Customer Reviews

Shen of The Sea : Chinese Stories for Children

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

 

 

Reason for Reading: Read aloud to my 9yo son. We always have a book of folktales, fairy tales, myths, etc. on the go, reading one story every school day.

Comments: I have read this book once before to myself some time ago, as an adult, and came away with the impression that it was OK (maybe 3 stars) but now I think I've found out the problem with that first reading. This book is meant to be read aloud! The stories are told in a storyteller voice that just rolls of the tongue when reading out loud and brings them gloriously to life. The stories are hilarious and I can't say that my ds or I didn't like even a single one the tales. I'm not convinced these are traditional Chinese stories (I've read a lot of folktales in my life and never heard any of these before) but would guess that Chrisman wrote them himself based on the style of Chinese tales. The tales often rely on repetition, some are origin stories and they cover a wide spectrum of characters from peasants to princesses and Kings. A number of the stories are about someone who is not too bright or is incredibly lazy or stubborn. While the great majority of tales are folktales a few pass over into fairytale territory with the appearance of a few dragons and other Chinese mythical creatures. Every single time this book came out my son's face lit up, he thoroughly enjoyed it! I also had a ton of fun reading it. This book has a habit of getting mixed reviews and to those who give it low ratings, I ask you to read aloud a couple of stories to a child or group of children. Then see if you don't change your mind! I've found in my 21 years as a mother that some children's books just beg to be read aloud and don't do the trick when read silently. The only thing I'm not too keen on are the silhouette illustrations. Yes, they add to the ethnicity of the book but detailed drawings would have been more fun to look at.

Do you like chinense stories? IF the answer is yes then you will enjoy this stupendous book.I personly love this book. Shen of the sea is an exiting collection of stories you will read over and over agian. You won't put this book down for a second. with stories like the rain daughter and shen of the sea you will enjoy every moment.

Shen of the Sea is a collection of well-written and great folktales. I'm a folk tale lover myself, so I loved this book. This one's very deserving of the Newbery Medal, and I'm glad it's still in print. Arthur Bowie Chrisman is a very good author. I love the humor in the stories and the wisdom of some of their themes. I recommend it to folk tale lovers everywhere!

these stories were written in the 1920's by an american, so authenticity may be in question. still, each story is a quick read, very well written and often has clean witty humor that is hard to find in today's children's books. a great book for parents who want bedtime stories to read to young children.

I got this book because I was looking for a collection of Chinese stories and this was a Newberry Award Winner. I read one story to my daughter and knew immediately that they were not real Chinese stories but were the author's inventions. The Chinese people were portrayed like buffoons -- quite demeaning! The names given to the Chinese in the book seem like the worst made-up names by a non-Chinese speaker (i.e. Ching Chang, Ching Chung...).

i hadn't read anything about chinese mythology, and it's really unclear how much of this (if any) is based on it, but the book was surprisingly enjoyable. i enjoyed the humorous and wry tone of the narrator, the silhouette illustrations, and the "just-so" stories, although some of the yarns didn't have much of a point and got a bit labored. a good read, though, and i enjoyed it much more than i thought i would.

These are not authentic Chinese stories. Rather, they are written "in the Chinese style" by an American who never even visited China. The Chinese civilization is both ancient and beautiful, with countless genuinely funny, entertaining, or informative folk tales of its own. Why are we reading these patronizing (and BORING) knock-offs? I believe that this is a racist book and the equivalent to performing in blackface. Culled from my collection, we'll be reading real Chinese stories instead.

This is an early Newberry Award winner that has me wondering if this was a bad year for children's literature. Shen of the Sea has a few stories that entertain but many are repetitive and lack depth. It was clearly not based on fact. Some of the stories will probably be liked by children. Dragons, wars, and children bewitched will help with any kid's imagination. I've just read better.

If you do not like little Chinese stories you will not like this book. If you like little Chinese stories you Will like this book. I did not like this book because of all of the little short stories. The one story i liked was the war story. I also like the first chapter it is really good. I did not like the 5th chapter it was boring.

I too, had to read this for a (children's) literature class and I found it to be extremely dry and boring. It is also questionable whether these are "authentic" folktales or short stories written "in the style" of Chinese folktales, circa 1926. I don't think Chrisman ever traveled to China in his lifetime. As an adult, I also don't feel these stories would capture the interest of children. I am certain there are more interesting, authentic (and updated) Chinese literature out there.