Mahjong All Day Long [Hardcover]

Ginnie Lo (Author), Beth Lo (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up

MaMa and BaBa play mahjong all day long. And all night long. We hear the clicking of mahjong tiles morning, noon, and night.

Big sister, JieJie, and her little brother, DiDi, see their parents playing mahjong all the time. It's their favorite family tradition. With Uncle T.T. and Auntie Helen around, the house is always alive with singing and chatting, the aromas of hot tea and good food, and of course the constant sounds of a family having fun together!

One day JieJie and Didi will grow up and have families of their own, and they will teach their children the game as their parents taught them. As it has done for centuries, the playing of mahjong continues to bring families together, allowing for traditions to be passed on generation after generation.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2–This simplistic story falls flat. JieJie describes how she and her little brother watch their parents and their aunt and uncle enjoying mahjong all day long and into the evening. As youngsters, the siblings use the tiles for building or learning to count in Chinese. Finally, after they have grown up and mastered the intricacies of the game, they are ready to pass on this tradition to their own children, thus linking together three generations. The nonfiction classification is misleading as this story reveals nothing about how mahjong is played. An author's note includes historical background about the game and provides a list of adult titles about learning how to play. The artist created the illustrations by using underglazes and stains on handmade porcelain plates. The flat, childlike drawings follow but do not expand the plot. Some basic ethnic facts are reflected in both the narrative and the artwork, such as hairstyles, clothing, or serving Long Jing tea. The oval-shaped pictures are presented on black backgrounds, while the text is printed opposite in black ink on red backgrounds. Chinese calligraphy appearing in the illustrations is repeated and translated on the text pages. Unfortunately, neither the bland writing nor the art will hold children's attention.–Margaret R. Tassia, Millersville University, PA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* PreS-Gr. 2. This debut by two sisters celebrates the Chinese game of mahjong--and, by analogy, any beloved pastime, especially one that brings families together. Inspired by her relatives' addiction to the game, author Ginnie Lo writes from the perspective of a Chinese woman looking back, who recalls her fascination with the game's rituals, her solidarity with her younger sibling during the adults' marathon sessions, and their pride when asked to participate. Illustrator Beth Lo's quirky, glaze-on-ceramic paintings, set within ivory ovals on black backdrops, are reminiscent of the stylized engravings on mahjong tiles; on the facing pages, a solid field of red sets off a line or two of text and English translations of phrases written in calligraphy, many of which appear as dialogue in the scenes ("Do you want this tile?"). While some highly designed picture books are more accessible in theory than in practice, the Lo sisters' effort, like the best of Maira Kalman's work, speaks directly to kids, who will want to procure a mahjong set posthaste. For their part, teachers will love the historical endnote, the subject matter that suggests itself for classroom use, and the intergenerational themes. Prepare for requests for rule books, some of which are listed in a helpful bibliography. Jennifer Mattson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Walker Childrens; Bilingual edition (March 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802789412
• ISBN-13: 978-0802789419
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,131,974 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 1 book that has many unique & wonderful qualities!, September 19, 2005

By 

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

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This review is from: Mahjong All Day Long (Hardcover)

There are several things I really like about this very unique book at an old traditional game called mahjong.

The first is that not only is this book written in English, but also has lots of Chinese Characters. Not only do they have the characters for Daddy, Mama, Big sister, Little brother and Mahjong, but also word associated with the game such as " Hu Le!" ( I win! ), " Peng " ( 3 of a kind ), " Chi" ( 3 in a row ), counting in Chinese from 1 to 10 and Do you want this tile? And your typical pestering of siblings ... Sounds terrible, Don't touch, and Don't act crazy!

The second is that instead of drawing illustrations on paper, Beth who is a ceramic arts professor made the illustrations on ceramic plates. How cool is that! The drawings are simple, colorful and have qualities that can and are found in families across the world! Upon 1st reading and looking at the books illusrations I thought, they are Ok, nothing really special, then upon reading the dust jacket I found out that illustrations where actually glazed & fired plates. With that in mind, I went back and carefully looked at each plate and was really impressed! Now,I can easily see those plates now hang proudly on the walls in their parents home!

The third is that in the last 2 pages there is more information about Mahjong, and if you are interested in learning mahjong from reading this book ( like I now am), they have thoughtfully complied a list of 9 books on Mahjong for you to read.

The fourth is that the two sister when as young sat on their fathers knee and watched their parents and family members play mahjong and now they too play mahjong with their families. What a lovely way to pass on a family tradition and beloved game.