The Sons of the Dragon King: A Chinese Legend
Grade 1-4–According to legend, the Dragon King had nine sons who, after leaving their father's house, seemed to be aimlessly frittering away their days. When the king goes to investigate, he discovers that what appears to be frivolity or laziness is masking a unique talent, and he helps each son to employ his talent productively. For example, because the second son, Chi Wen, constantly stares intently into the distance, he becomes a sentinel. Young then goes on to describe how that young man and his talent are still symbolically reflected in Chinese art and architecture. "And to this day, Chi Wen may still be found at the tops of buildings, a sentinel searching the distance for potential danger." The text is engrossing and includes an informative author's note. The illustrations, rendered in brush, ink, and cut paper, use softly smudged lines for the part of the story focused on the legend, and sharper, cleaner lines augmented by a minimal but dramatically effective use of color for the present-day segments. This elegant addition to folklore shelves should be a first purchase for most libraries.–Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.