Red Butterfly: How a Princess Smuggled the Secret of Silk Out of China [Hardcover]

Deborah Noyes (Author), Sophie Blackall (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 6 and up | Grade Level: 1 and up

An enchanting tale of hidden beauty and fierce courage, retold in the style of T’ang Dynasty poetry and illustrated with charm and grace

A young Chinese princess is sent from her father’s kingdom to marry the king of a far-off land. She must leave behind her home of splendors: sour plums and pink peach petals and — most precious and secret of all — the small silkworm. She begs her father to let her stay, but he insists that she go and fulfill her destiny as the queen of Khotan. Beautifully told and arrestingly illustrated, here is a coming-of-age tale of a brave young princess whose clever plan will go on to live in legend — and will ensure that her cherished home is with her always.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Deborah Noyes is the author of HANA IN THE TIME OF THE TULIPS, illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline, as well as other books for children and adults. She also edited the young adult anthologies GOTHIC! and THE RESTLESS DEAD. Deborah Noyes lives in Somerville, Massachusetts.

Sophie Blackall is the illustrator of several award-winning picture books, including RUBY'S WISH by Shirin Yim Bridges, MEET WILD BOARS by Meg Rosoff, and the Ivy and Bean books by Annie Barrows. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick; Library Binding edition (October 9, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763624004
• ISBN-13: 978-0763624002
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 0.4 x 11.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,214,362 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully illustrated Chinese folk tale, October 4, 2009

By 

Z Hayes (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Red Butterfly: How a Princess Smuggled the Secret of Silk Out of China (Hardcover)

Based on a Chinese folktale, "Red Butterfly" is a beautifully-illustrated story about a young Chinese princess who is getting ready to leave her beloved homeland in order to marry the King of Khotan, in Tibet. She is sad that she has to leave all that is dear and familiar to her, and decides that she will carry a living reminder of her native land, in the form of tiny silkworms. The young princess knows that it is an act strictly forbidden for China greatly prizes the secret of weaving silk and wants to keep it within China. Will the young princess succeed in carrying out her secret plan?

When I chose this book for my daughter (I'm always looking for culturally diverse books for her), I was initially attracted by the lush and vivid illustrations, but as we read the story, both of us found this tale of a young princess forced to leave the comfort of home for an uncertain future engaging and yes, even sad. My little girl asked me at the end why the princes was sent off to a far away place without her parents, and I tried to explain it to her in a manner she would understand ( it is not easy explaining the strict norms of tradition back then in a culture where elders' decisions were not to be questioned). Older readers, aged 7 and up, would be better able to understand the finer nuances of this folktale. Recommended for multicultural collections at home and the school library.

5.0 out of 5 stars Red Butterfly, September 26, 2011

By 

Regina Moore (Minoa, NY, US) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Red Butterfly: How a Princess Smuggled the Secret of Silk Out of China (Hardcover)

Beautiful story with exquisit illustrations. My granddaughter loved it. The book was in excellent condition. I don't have anything else to say as this was a gift for my granddaughter who loves stories about China. THe book came in time for her birthday.