The Seven Chinese Sisters [Hardcover]

Kathy Tucker (Author), Grace Lin (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2003 | Grade Level: K and up

Once there were seven Chinese sisters who lived together and took care of each other. Each one had a special talent. When baby Seventh Sister is snatched by a hungry dragon, her loving sisters race to save her.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

PreS-Gr. 2. Good old-fashioned storytelling distinguishes Tucker's thoroughly engaging tale of courage, individual talent, and teamwork. Each of the seven Chinese sisters has a noteworthy skill: the eldest rides a scooter as fast as the wind; the second knows karate; the third can count to 500 and beyond; the fourth can talk to dogs; the fifth can catch any ball; the sixth cooks delicious noodle soup. The baby's talents are as yet undiscovered. One day, a hungry red dragon from a faraway mountain smells the soup and flies straight to the sisters' house. Distracted by plump Seventh Sister, he snatches her and steals her away (Her first word is "HELP!"). Then the sisters kick into action, each utilizing her unique talent in the rescue mission (especially amusing is the fourth sister's using dog talk to communicate with the dragon). Lin, of Dim Sum for Everyone! (2001), expertly captures the drama and humor of the story with delightful paintings that reveal lovely Chinese landscapes and a quirky, not-too-scary dragon. A wonderful read-aloud. Karin Snelson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"A wonderful readaloud."

Booklist

"An entertaining feminist twist not to be confused with the orignal."

Kirkus Reviews

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company (January 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807573094
• ISBN-13: 978-0807573099
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 11.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #65,120 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #67 in Books > Children's Books > Travel & Cultures > Explore the World > Asia

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Can-do sisters & great illustrations, March 21, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Seven Chinese Sisters (Hardcover)

In this all-girl version of the Chinese tall tale "The Seven Chinese Brothers," the sisters pool their amazing talents in order to save the seventh sister from a hungry dragon. First sister can "ride a scooter, fast as the wind," second sister knows karate, third sister can count to a high number...and so on. The story moves along quickly and works nicely for reading aloud.

As always, Grace Lin's illustrations are a visual treat--from the sisters' azure dresses to the bright red dragon to the textured background of green grasses and light blue sky. Her style is simple, yet rich with Chinese patterning and design.

There is a lot to like in this book with its model of strong can-do girls who use their heads, even in the face of a terrible dragon.

However, any update will invariably be compared to the original story, and here I find the "sisters" story seems a little more diluted and lacking in dramatic tension than its "brother" counterpart. In The Seven Chinese Brothers (by Margaret Mahy) the brothers use their superhuman powers to continuously outwit their would-be executioners. The pleasure in this book comes from being able to predict how each brother will outwit the adversary.

Though the sisters' talents complement each other nicely, the story is not as tightly crafted & the sense of anticipation is not as strong.

That said, both books are well reading to your children, as evidenced by my four-year-old daughter who asked me to read it over and over the first two days we had the book.

Note: If you liked the illustrations in this book, Grace Lin has illustrated several other excellent books for the 4-8 year-old set. Among them are Red is a Dragon, Round is a Mooncake, Dim Sum for Everyone and Kite Flying.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Agree it's not perfect, but we love it, June 19, 2006

By 

JH (San Francisco) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Seven Chinese Sisters (Hardcover)

This is one of those books my daughters and I read again and again. I agree with another reviewer that the tale is not particularly "tight" or super witty, but it's lovely and engaging (time after time). And the illustrations are fantastic.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Seven sisters must unite and each use her own special talent, April 20, 2003

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Seven Chinese Sisters (Hardcover)

The Seven Chinese Sisters is a merry rendition by Kathy Tucker of a classic Chinese folk tale. Seven sisters must unite and each use her own special talent when the youngest of them is taken away by a hungry dragon. Simple and colorful artwork by Grace Lin embellishes this adventurous story. The Seven Chinese Sisters will prove to be a popular and entertaining addition to any family, school, or community library children's folktale picture book collection.