Henry & The Kite Dragon [Hardcover]

Bruce Edward Hall (Author), William Low (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 6 and up | Grade Level: 1 and up

Everyone knows that kids from Chinatown don't go to the park when the kids from Little Italy are there. They're rough, they're big, and they don't like Chinese kids. That's okay-Henry doesn't like them, either.

But what Henry does like are kites. He loves them. Even more, he loves to help his friend Grandfather Chin make them, and fly them over Chinatown and the park. But when Tony Guglione and his friends from Little Italy keep throwing rocks and destroying their beautiful creations, Henry and his friends decide enough is enough!

In this touching story based on true 1920's events, two rival groups of children representing two different cultures come face to face, and when they do, they find they share much more than just the same sky.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 4–Henry Chu lives in New York City's Chinatown in the 1920s. He loves everything about it, from eating tasty dumplings to making and flying kites with his neighbor, Grandfather Chin. One day when Grandfather's spectacular butterfly kite is chasing a pigeon, Tony Guglione and his friends from Little Italy throw rocks at it and destroy it. Then they ruin his magnificent caterpillar. When they attack Grandfather's dragon kite, Henry and his companions confront them. The children almost come to blows, but when the dragon appears in the sky, again chasing a pigeon, the root of the discord comes to light. Tony and his pals raise homing pigeons, and the kites are frightening their pets. A compromise is reached–kites fly in the morning, birds in the afternoon–and new friendships are formed. Hall's story includes descriptions and details that ground it firmly in time and place, and the plot serves as an excellent vehicle for discussing how seeing things from someone else's perspective is essential for peaceful relations. Low's heavily textured and brilliantly colored kites soar across the pages with energy and grace. This gentle and satisfying tale, which is particularly effective for group sharing, will be widely appreciated.–Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

PreS-Gr. 2. Eight-year-old Henry lives in New York City's Chinatown, the "three tiny streets" next to the Little Italy neighborhood. He and his friends love to visit the kite maker, Grandfather Chin, to help him paste and paint the kites, which Grandfather Chin flies from his roof in dramatic swoops, sometimes chasing pigeons. Then some boys from Little Italy begin to throw rocks that destroy the kites. Henry wants to fight, but Grandfather Chin prefers to resist quietly by continuing to fly kites of increasing glory. Finally, Henry confronts the boys, and learns that they keep pet pigeons--the very birds that Grandfather Chin has chased with his kites. Together, the children work out a deal for air space: kites in the morning; pet pigeons in the afternoon. Hall's messages about compromise and tolerance weigh a bit heavily, but, in Henry's young voice, he tells an engaging story about a vibrant community, which is beautifully captured in Low's detailed, dramatic paintings. For more about the neighborhood, suggest Kam Mak's My Chinatown (2001). Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Philomel (June 3, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399237275
• ISBN-13: 978-0399237270
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #417,606 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #80 in Books > Literature & Fiction > United States > Asian American

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Book!, June 29, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Henry & The Kite Dragon (Hardcover)

Henry and his best friend Thelma Fung live in Chinatown, New York and help a kind old man make kites. However, Tony Guglioni and his gang of friends of Little Italy, who don't like Chinese people, keep destroying their kites with rocks. Finally, Henry has had enough. He gathers his friends and meets Tony's gang head-on. But there may be more than one reason they are throwing rocks...

With a realistic, non-violent ending and gorgeous paintings, this book is a amazing, unique read. Review by Sarah

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful!, July 19, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Henry & The Kite Dragon (Hardcover)

The illustrations in this book are beautiful--sweeping, lush paintings that are contemporary and classic at the same time. A nice break from all the "cartoony" books for children out there. A nice message, too.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BEAUTIFUL Story!!, September 9, 2010

By 

Dr. Michele - See all my reviews

This review is from: Henry & The Kite Dragon (Hardcover)

I just read this book to my 4 year old and oh my goodness! What a tremendously beautiful book in every way! The illustrations were gorgeous and the story itself was unbelievably touching. What an incredible lesson in "not everything is as it seems," as well as acceptance, friendship, and respect for all things. I have only ever reviewed one more book but I was so touched by this I had to share my opinion with others. A MUST HAVE!!