Customer Reviews

The Seventh Sister: A Chinese Legend (Legends of the World)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

We've been slowly working our way through this series as we can and this is our first Chinese legend (for this series) and I have to say, this is probably the saddest and least humorous tale we've come across. In the Seventh Sister we meet Mei, one of seven sisters who weave the tapestry of the night sky each day, finishing it just in time for the sun to set. Mei was the youngest of the sisters, but also the most clever and most beautiful. Additionally she could weave the best tapestry...but she was sad and lonely and her sad song echoed through the sky. Enter Chang, a simple farmer in China with only is faithful ox for company, he is not happy but he does not know what he is missing. What ensues is a fairly traditional retelling of how a magpie comes to Chang and tells him how to meet Mei and make her stay with him, which he does...but as happy as they are together, the sun will not set because Mei is not there to help her sisters weave the tapestry and without her help, they cannot complete it in time for the sun to set. Sadly they both realize that she must return to her sisters, but the couple is sad to be parting. At the end, they are allowed (through the intervention of the magpies) to meet once a year and this is a time of great celebration in China (the Chinese version of Valentine's Day).

Overall, The Seventh Sister is well told and the illustrations match the text perfectly...they compliment each other quite well, but this is a sadder and more melancholy tale than most we have encountered, the kids enjoyed it, but not as much as they have some of the others we've read in this series. I give The Seventh Sister 5 stars, though it is not as fun or uplifting as others in the series, it's a fine retelling of this Chinese legend and a nice addition to any classroom library or for reading by any child who loves myths and legends! One final note, each book in this series comes with a one page summary of the legend, including other names it's been called and a bit about the history how the story developed and what its significance is, so you don't just get the story...you get the context as well! This is something that I really enjoy in this series and it's one of the reasons that I recommend it.

Simple farmer Chang falls in love with Mei, one of seven sisters who weave the tapestry of the night sky. She can't remain on Earth -- the sun never sets because her sisters cannot complete the night without her. Chang ascends to the heavens to find her, and once a year the parted lovers -- twin stars -- are reunited. It's a lovely tale and a nice change from the traditional Greek and Roman sky myths more commonly taught children in the US.

This story has always been associated with the Qixi Festival "The Night of Sevens", also known as Magpie Festival and in recent years is called Chinese Valentine's Day.It falls on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month on the Chinese calendar which is in August for most of us.

The story is Chinese folktale of the Cowherd and Weaver Girl / or Spinning Maiden. It is a bitter sweet story and would be great for older children when studying different countries. The book is brightly illustrated and is beautiful. The very last page explains about this Chinese folktale, China and the festival.