I See the Sun in China (English and Chinese Edition) [Paperback]

Dedie King (Author), Judith Inglese (Illustrator), Yan Zhang (Translator)

Book Description

Release date: October 1, 2010 | Age Range: 5 and up | Series: I See the Sun

I See the Sun in China follows a young child as she travels from a small town to the city of Shanghai, portraying the events that take place from dawn until night over the course of that one day. The story is very simple, yet designed to give an insight into the culture of China from a child's perspective. The unspoken message of this book is the movement from the old to the new, while still maintaining some connections with the past. It depicts some of the many choices available in China today, and the drive to be successful in a modern world.

Written in both English and Mandarin Chinese, I See the Sun in China is beautifully illustrated with warm, engaging collages made from photographs, paper cut-outs, and drawings. As with the other books in the I See the Sun series, children will be able to recognize the similarities as well as the differences between their own culture and the culture of modern China.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

K-Gr 2-Early one morning, a woman and her daughter catch a ferry from their small town on the island of Putuo Shan to Shanghai where the unnamed child will spend the weekend with her aunt. After eating lunch at Auntie's apartment, the two visit a mall and a park. In the evening they have dinner with Auntie's friends at a restaurant, walk along the Bund, and enjoy a foot massage. Back at the apartment, the youngster does her schoolwork while Auntie talks on the phone with her business partner in the U.S. At the end of the day, the child reflects on the choices she will have as she grows up. This bilingual book is one of a series of titles that looks at the cultures of various countries around the world. The glossary and notes give a bit more information about China and define specific items mentioned in the story. The Mandarin is an accurate translation of the English, which is awkward toward the end of the story in part because the use of commas is erratic. The illustrations are done in collage, a combination of cut paper, photographs, and line drawings. The quality of the photographs is uneven, and the overall design of the artwork lacks vigor. While the simple story is pleasing, the book has limited appeal.-Barbara Scotto, Children's Literature New England, Brookline, MA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

From Booklist

A young narrator describes an outing to Shanghai spent with her aunt. Together they explore the city, shop at the mall, have tea at a park, eat in a restaurant with her aunt’s friends, walk the Bund, and enjoy a foot massage. At the end of the day, the girl wonders whether her future lies in her village or in a city. The collage art gives a better sense of the city than it does the village. The one illustration of village housing looks oddly suburban. The images of traditional fishing boats and Kwan Yin’s statue provide the only other views of the older way of life. The focus is on urban life in contemporary China, and the pictures portray the city’s energy and modern style. Written in Mandarin Chinese, the English translation is sometimes clunky, for example, describing Grandfather’s tai chi as “energy practice.” American children will need the appended notes to understand this book, which sometimes misses the mark but is a well-intentioned attempt to introduce modern China. Grades K-2. --Linda Perkins

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Product Details

• Age Range: 5 and up
  
• Paperback: 40 pages
• Publisher: Satya House Publications; First edition (October 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0981872050
• ISBN-13: 978-0981872056
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 0.2 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #393,309 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The vivid illustrations help to animate the exciting events of a young Chinese girl's day spent visiting her aunt October 24, 2010

By Midwest Book Review

"I See the Sun in China" is a superbly presented bilingual picture book in English and Mandarin Chinese about a young girl's visit to her aunt in Shanghai. Some of her daily activities include watching her grandfather do Tai Chi, eating conge for breakfast, taking the ferry to Shanghai, taking a walk on the Bund, a pedestrian boulevard on the Huangpu River, having a foot massage, and studying schoolwork at her aunt's apartment. "I See the Sun in China" is part of a cultural educational series published for children by Satya House Publications. The vivid illustrations help to animate the exciting events of a young Chinese (Han) girl's day spent visiting her aunt in Shanghai.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars What a welcomed change! February 12, 2011

By Kindergarten Teacher

As an early childhood educator I was so happy to come across this book. We live in a culture that thinks the young child needs to be constantly stimulated with sound and bright, flashing colors. This is not only illustrated through television and cinema but also through much of the current literature which is being made available to them. These forms of entertainment leave little room for the use of imagination and peaceful contemplation for the growing child. The marriage of the simple words and gentle pictures in "I See the Sun in China" was a welcomed change. I found the illustrations particularly unique and lovely in that they gave gestures of the culture. With slight movement, peaceful colors and the combination of realistic photographs and whimsical drawings children can fill in the rest of the story themselves. In part, they learn not only of another culture but also in the power of their own mind to create stories.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I See The Sun review for Book Dads October 25, 2010

By Book Dads

This book was a wonderful cultural treasure. The story allows non-native Chinese individuals to experience a day in the life of a young girl (much like my own girls). I loved the fact that the book was in two languages, and in fact, after we read this we gave the book to a friend of Diva-J's who is in a Chinese immersion school. Beautiful photography/artwork completes the story and you are taken to China and able to experience this far off country if only for a brief moment. Speaking of art, I loved the fact that there was both real-life photos of the locations that they spoke of and artwork to complete the illustrations found within the book.

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