Lao Lao of Dragon Mountain (Folktales) [Paperback]

Margaret Bateson-Hill (Author)

Book Description

Series: Folktales

Weaving together many themes from traditional Chinese folktales, this story about an old peasant woman and her beautiful paper cuts includes instructions, complete with templates, on how to make traditional Chinese paper cuts.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-3?This ambitious undertaking includes an original tale told in both English and Chinese, a brief description of the Chinese language, and directions and four patterns for making Chinese paper cuts. Lao Lao, who lives near the mountain where the Ice Dragon rules, is happiest making paper cuts while surrounded by children. Her fame spreads, and when the cruel emperor hears she can make anything, he imprisons her in a tower with a huge stack of fine white paper and orders her to produce jewels. The Ice Dragon comes to her rescue, turning the emperor and his guards into pillars of ice and taking Lao Lao up into the sky, from where her cuttings fall to the ground as snowflakes. This ordinary telling doesn't quite satisfy, in part because the idea of Lao Lao's paper cuts being anything other than paper is not fully developed. The illustrations, which look like Chinese paintings mounted on faintly patterned silk, are rather flat. The paper cuts are intriguing but require the dexterity of children older than those who will most appreciate the story.?Diane S. Marton, Arlington County Library, VA
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Ages 5^-8. An old Chinese woman named Lao Lao is noted for her paper cuts. A butterfly, a flower, even a rooster appear from her artful cuttings. When the greedy emperor hears that Lao Lao can cut "anything," he presumes she can make jewels from paper and orders his soldiers to kidnap her, throw her into a freezing tower, and fill the room with treasure. Lao Lao cuts paper into diamonds, but she is cold and exhausted when the Ice Dragon appears and takes her away--after freezing the emperor and his soldiers into submission. As Lao Lao rides the dragon's back, her papers fly into the cold air and turn into shining, sparkling snowflakes. The spare telling, written in both English and Chinese, is remarkably moving. Careful attention has been paid to the design, in which both framed pictures and text are set against buff-colored paper, stamped with faint Chinese-style decoration. Only the dragon strikes an odd note in the otherwise handsome artwork, looking at times more comical than formidable. Information on Chinese writing and instructions for paper cutting add to the usefulness of this special book. Ilene Cooper --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Zero to Ten (April 2, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1840890460
• ISBN-13: 978-1840890464
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.3 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,092,522 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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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 Chinese Papercutting story and patterns to make your very own!, May 6, 2009

By 

KSL "emma-and-me" (Florida, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lao Lao of Dragon Mountain (Folktales) (Paperback)

This book has text that is done in English and Chinese. The story weaves together many themes from traditional Chinese folk tales.

The story is about a little old woman named Lao Lao. She never had any children of her own but she was never lonely because the children of the village would come and visit her. She would take thin sheets of paper and a small pair of scissors and she would sing and cut making animals and flowers.

The Emperor heard and saw one of Lao Lao's paper cuts and gathered men to go get her and bring her to him. The soldiers came and took Lao Lao at night and took her against her will to the Emperor. Lao Lao was taken to a small room at the very top of the tower which only had one small window and a chest filled with paper, a candle and a sharp pair of scissor. The Emperor commanded Lao Lao to fill the chest with her paper cuts. She began to cry and began her work.

The Ice Dragon had seen everything that had gone on that night as he always did. But tonight was different, something was wrong. The dragon circled the tower that Lao Lao was in and in an icy breath he froze the guards and Emperor and then took Lao Lao on his back and took her high up into the sky. Lao Lao's paper cuts swirled around in the night sky and became snowflakes. She still rides the Ice dragon and she sits with papers and sings. In the Spring she covers the trees in pink blossoms, in the Summer fields are filled with flowers and apples and nuts where her fall harvests. But her favorite is the snowflakes.


The illustrations are beautiful but are not paper cutting illustrations.
The last 2 pages of the book tells the reader about paper cutting and gives you instructions how to make a butterfly, flower and snowflake. There is more information on Chinese writing showing some modern character and also the old character. On last page and the back inside of the back page shows a illustration of a Lung Dragon (a long and wavy snake like dragon) that you trace and then cut inside the dragon first and the outside of the dragon last.

Read this book before you read this to your child. You know how your child will react to the story and the freezing of the "bad guys".

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderfully moving story,beautifully told., October 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Lao Lao of Dragon Mountain (Folk Tales) (Hardcover)

Chinese paper cutting weaved into a moving story about greed and punishment. Very gentle and moving. Beautiful paper cutting pictures and instruction.