tribe’s warriors. But, caught up in the excitement, the boy ignores the horse’s instructions and tries to count coup a fifth time. The horse is pierced by an enemy arrow and dies. The boy is devastated and remorseful.

The boy’s regret and humility earn the mercy of the Pawnee god Tirawahat, who enables the horse to return to life, endowed with the mystical ability to bring together a herd of spirited horses of every color, “beautiful bays, chestnuts, shiny blacks, whites, grays, and paints.” The mystic horse brings enough horses to enrich the boy and his grandmother and to provide for other tribal members in need.

This tale follows the traditional formula of a kind person offering help or performing a good deed and being rewarded by an animal that possesses a special helping power, which brings about a well-deserved change in the protagonist’s circumstances. The main character is simple and straightforward, even while making typically human mistakes, and follows by honestly admitting and regretting his/her error. This purity of character is found worthy, earning success and happiness. The humble hero(ine) remains in character, forgiving those who acted wrongly and sharing the reward unselfishly. Despite being predictable, the story’s resolution is still satisfying.

Goble’s white-outline pen and India ink illustrations are distinctive and detailed. Painted with watercolor and gouache, the artwork complements and extends the story, accurately depicting Pawnee designs, clothing, and customs. The book’s images of the Great Plains landscapes authentically show the ecological environment of the native Pawnee people.

Endpaper illustrations depict the Pawnee belief that Spirit horses, the Arusa, travel from the spirit world every season to replenish the wild horse herds. The Kingfisher bird, Rikutski, leads the horses in his role as the messenger who passes between worlds.

References for this legend and the illustrations as well as background information on Plains Indian culture is included in the book’s front matter. More information on this aspect of the book can be found in an interview with editor Cori Trudeau published in the online journal The Five Owls, in which Paul Goble relates details of his research for Mystic Horse and his other Great Plains Native American tales (http://www.fiveowls.com/goble.htm).

Reviews and Awards

Kirkus Starred review: “Goble's storytelling is superb; his illustrations extraordinary and filled with fascinating detail. From an exceptional talent: a sure classic.”

Booklist: “The ink, watercolor, and gouache paintings make full use of color, texture, and form, both in the minutely detailed naturalistic flora and fauna and in the exquisite abstract patterning. A lovely rhythm makes the story good for reading aloud.”

School Library Journal: “Powerful, evocative endpapers showing surging horses, winging their way across raging seas and starry skies, draw readers into the spirit world of the Pawnee.”

Connections

This book could be used in a history or social studies unit on Plains Indian culture with elementary students or included in studies of traditional literature for high school students.

For creative writing, students could chose a magical story animal and describe what supernatural powers it might possess.

Other books by Paul Goble:

THE GIRL WHO LOVED WILD HORSES. 1978. New York: Simon & Schuster. *

*1979 Caldecott Medal Winner

THE GIFT OF THE SACRED DOG. 1982. New York: Simon & Schuster.

STAR BOY. 1991. New York: Simon & Schuster.

BUFFALO WOMAN. 1984. New York: Simon & Schuster.

DREAM WOLF. 1990. New York: Bradbury Press.