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Summary
Summary
With gorgeous illustrations based on Chinese painting techniques, a lively retelling of the legendary animals' race that led to the twelve signs on the Chinese Zodiac.
Long ago in ancient China, the Jade Emperor, ruler of heaven and earth, proclaimed a mighty race, saying that the first twelve animals to cross the river would have a year named after them. When the gong rings out, Tiger leaps in the river, followed by peaceful Rabbit clutching a log. Rat and Cat climb on Ox's back, and Dog splashes in the shallows while Rooster finds a raft and takes clever Monkey and gentle Goat on board. Snake hitches a ride in Horse's mane, powerful Dragon flies over the river, and Pig plays happily in the mud. But thirteen animals are racing for only twelve places on the Zodiac. Who will be honest, and who devious? Who will help friends along the way? Who will come first -- and who will miss out?
Author Notes
Gabrielle Wang is an award-winning author and illustrator of Chinese heritage who was born in Melbourne. Her great-grandfather went to Australia in 1853 during the gold rush. She lives in Australia.
Sally Rippin was born in Australia, but grew up in Southeast Asia. As a young woman, she spent three years studying traditional brush and ink painting in Shanghai and Hangzhou. She has written and illustrated many award-winning books for children. She lives in Australia.
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2-When the Jade Emperor summons the animals to a mighty race, Courageous Tiger, Peaceful Rabbit, and 11 other animals set out, eager to win a place in the Zodiac calendar. Charming Rat climbs aboard Kind Ox's broad back with his friend, Friendly Cat. Midway across the river, though, Rat pushes Cat overboard and wins first place. Powerful Dragon proves to be kindhearted, pausing to make drought-ending rain and blow Rabbit ashore. Lucky Rooster, Clever Monkey, and Gentle Goat find a raft and help one another across. Happy Pig eats 'til her tummy is as big as a balloon, falls asleep, and floats across the river and receives the last place in the Zodiac. Poor Cat drags herself ashore and loses out, which is why cats still hate rats. The illustrations, created using Chinese ink, linocuts, and digital media, are in warm, earthy shades of brown, gray, and green with emphatic black lines. End material offers more description of the Chinese Zodiac. This high-spirited version of the story, with its large font and lively pace, will delight a large audience of young readers.-Marilyn Taniguchi, Beverly Hills Public Library, CA (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
In a story first published in Australia, Wang retells a folktale that explains both the origin of the Chinese zodiac and the historical enmity between cats and rats. The Jade Emperor, a figure from Chinese myth, promises to name a year after each of the first 12 animals to cross the river. Rat and Cat, intimate friends, conspire to ride across on the head of the Ox. " 'We're winning!' cried Rat. When Cat stood up to look, Rat pushed her into the water." Rat's deed means Cat falls behind and doesn't get a year named after her; after that, "to this very day, cats have hated rats." Rippin's traditional ink painting acknowledges the story's Asian origins. Graceful black lines are brushed on backgrounds in warm shades of tortoiseshell, burgundy, smoke gray, and glass-bottle green. The action, shown in close-up portraits of the individual animals, is easy to decipher, while the story is lucidly and simply told. The Chinese zodiac determines personality based on the year, rather than the month, of one's birth; an afterword gives the characteristics traditionally associated with each year. Ages 5-9. (Nov.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
The ancient Jade Emperor tells thirteen animals that they will race; the "first twelve animals to cross the river" will have a year named after them. The animals line up and, each in its own unique fashion, cross the river. The Chinese-ink, linocut, and digital-media illustrations are exuberant and fluid, evoking mood and furthering the whimsical tone of this retelling. (c) Copyright 2014. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
The oft-retold story of how the Chinese astrological symbols came to occupy their places. The Jade Emperor majestically rings his gong, and the race begins. Twelve animals will be honored. In this Australian import, each animal receives a brief description of its significant character traits, which have as much to do with success as speed. Powerful Dragon, though he stops along the way to help "people and animals suffering from a terrible drought," slowing him down, is awarded the fifth year. The cooperative natures of Gentle Goat, Clever Monkey and Lucky Rooster, the playful nature of Faithful Dog and the lazy disposition of Happy Pig are evidenced in the terse but descriptive text. Ironically, while Charming Rat and Friendly Cat (previously pals) ride on Kind Ox, the not-really-so-charming rodent pushes the innocent feline off Ox into the river and out of the zodiac forever, thus setting cats against rats for all time. It's nothing very original, but illustrations incorporating Chinese ink, linocuts and digital media in browns, oranges and greens are handsome, and each animal is named in maroon rectangles inscribed in white, looking as if they were produced with Chinese seals. There is no background information, but readers born from 1924 to 2043 can consult the list at the end and discover their zodiacal characters. While not an essential purchase, this could easily join the ever-growing flock of attractive picture books about the Chinese zodiac. (Picture book/folk tale. 5-8)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
With elegant simplicity, Wang and Rippin tell the story of 13 animals competing for 12 spots in the Chinese zodiac, after the Jade Emperor challenges them to a race across the river. Each page spread presents one or a group of creatures as they race some fast and some slow; some honestly and some with tricks to reach the opposite riverbank. Rippin smoothly combines inky brushstrokes, linocuts, and earth-toned digital media to depict the creatures of the myth. Wang's text describes each animal's character and approach to responding to the Jade Emperor's challenge in large, engaging font that will likely quickly engage emerging readers. The lively story and the striking illustrations, reminiscent of traditional Chinese painting, point to fable-like lessons about friendship, laziness, trickery, and teamwork. Pair this with Ed Young's Cat and Rat (1995) and Marie Sellier's What the Rat Told Me (2009) for a Chinese-folklore-themed storytime, or share it with older students for an accessible and engaging model of fable writing.--Goldsmith, Francisca Copyright 2010 Booklist