Two of Everything [Hardcover]

Lily Toy Hong (Author), Lily Toy Tong (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1993 | Grade Level: K and up

Mr. Haktak digs up a curious brass pot in his garden and decides to carry his coin purse in it. When Mrs. Haktak's hairpin slips into the pot, she reaches in and pulls out two coin purses and two hairpins--this is a magic pot!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

As she did in How the Ox Star Fell from Heaven , this talented author-illustrator here distills a Chinese folktale with style and humor. Her lucid narrative is coupled with beguiling, full-page airbrushed acrylic and gouache pictures that display a distinctive palette highlighted by sumptuous blues and greens. Digging in his garden, a poor farmer discovers an ancient brass pot. While carrying his find home, the man drops his purse, which he then tosses into the pot for safekeeping. At home, when his wife peers into the vessel she finds not one but two purses. The couple puts the magic pot to work, multiplying their remaining gold coins many times over. But their good fortune takes an unexpected turn when Mr. and Mrs. Haktak both manage to fall into the pot, and a clone of each of them appears. "Now even our troubles are beginning to double," the farmer observes wryly. How they make peace with their new lives will have youngsters, if not doubled up with laughter, at least genuinely amused, and wanting to reread this yarn--at least twice. Ages 5-8.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 4-- A Chinese folktale with a perfect blend of humor and wisdom. One spring morning, Mr. Haktak, a poor farmer, unearths a brass pot in his garden. Placing his coin purse inside for safekeeping, he carries his discovery home to his wife. After she accidently drops her hairpin inside, Mrs. Haktak reaches into the pot and, to her amazement, pulls out two identical hairpins and two matching coin purses. Quickly deducing the magic secret, husband and wife work feverishly to duplicate their few coins, creating enough gold to fill their hut. The happy couple believes their luck has finally changed for the better--until Mrs. Haktak falls head first into the pot. Using lively yet straightforward language, Hong tells this story with an engagingly playful tone. Never ready to despair, the quick-thinking woman takes charge and imaginatively solves each problem, rapidly moving the plot to a fitting resolution. The airbrushed acrylic and gouache illustrations feature a variety of circular shapes; rounded heads, cheeks, and hats reflect the image of the pot. Painted in matte tones and outlined with darker colors, the pictures are set against a simple background appropriate to life in humble surroundings. A whimsical mix of fortune and misfortune with a distinctly Chinese flavor. --Joy Fleishhacker, New York Public Library
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company (January 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807581577
• ISBN-13: 978-0807581575
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 11.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #57,998 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #51 in Books > Children's Books > Travel & Cultures > Explore the World > Asia
  • #59 in Books > Children's Books > Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths > Anthologies

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful book!, October 2, 2000

By 

"wukwukwuk" (SLC, UT) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Two of Everything (Hardcover)

Lily Toy Hong's book is a delight for both children and adults alike. Her colorful and comical illustrations please the soul, and both the text and the pictures keep the attention of all school-aged children.

In the state of Utah, the children in the schools and public libraries selected her book as The Best Picturebook of the Year in conjunction with nominees presented by the Utah Librarian's Association.

Lily's book shows Chinese characters and artifacts depicted in authentic dress and style. How do I know? I am one of her sisters raised in a loving home of parents and grandparents who immigrated from China and who preserved many of the ways of their roots.

Any classroom teacher (which I am) who is looking for a book to raise the spirits and share a fun Chinese folktale with need look no further than Two of Everything! (Math teachers can use it to introduce the concept of doubling, and expand it to tripling, etc.)

Respectfully, Kim Hong Wu

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars MY 5 YEAR OLD LOVES IT, June 10, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Two of Everything (Hardcover)

There is something funny about saying Haktak. It makes the book enjoyable to read. A very fun folktale that I had never heard before. My daughter got it as a library book and I am considering buying it for her.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One for me, two for you, May 11, 2004

By 

E. R. Bird "Ramseelbird" (Manhattan, NY) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Two of Everything (Hardcover)

This book is the embodiment of everything (in a word) pleasant. It's just a pleasant pleasant story to read through. Based on a classic Chinese folktale, the book follows an old married couple and their life. The two live in utter simplicity, only eating the food from their garden and occasionally selling the surplus when they get the chance. One day the old man, Mr. Haktak, is digging in the garden when he finds an old pot. He brings it home to his wife (after a fair amount of struggling and straining) and it isn't long before the two discover that the pot is magic. Indeed, after Mr. Haktak's purse and Mrs. Haktak's hairpins fall in and wondrously duplicate the two come to the rather obvious conclusion that the pot doubles anything that falls into it. They're right of course, and the pot truly seems as if it is too good to be true. Unfortunately, the day Mrs. Haktak accidentally falls into the pot herself, things become a little more complicated for the two...three...four people.

The book is utterly charming. Filled with author/illustrator Lily Toy Hong's roly poly people, the humor of each and every situation is undeniable. There's a great moment when Mr. Haktak is pulling his wife from the pot, only to find another pair of legs are kicking in her place. The book also has (if this makes any sense) a rather contemporary feel to it. Though it may well be an ancient story, the way in which Ms. Hong has written it makes it feel as fresh and lively as the day it was conceived. There are wonderful little details in some of the more crowded scenes and each illustration is drawn with thick pleasant colorful lines that are enticing to the eye. Should you be looking for a good Chinese folktale to entertain the little ones with, and you'd rather not read anything too old or possibly racist, then this book is a perfect fit. Simultaneously elegant and easy to understand, it's sure to be beloved by the whole fam.