Lady White Snake: A Tale From Chinese Opera (English/Vietnamese) [Hardcover]

Aaron Shepard (Author), Song Nan Zhang (Illustrator), Khanh Yen Vu (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2001 | Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

 

THIS BOOK IS AVAILABLE IN SEVERAL EDITIONS: ENGLISH ONLY, ENGLISH/SPANISH, ENGLISH/VIETNAMESE, AND ENGLISH/CHINESE (TRADITIONAL), AND ALSO AS AN ANIMATED DVD.

 

PLEASE CLICK "SHOW MORE," BELOW, TO SEE SAMPLE TEXT AND AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR INFO.

 

Lady White is a thousand-year-old snake who, through centuries of meditation and self-discipline, has managed to attain human form. On a visit to China's famous West Lake, she falls in love with a young man and soon becomes his wife. But when a Buddhist abbot discovers her true origin, she must fight for both her marriage and her freedom.

 

From one of the most popular of Chinese operas comes this tale of love and courage in the face of blind intolerance. Accompanied by illustrations depicting traditional costumes and staging, this retelling brings to life a timeless legend and a classic art form.

 

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Aaron Shepard is the award-winning author of "The Baker's Dozen," "The Sea King's Daughter," "The Adventures of Mouse Deer," and many more children's books. His stories have appeared often in Cricket magazine, while his Web site is known internationally as a prime resource for folktales, storytelling, and reader's theater.

 

Song Nan Zhang is a fine-art painter, author, and illustrator who was born in China but now lives in Canada. His first children's book won Canada's prestigious Mr. Christie Book Award. His background for this book includes being married to an amateur performer in Chinese opera.

 

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SAMPLE

 

The newlyweds decided to move to the city of Zhenjiang and open an herb shop of their own. The shop was a great success, for Lady White could tell just what was wrong with a patient and just what compound to prescribe. What's more, she showed great dedication in helping the sick, no matter how poor.

 

The two were supremely happy with their work and with each other. Adding to their joy, Lady White soon announced she was expecting a child.

 

One day when Lady White had gone off to rest, an old Buddhist monk entered the shop and spoke to Xu Xian. "I am Fahai, the abbot of Gold Mountain Temple," he said. "I have come to warn you of a great danger. By my spiritual powers, I have discovered that your wife is a thousand-year-old snake. She hides her true nature for now, but one day she will surely turn on you and devour you."

 

"How dare you say that!" said the young man. "It's nothing but wicked slander!"

 

But Fahai told him, "Just make sure she drinks realgar wine for the Dragon Boat Festival. She'll change back then to her true form, and you'll see for yourself."

 

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grades 2-5--Shepard and Zhang present a tale from Chinese traditional literature in the form most Chinese would know it-as an opera performance. Shepard's text, written in vivid, engaging prose, tells the tragic tale of an immortal white snake that is transformed into a lovely woman in search of love. With her companion blue snake, she visits the beautiful West Lake in Hangzhou and meets a handsome, caring young man, an orphan without prospects. They marry and live happily until a zealous monk interferes. Then Lady White must call on a host of immortals to help her fight for her own life as well as her husband's. Lady White and Blue prove to be formidable women warriors. Zhang's illustrations, depicting characters dressed in opera costumes and makeup, yet acting against naturalistic settings, recall the many opera movies made in Chinese film studios. Zhang's color work and skill in composition perfectly complement the dramatic, action-packed text. Versions of "The White Snake" appear in Yin-lien Chin's Traditional Chinese Folktales (M. E. Sharpe, 1989) or Tao Tao Liu Sanders's Dragons, Gods & Spirits from Chinese Mythology (Schocken, 1983; o.p.). Shepard identifies specific translations of one particular libretto as the source for his retelling. This picture-book version of a famous Chinese story cast in a unique Chinese art form offers American children an authentic encounter with this rich and ancient culture.
Margaret A. Chang, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, North Adams
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Reviewed with Debby Chen's Monkey King Wreaks Havoc in Heaven.

Gr. 4-6. Beautifully rendered art illustrates these picture-book-size retellings of well-known Chinese stories, which are available in English as well as several in bilingual versions: English/Spanish, English/Chinese, and English/Vietnamese. The Monkey King, like Coyote or Anansi, is crafty, sly, and full of self-importance. In this tale, the second in a series, he takes a powerful wand from the Dragon King and challenges Heaven and the Jade Emperor. Translucent layers of shimmering color and figures echoing traditional Chinese painting fill the pages. Shepard retells a popular story in Chinese opera, the tale of Lady White Snake, a serpent that becomes a human woman for love, only to be betrayed by her spouse. Richly patterned images that call up Chinese and Japanese sources, as well as impressionism, bring this version to life for older readers. Children who eagerly watched the movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon will recognize the fierce grace in Lady White Snake's swordplay, a grace evident even while she's pregnant. Notes at the back talk about Chinese opera stories, costumes, and actors, as well as the geography and cultural content of the tale. GraceAnne DeCandido
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Pan Asian Publications (USA); Bilingual edition (January 1, 2001)
• Language: Vietnamese, English
• ISBN-10: 1572270756
• ISBN-13: 978-1572270756
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.8 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,789,067 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Aaron Shepard is the award-winning author of numerous children's books, as well as books on reader's theater, children's writing, and publishing. He lives with his wife and fellow author, Anne L. Watson, in Friday Harbor, Washington.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a wonderful retelling of an exotic story, July 13, 2008

By 

duskstarjds - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lady White Snake: A Tale From Chinese Opera (Hardcover)

Lady White and her friend Blue (who are both snakes), decide to leave their residence at Mt. Emei and experience the human world. A young man, Xu Xian, offers the two women the use of his umbrella when it begins to rain, and plans to pick it up from them the following day. After spending the day drinking tea with the two women, Xu Xian and Lady White agree to marry. Unfortunately, the two do not live happily ever after--because of the meddling of a monk who considers Lady White a demon and tries to convince Xu Xian of that fact. After a series of confrontations between the monk and Lady White, the story follows operatic tradition as the monk finally succeeds in ripping the two lovers apart. He captures Lady White and imprisons her under a pagoda by West Lake, where she will remain until either the lake dries up or the pagoda falls. However, the story does conclude on a hopeful note. As the centuries pass, Lady White's friend Blue trains until she and her army are able to destroy the pagoda and free Lady White from her prison, giving her freedom and perhaps one day another chance at love.

The author has included some pages of extra information that is helpful to those of us who are not familiar with aspects of Chinese opera that appear in this story. The beginning also has a pronunciation guide on names non-Chinese speakers may have problems with. There is also a brief description about the style of Chinese calligraphy the artist chose to incorporate into the illustrations. The illustrations are quite impressive, especially the two page spread showing the battle between the armies of the monastery and Lady White. The illustrator makes it seem as though they are images from a production of the opera, which enhances the story.

This is a great, well-written book, telling a story that most readers will not be familiar with. All the readers though will appreciate the action of the story and the lovely pictures that accompany the text. There is love and excitement, and while there is not a `happily ever after' ending between Lady White and Xu Xian, there are hints that love might come again for Lady White. However, one thing to be aware of is that this book will probably work better as a read aloud book than one kids read themselves, because of the long plot and unfamiliar words.

This story will probably especially appeal to girls, in both the exotic costumes and the characters who are passionate and adventurous. While Lady White does marry and have a child, unlike the "traditional" female role, she is not someone who will passively stand by and watch things happen without doing something. Her friend Blue has a similar personality, even struggling over the centuries to become strong enough to free Lady White.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Chinese Tales, July 9, 2010

By 

Ginny Mapes "Pacific Northwest writer & educator" (Hillsboro, OR United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Lady White Snake: A Tale From Chinese Opera (Hardcover)

Lady White Snake: A Tale From Chinese Opera is a traditional tale illustrated with lovely Chinese drawings. Chinese characters show the symbols from long ago compared with modern. Chinese names have a pronunciation guide to assist the storyteller.