________________ CM . . . . Volume X Number 12. . . . February 13, 2004

cover

The Seven Chinese Sisters.

Kathy Tucker. Illustrated by Grace Lin.
Morton Grove, IL: Albert Whitman (Distributed in Canada by Fitzhenry & Whiteside), 2003.
32 pp., cloth, $25.95.
ISBN 0-8075-7309-4.

Subject Headings:
Sisters-Fiction.
Dragons-Fiction.
China-Fiction.

Preschool-grade 3 / Ages 4-8.

Review by Carolyn Kim.

**1/2 /4

excerpt:

Once upon a time there were seven Chinese sisters who lived together and took care of each other. Each sister had shining black hair and sparkling eyes. Each stood straight and tall, except for Seventh Sister, who was just a baby. But the sisters were very different.

In this retelling of an ancient Chinese folk tale, readers will be delighted to find vivid illustrations that capture a time and place far away, where seven Chinese sisters would have been rare. In The Seven Chinese Sisters, each sister has a special ability or hobby, such as riding a scooter very quickly, knowing karate, counting to five hundred and beyond, talking to dogs, catching balls and cooking.

internal art     Seventh sister, however, is not even old enough to speak, and her special ability is not known yet. Incidentally, she is captured by a dragon and taken away to its cave in a mountain. The story takes an exciting turn when the sisters rally together to save their youngest sibling. Through their adventures, they rescue her and even decide to have compassion on her captor who is a starving, lonely dragon.

     The story line is reminiscent of other retellings such as The Five Chinese Brothers and The Seven Chinese Brothers where each sibling's special talent is utilized to solve a problem. However, it is unlike these stories in the way that, for instance, The Five Chinese Brothers was criticized for stereotyping Chinese people. The Seven Chinese Sisters is a splendidly illustrated story children are sure to enjoy. The patterned drawings by Lin and rich colours lend to the brightly told story. My only criticism would be Second Sister's special ability which is karate. Her ability would have been better if it was a well-known Chinese martial art as karate is known to be from Japan. It would have given the story a more authentic feel.

Recommended.

Carolyn Kim is an MA student in Children's Literature at The University of British Columbia in Vancouver, BC.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

Copyright © the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.
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The Manitoba Library Association
ISSN 1201-9364
Hosted by the University of Manitoba.
 

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