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.
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Book Description
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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 --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Review
"A wonderful readaloud."
Booklist
"An entertaining feminist twist not to be confused with the orignal."
Kirkus Reviews
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
34 of 36 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format: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
By JH
Format: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
Format: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.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
updated version of the 5 Chinese brothers.
If you are familiar with the original 5 Chinese Bros, and then the 7 Chinese Bros, you get the idea of the most recent 7 Chinese Sisters.
Published 2 months ago by sonybalony
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fun Story
This fun story is entertaining. My kids all like to have it read to them and they can read it to themselves too.
Published 4 months ago by L. Prehn
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great quality for used book!
We needed to buy this book to replace the book in my daughter's school library because we damaged it. I was thrilled with the quality of the book I purchased. Thank you!
Published 6 months ago by Angie Joesting
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fun version of a classic tale
In an updated version of a classic Chinese folktale, The Seven Chinese Sisters tells the story of 7 sisters all with different skills who come together to save their baby sister... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Kelly J Raudenbush
3.0 out of 5 stars
Seven talented sisters
Seven Chinese sisters, each with a different talent, live together and take care of each other. When the Seventh Sister, a baby, is kidnapped by a dragon, her sisters use their... Read more
Published 16 months ago by J. Grambo
5.0 out of 5 stars
Girl Power!
I bought this book for my 4 year old daughter, but it's quickly become a favorite of my 2 year old son, too. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Susan Blumberg-Kason
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dearly loved by daughter
We found this book at our local library. After checking it out time after time, the librarian suggested we buy our own copy. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Homemaker4
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Seven Chinese Sisters
The Seven Chinese SistersI love this book and so do all the children I have given it to!!! Each sister has a special talent that comes in handy when a dragon steals seventh... Read more
Published on April 24, 2011 by Leila
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful Story and Terrific Illustrations
Brought back memories from my childhood of the "Seven Chinese Brothers"! My four year old daughter can't get enough of this book! Read more
Published on February 13, 2011 by K. Nash
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sister Book
"We are family. I've got all my sisters and me." -- Sister Sledge, 1979
This delightful book replete with beautiful illustrations is the sister book to "The Seven... Read more
This delightful book replete with beautiful illustrations is the sister book to "The Seven... Read more
Published on January 22, 2011 by BeatleBangs1964
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