The Magical Monkey King: Mischief in Heaven
Grade 2-6-One of the best-loved figures in Chinese popular culture  is the trickster Monkey King. Early traditional stories about  him coalesced into Wu Cheng-en's 16th-century epic novel Journey  to the West, which uses 100 chapters to chronicle the  insouciant, courageous hero's adventures. In this engaging  version of his story, Jiang begins with Monkey's birth on the  Mountain of Flowers and Fruits. After proving himself to the  monkey tribe, who choose him as their king, Monkey tries to  learn the secret of immortality, travels under the sea to steal  a powerful weapon from the Dragon King, and wreaks havoc at the  heavenly court of the Jade Emperor. Only Buddha can stop his  mischief, and does so in a scene that works as exciting action  and profound metaphor. Lively, colloquial language distinguishes  this telling, and Su-Kennedy's black-and-white woodcuts enhance  the action. Jiang's format serves the old tale better than the  two picture-book retellings currently available, Ed Young's  Monkey King (HarperCollins, 2001) and Robert Kraus and Debby  Chen's The Making of Monkey King (Pan Asian, 1998). David  Kherdian's Monkey: A Journey to the West (Shambhala, 1992)  abridges the entire story for adults and is accessible to middle  and high school students. Jiang's is the best version for  elementary school students, and libraries will want it as a good  story for younger fantasy lovers, whether or not it is used as  an introduction to authentic Chinese literature.Margaret A.  Chang, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, North AdamsCopyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.