Kongi and Potgi: A Cinderella Story from China [Hardcover]

Stephanie Plunkett (Author), Oki S. Han (Illustrator)

Book Description

Although Kongi is treated unfairly by her stepmother and stepsister, she proves she is worthy to become the Prince's bride.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 3-Beautiful Kongi, a farmer's daughter, endures the mocking of her stepsister while patiently bearing her stepmother's unreasonable demands and impossible tasks. Helpful animals come to Kongi's rescue, and a flock of splendid angels produces a gown, embroidered slippers, and a sedan chair to carry her to the palace where the prince is choosing a bride. The plot resembles the familiar Perrault story, but the tone is sweeter, for stepmother and stepsister are forgiven and reformed in the end. According to the jacket flap, Han heard the story from her father when she was a child in Seoul; no other source is given. A note describes some aspects of pre-20th century Korean rural life. A version in Frances Carpenter's Tales of a Korean Grandmother (Tuttle, 1972) resolves the stepsisters' rivalry without a prince or slipper. Han and Plunkett present the story in a straightforward style, eschewing the verbal and visual embellishments of Shirley Climo's The Korean Cinderella (HarperCollins, 1993). Han's glowing watercolor illustrations are more specific and less cluttered than those in the earlier picture book. Well-designed scenes illuminate setting and character, while authentic details-chests, baskets, and sewing tools-invite viewers into Kongi's world. Useful for comparison with Cinderella stories from other parts of the world, the book would make an interesting contrast to Nina Jaffe's Older Brother, Younger Brother (Viking, 1995).
Margaret A. Chang, North Adams State College, MA
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Ages 4^-8. In many Western versions of the Cinderella story, the poor girl is alone in a cruel world until the fairy godmother comes to her rescue. In this Korean story, the community--the village people and the animals and spirits who help Kongi with her tasks and with her costume for the prince's ball--is much more of a presence. There is also more reconciliation here: the cruel stepmother and her daughter, Potgi, do make Kongi do backbreaking work, and they do try to prevent her from attending the ball; but after the triumphant climax when the slipper fits and the prince claims her as his bride, the stepmother and her daughter are ashamed of themselves, and Kongi forgives them. Han's richly detailed watercolors give a strong sense of the Korean landscape, the rural household, and the outdoor marketplace; and the paintings show that the animals and spirits that help Kongi are a harmonious part of the human world. Young children will enjoy the story; older ones might like to compare this with other versions, old and new. Hazel Rochman --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Dial (November 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803715722
• ISBN-13: 978-0803715721
• Product Dimensions: 20 x 20 x 20 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,781,497 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Illustrator Oki S. Han is an author and illustrator of children's books, including "Kongi and Potgi" and "Sir Whong and the Golden Pig". A graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology and the School of Visual Arts in New York, she lives in Seoul, Korea.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cool Book, February 10, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Kongi and Potgi: A Cinderella Story from Korea (Hardcover)

This is a great book for the younger children. It shows the nationality of people in different countries. Even though this book has something to do with the story Cinderella, it has its differences and its similarities. For instance, the differences are instead of two stepsisters, it has only one sister and instead of birds helping with the dress it has angels. Some of the similarities are they both lost a slipper, and they both get married and live happily ever after. This is a very cute book. I really enjoyed it.