The Paper Crane (Reading Rainbow Book) [Paperback]

Molly Bang (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 15, 1987 | Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: P and up | Series: Reading Rainbow Book

Business returns to a once prosperous restaurant when a mysterious stranger pays for his meal with a magical paper crane that comes alive and dances.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Collaborating with her distinguished mother Betsy Bang and working on her own, Molly Bang has received awards including two Caldecott Honors for Ten, Nine, Eight and The Grey Lady and the Strawberry Snatcher. She has another front contender in this amazingly ingenious book. A restaurant owner and his son lose their clientele when a new superhighway bypasses their street. When a poor man comes to them one evening, they gladly serve him a fine meal for pay. Before leaving, he gives his hosts a paper crane which will be a living, dancing bird when they clap their hands. The dancing crane brings crowds to the restaurant and prosperity to the kind owners as well as a joyful surprise to readers at the story's end. In the color pictures, one sees everything in three-dimensions, an artistic effect created by lovely collages and paintings. A sandwich on a plate, roses in a vase, etc., seem real enough to pick up.
Copyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

"A delight to the eye and imagination." -- -- The Horn Book(starred review)

"Many of the scenes have great delicacy and are masterfully evocative of mood and place....visually fresh and very effective...." -- -- ALA Booklist(starred review)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Greenwillow Books (July 15, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688073336
• ISBN-13: 978-0688073336
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 8.9 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #212,959 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #84 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Literature > Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths > Other

More About the Author

Molly Bang is an award winning children's book illustrator and author. Her
works include 3 Caldecott Honor Books: Ten, Nine, Eight, The Grey Lady and the
Strawberry Snatcher, and When Sophie Gets Angry - Really, Really Angry, which
also won a Jane Addams Honor Award and the Arbuthnot Award. The Paper Crane
won the Boston Globe/Horn Book Award in 1987; Goose won the School of Library
Journal Best Book of 1996 and another work, Common Ground: The Water, Earth,
and Air We Share, won the prestigious Giverny Book Award in 1998 for the best
children's science picture book. Her latest book, My Light, is an ALA Notable
book.

Her only work for adults is Picture This, which shows how an understanding of
the most basic principles enable a person to build powerful pictures. It is
used by art and graphic departments in colleges around the country.

Bang received her bachelor degree from Wellesley in French, and Masters in
Far Eastern Studies at the University of Arizona and at Harvard. She has also
worked as a reporter; as an educator for public health projects in Bangladesh
and in Mali, West Africa, incorporating information on maternal and child
health into stories; and as a teacher in colleges.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unfolding Paper Magic, November 19, 2004

By 

Shanshad "shanachie_shadowfax" (Discworld) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Paper Crane (Reading Rainbow Book) (Paperback)

There is nothing better than a well-told folktale. Actually, I take that back, there is something better-a well-told, beautifully illustrated folktale. And this is exactly what Molly Bang has presented readers here. This simple Asian-styled tale of the mysterious stranger who rewards kindness is a familiar sort of story-but a bit of magic and music make it dance as surely as the magical paper crane in the title.

In THE PAPER CRANE, an old man comes into a restaurant and is treated to a meal by the owner. In repayment for this kindness, the stranger creates an origami crane out of a napkin that comes to life and dances with a clap of the hands. A bit of simple magic and music in this Asian folk tale make it dance as surely as the paper crane. The restaurant, which had been suffering from lack of business, suddenly becomes a popular stopover for people who want to see the magical crane and both the restaurant owner and his son benefit from the new business, and take joy in all the people. Finally, the stranger returns, plays his flute to make the crane dance, and then flies off on the cranes back, never to be seen again. A whimsical folk tale that imparts the message that kindness is rewarded. The text is simple, easy to read on the page in a large and elegant font. But that is only half the appeal.

What makes this book so special is that all of the pictures in this book are full-color art paper cutouts that were photographed to preserve the 3-D effect of the pictures. The impression is striking. The textured images of the restaurant and it's inhabitants jump off the pages and will provide parent and child with an unusual, but appropriate set of images for this folk tale. The pictures vary from full, double-page photographs, to smaller framed images, keeping the story moving and plenty for the eye to explore. There's also a secondary story revealed by the pictures-that of the restaurant owner's son. Never mentioned in the text, the boy appears on every page, and you follow him as he witnesses all the events that occur. You see him drawing, or helping serve food, or playing marbles with another child. And the very last page is dedicated entirely to him-you see him standing and practicing playing the flute in his pajamas. Perhaps hoping he can play like the mysterious stranger had one day? Because of the folded paper nature of the crane itself, the paper images in the book work symbiotically to fit the theme of the story and complete the magic of folded paper and paper cutouts. If you or your child is learning origami, this would be an excellent book to introduce them to!

I'd recommend this book for ages 4-8, but parents are sure to enjoy the art as well! If you like multicultural folktales, you might also want to check out THE EMPTY POT by Demi and THE MITTEN by Jan Brett.

Happy Reading ^_^ Shanshad.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The story of a magical gift, November 21, 2001

By 

Michael J. Mazza - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Paper Crane (Reading Rainbow Book) (Paperback)

In "The Paper Crane," author/illustrator Molly Bang tells the story of a restaurant owner whose business suffers when a new highway diverts possible patrons away from his place. But his fortunes change when a mysterious visitor leaves the owner a magical gift.

Bang's illustrations appear to be photographs of multi-media collages, and have a wonderful 3-dimensional quality. There are lots of warm earth tones complemented by flashes of bright color. Here is another interesting (and, in my opinion, admirable) element of this book: the book jacket notes that the story is based on "an ancient Japanese folktale," but Bangs features a multi-ethnic assortment of people in her illustrations. An entertaining, visually rich book.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful illustrations complement timeless text, June 5, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Paper Crane (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition) (School & Library Binding)

This book's unique illustrations--three dimensional paper--are very effective as a complement to the traditional Japanese story of a mysterious man who pays for his dinner with a paper crane. This story is an excellent introduction to the Japanese art of origami and the significance of the paper crane in Japanese culture. The pictures are detailed and captivating and the text is engaging.