Customer Reviews

The Great Race

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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The Great Race: The Story of the Chinese Zodiac is a picturebook retelling of an ancient Chinese legend of how their annual calendar came to be. The Jade Emperor decreed a grand race between the animals to determine the order of the years. Thirteen animals raced, but the rat, eager to be first, tricked the unfortunate cat into missing the finish line completely - as a result, the rat and the cat remain worst enemies to this very day! Playful color illustrations by Anne Wilson add an enthusiastic touch to this adventurous narrative, rounded out with fun facts about the Chinese calendar and Chinese astrology.

I purchased this boook for use in a Third grade unit on China. I ended up using it with my Kindergarten and First grade social studies classes as well. It's a little wordy in parts for the very young children but can be easily abridged without losing the context of the story.

I bought this so my daughters could better understand the Chinese zodiac and all the animals. it has a great story that is very understandable to them (ages 2 and 4) and the pictures are great too. highly recommended.

Cute story about the Chinese Zodiac and why the cat is not in the calendar. Fun illustations. My daughter who is 5, enjoys this book.

I teach preschoolers and this is a fun story for Chinese New Year. It's a fun version of the legend of the origin of the Chinese Zodiac and why years are named after animals. Children can act out the animals in the story or imitate their voices. It is a bit wordy for younger groups but you can shorten the way you tell it if you need to. After the story, it's fun to play some Chinese music and do a celebratory dance for the New Year!