Dragon Kite of the Autumn Moon [Library Binding]

Valerie Reddix (Author), Mou-Sien Tseng (Illustrator), Jean Tseng (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1992 | Age Level: 4 and up

When Tad-Tin's grandfather gets sick right before Kite's Day, leaving Tad-Tin's kite unfinished, the boy must use his birth kite and agonizes over the fact that he has to let go of the string, even if it will bring good luck.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Each year, Tin looks forward to Kite's Day, when he and his grandfather fly a homemade kite and, as Taiwanese custom dictates, cut it free at nightfall with the exhortation, "Go now and carry all our misfortune away." This year, though, Tin's grandfather is ill and there is no new kite to fly. Convinced that the tradition could help the old man get well, Tin decides to go alone and fly his special dragon kite--the one his grandfather made when he was born, and which has always hung above his bed. It's a great sacrifice, for traditionally the kites must be burned when they fall back to earth. But this is no ordinary kite, and this is no ordinary night. When Tin cuts it loose, the kite comes to life, sweeping away with a laugh and leaving behind a grandfather restored to health. This exhilarating and touching parable tells of a boy with a generous heart, and the special magic that sometimes happens when moonlight and love conspire. Reddix's narrative unwinds as smoothly as Tin's spool of twine. Like the wind that buoys the kite, the Tsengs' meticulous, glowing watercolors--brimming with authentic detail--give wings to this uncommon picture book. Ages 5-up.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 3-- Every autumn in Taiwan, Grandfather made a kite that he and Tad-Tin would fly to celebrate Kite's Day. At festivities' end, he would always cut the string and release itinto the starry skies, to carry away all misfortune. But this year the elderly man lies ill, the kite unfinished. There is, however, an exquisite dragon kite, with life seeming to glow from within, that Grandfather made when Tin was born. Tin decides he must fly and release it, knowing that to do so will result in its destruction. Instead, with a soft, rumbling laugh, it soars away over the mountains. Tin then rushes home to find his grandfather sitting up and ready for him with an embrace--and a soft, rumbling laugh. By changing perspective and softening colors, the Tsengs have created a dragon of reds, greens, purples, and golds that bursts with life by tale's end. The warm browns and rose hues of the interior scenes contrast with the green fields and purple-blue night skies of outside settings. While attractive, these pictures are not as appealing as those the Tsengs have done for Chinese folk tales. The faces, in particular, are often awkward. Although marred by its overly sentimental tone and its ending that stretches credibility, this story could be used with Wallace's Chin Chiang and the Dragon's Dance , (McElderry, 1984), also about a Chinese boy, his grandfather, a dragon, and a festival--although with a markedly different theme. --Diane S. Marton, Arlington County Library, VA
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Library Binding: 1 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers (April 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688110312
• ISBN-13: 978-0688110314
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 9.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,791,884 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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