The Rainbow People [Paperback]

Laurence Yep (Author), David Wiesner (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

"Culled from 69 stories collected in a [1930s] WPA project, [these 20] tales are organized into sections with themes like 'Tricksters' or 'Virtues and Vices,' each with a thoughtful introduction placing the individual stories in the context of feelings and background of the original tellers. Yep's telling is vigorous, often poetic, imbued with earthy humor and realism touched with fatalism. A handsomely designed collection." —K.

Notable Children's Books of 1989 (ALA)
The USA Through Children's Books 1990 (ALA)
1989 Boston Globe–Horn Book Award for Nonfiction
1990 Fanfare Honor List (The Horn Book)
1989 Children's Editors' Choices (BL)
Notable 1989 Children's Trade Books in Social Studies (NCSS/CBC)
Children's Books of 1989 (Library of Congress)
1989 Children's Books (NY Public Library)
"The Best Books" 1989 (Parents Magazine)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Grouped under such auspicious headings as Tricksters," "Fools and Vices and Virtues," these 20 Chinese folktales afford entertainment and subtle messages. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-7-- Twenty Chinese folktales, selected and retold by Yep from those collected in the 1930s in the Oakland Chinatown as part of a WPA project. His introduction helps children to see the Chinese workers, gathered in a shack after their day of "hot, grueling work," telling stories to pass the time before sleep comes. Each section is prefaced by a short explanation of how the tales might relate to the Chinese-American experience. Yep retells the stories simply and directly, attempting to use his own voice while preserving the "spirit and spare beauty" of the original tales. He does this by weaving bits of rich description into short, clear telling. The tales, while drawn from and depicting Chinese culture, present a variety of familiar motifs and types: wizards and saints, shape changing and magical objects, pourquoi tales and lessons. An "Afterword" provides suggestions for further reading on Chinese folktales. This is an excellent introduction to Chinese and Chinese-American folklore that reads aloud well, that will provide little-known tales for telling, and that is simple enough for older children to read by themselves. --Constance A. Mellon, Department of Library & Information Studies, East Carolina University, Greenville, N.C.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (August 30, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0064404412
• ISBN-13: 978-0064404419
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #183,527 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #43 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Multicultural Stories > Asian & Asian American
  • #76 in Books > Children's Books > Travel & Cultures > Multicultural Stories > Asian & Asian American

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Source of Chinese and Chinese American Tales, April 29, 2004

By 

Karen Woodworth Roman "Happy Librarian" (DeKalb, IL) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Rainbow People (Paperback)

Yep for the most part retells and combines stories collected by Jon Lee in a 1930's WPA project in Oakland's Chinatown from Chinese who would trace their ancestry to Kwangtung, China. (xi)

The stories are broken up into Tricksters, Fools, Virtues and Vices, In Chinese America, and Love tales. Each section has a brief introduction which contains some history and cultural information as well as additional source information.

Each story has a bookmark size brush and ink illustration. The illustrations add a glimpse into the stories.

Yep's stories are very readable, but might need a little trimming for telling. These stories are interesting and offer a look into the lives of the earliest Chinese Americans.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Teaching Tales, June 14, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Rainbow People (Paperback)

Getting students to see the connection between their classes is often difficult. Students in middle school do not see that Literature and Social Studies are interconnected. Yep's tales help suppliment an often "boring" unit on Ancient China.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An interesting read..., February 1, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Rainbow People (Paperback)

The Rainbow People by Laurence Yep is a very interesting collection of Chinese myths. People who short stories over novels will enjoy this book.

The Rainbow People is divided into five sections, which are titled "Tricksters," Fools," "Virtues and Vices," "In Chinese America," and "Love." Each of these sections has an short introduction that gives us a hint about the upcoming theme. Some of the sections have contrasting ideas; for example, "Tricksters" is about people who are smarter than they think they are, but "Fools" is about people who think they are smarter than they are.My favorite stories were in "Tricksters" and "Virtues and Vices," but I enjoyed reading all of them. Reading this book gave me a good idea of the Chinese culture.

I recommend this book for people who just like to sit down for about five minutes and read a short story. It also helps if you are interested in different cultures around the world. For those of you who want to finish a book in one stretch, this isn't the book for you.