Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Reading Time
    • Home
    • Reviews
      • Highly Recommended
      • CBCA Short Listed
      • Early Childhood Books
      • Younger Readers
      • Intermediate Readers
      • Older Readers
      • ANZAC books
      • Great Read Alouds
      • Information Books
      • LGBTQIA+
      • Picture Books
      • Professional Development
    • Interviews
    • Suggestions
    • News
    • Meet The Review Team
    • Contact Us
    Reading Time
    You are at:Home»Reviews»Picture Books»Two Enchanted Tales from Old China

    Two Enchanted Tales from Old China

    0
    By Admin on November 8, 2017 Picture Books

    Gabrielle Wang (text),  David Allan (illus.),  Two Enchanted Tales from Old China,  Christmas Press,  Sept 2017,  32pp.,  $17.99 (pbk),  ISBN: 9780994528025

    In the final installment of the Two Enchanted Tales series, ancient Chinese folklore is the focus. Readers are treated to two magical tales — The Weaver Girl and the Cowherd and The Magic Fishbones — that tell stories of young love and a girl who becomes the belle of the ball. In gorgeous retellings, complemented by elegant illustrations, Two Enchanted Tales from Old China is another Christmas Press book to treasure.

    In The Weaver Girl and the Cowherd, love finds a way to conquer all in the celestial world. When two stars fall in love, the Heavenly Empress separates them for good. But the young maiden finds her true love on Earth and they are reunited. All is well in the mortal world until the Empress wants the maiden back and creates a divide that keeps the two apart, again allowing them to meet only one day each year. Two stars in the Milky Way are named after the protagonists in the story: Vega, the weaver girl and Altair, the cowherd.

    The Magic Fishbones is a Cinderella story set in ancient China. With the help of a magical fish, the young heroine becomes transformed in time for the Winter Solstice Festival and captures the heart of the king. When she’s discovered, however, she rushes home and loses her golden shoe on the way. The king eventually finds her and makes her his queen, while the power of the magical fish imparts great wealth on them.

    These two wonderful stories bring young readers a taste of classical folk tales complete with old world charm and fable-like lessons. While some scenes feel a bit mature for the youngest readers, the stories are beautifully told and are an interesting contrast to modern storytelling. The soft illustrations are perfectly suited to the stories and, together with the gorgeous font, create a beautiful book cover to cover.

    Reviewed by Stephanie Ward

    Related Posts

    Enough Love?

    A Human for Kingsley

    Bear and Rat

    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    • Themes
    • Curriculum
    Action adventure Airplanes Alphabet Anxiety autism Bullying CBCA Awards Coming of age Dystopian emotions family fantasy friendship grief Historical humour magic Mystery Post apocalyptic Readers Cup reluctant readers school Sci-Fi series of books siblings Sport Starting school Teacher Notes
    ANZAC Australian animals Australian history Biography Culture & Diversity Disabilities First Nations Geography health Humanities mental health Poetry Reconciliation resilience Science STEM Stolen Generation sustainability Wordless books



    Recent Comments
    • Cherie on Elephant Island
    • Patricia Tilton on Freddy the Not-Teddy
    • Jilanne Hoffmann on Freddy the Not-Teddy
    • Penelope Pratley on The Secret of Sapling Green
    • Emily Flint on Walk of the Whales
    Recent Posts
    • The Ghost Locket
    • The Ghost Locket
    • Enough Love?
    • Wonderful Shoes
    • A Human for Kingsley
    Recent Comments
    • Cherie on Elephant Island
    • Patricia Tilton on Freddy the Not-Teddy
    • Jilanne Hoffmann on Freddy the Not-Teddy
    • Penelope Pratley on The Secret of Sapling Green
    • Emily Flint on Walk of the Whales
    © Copyright 2021 The Children’s Book Council of Australia - All rights reserved

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    Posting....