Customer Reviews

Yeh-Shen (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition) (Paperstar Book)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

In almost every culture, parents tell children a story that resembles the European Cinderella. Scholars have collected more than 500 versions of the story. In the past couple of decades a lot of these multicultural variations on Cinderella have been turned into children's picture books. The familiar story gives kids a great introduction to people of the world. Several of these books are very good, but two are exceptional. One is John Steptoe's "Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters," an African version of the story. The other is this one.

"Yeh-Shen," a Chinese version of the tale almost a thousand years older than the earliest known European version, contains many familiar details - a poor over-worked girl, a wicked stepmother and stepsister, a magical helper, a king in search of a wife, and a lost shoe. But while Cinderella is simply handed gifts from her fairy godmother, Yeh-Shen earns her wishes through kindness to a magic fish. This one change makes a big difference in the ethical tone of the book. It also makes the reader feel much more sympathetic toward Yeh-Shen, who seems to deserve every bit of good fortune she gets.

The illustrations greatly add to the book's charm. Ed Young's style is striking and unique. There's a misty, ethereal quality to his art that makes everything look as if it were taking place in a dream - which is just perfect for the book.

This is the oldest known version of Cinderella. It dates back to 9BC China. Having taught a unit on the history of Cinderella to my class every year around Holiday time, I'm pleased to finally have a copy of the book -- the copy from the Minneapolis Public Library is missing -- because it teaches children that not every version is about pumpkin coaches and glass slippers. Beautifully illustrated by Ed Young, the theme of the fish/fairy godmother character plays throughout the book.

Enjoy this version, along with Shirley Chimo's Egyptian and Korean Cinderellas, The Turkey Girl, The Rough Face Girl, Sootface, and of course, the old classic versions.

This book is an excellent addition to your multicultural children's collection!

Cinderella stories are practically a dime a dozen...they can be found in practically every culture known to man and are amoung the most frequently read to young children. So what makes Yeh-Shen worth reading...well, it's retold by Louie with it's origins in China and is probably based on the oldest known version of Cinderella in existence. Louie writes with few words, but manages to tell the story eloquently and in a way that is appealing to both children and adults. Additionally, Young's illustrations are exquisite and really evoke a feeling of ancient China. This story includes all of the classic elements that we Westerners are familiar with...the evil step mother, an unattractive step-sister, an emperor looking for a bride, the wayward slipper (though this one is golden, not glass)...but it also has its differences. In place of the fairy god-mother we are used to, there is a kindly old man who offers sage advice to Yeh-Shen (and he appears once about midway thought the story) and of course, there is the magical fish who makes Yeh-Shen's life bearable and makes her dreams come true in the end. I love that the author didn't sanitize the ending and that the reader is told the fate of the cruel and mean-spirited step-mother and sister. It was done in such a way that I don't think the young children this books is geared toward would be at all disturbed...plus it is in keeping with what is considered the traditional ending for most fairy tales (before they were sanitized for modern times)...the evil and unjust get what they deserve and I think that's the perfect ending! I give Yeh-Shen 5 stars, it's a lovely tale that is beautifully illustrated, it would make a lovely addition to any library.

Bought this for my 6-yo niece, who reads very well. It's a great version of the Cinderella story, set in China. Instead of fairies and magic, the story is woven with events that could actually happen. (Makes me wonder if it inspired Cinderella, or vice versa.) Loved it, and so does my niece!

FORGET DISNEY (no offense to any die-hards out there). Even if you don't have kids, but are into world folklore and mythology--like me--then this is DEFINITELY worth the purchase. At least I'll be saving it for my 6 y.o. nephew when he visits. Hopefully, at his age, it should rub off on him to gain a burning desire of learning about foreign cultures. Ai-Ling Louie has done such a superb job retelling the oldest Cinderella story (1,200 years to date).

However, having said that, it is also worth noting that it was adapted for the 1980s Saturday morning TV anthology series "CBS Storybreak" hosted by Bob "Captain Kangaroo" Keeshan. The reason being here is that where most the Storybreak episodes had relied heavily on stereotypical characters and dialogue cliches with lame, stilted conviction, the Yeh-Shen episode really did stand out with sharp, sensitive dialogue, vibrant colors, and, for the most part, was VERY faithful to the book. (It even had actor George Takei of "Star Trek" and "Heroes" as one the voices, as well.) Plus, where there are already books that have been endorsed by the long-running PBS kids' series "Reading Rainbow", Penguin Publishers should have also done likewise with mentioning that this was a CBS Storybreak episode (even if most of the Storybook eps of their originals DO come up short).

My point? Cartoons and world folktales (and their TV/movie adaptations) are not just for kids. It's just there are already those of us who happen to enjoy clean-cut entertainment and very much want to pass it on to the younger generation (without ever having to resort to politically correct kid gloves in the former, of course).

Told in a series of illustrated panels that carry the story across the page, this book is a one-of-a-kind Cinderella. The very simple text pairs with impressions of fish scales and fish forms and color washes -- the whole book is dreamy. It builds until, on the second-to-last page, you see Yeh-Shin revealed in her loveliness, superimposed over the fishy "godmother."

This book is a joy to read aloud. My boys really like it.

Stepmother and stepsister are crushed by falling stones in their cave at the end. An ending even the Grimm brothers would approve of!

Excellent service, prompt delivery, excellent conditon
as described, packaged well.
Would use again.

Both of my children have had this book read to them at school and loved it. We had to own it.

I think this book is very,very good. It was a great book about China also a good book for childrens around the world. This book is about a girl named Yeh-Shen that was a orpahan. She had to work for her stepmother and her stepsister. Yeh-Shen had a fish that she did not know that it was magic fish. The fish's name is goldeyes. Yeh-Shen stepsister found out that Yeh-Shen had a friend that was a fish. The stepsister want and told her mother. The stepmother told Yeh-Shen to get some wood from the far side of the land. At the end of the story Yeh-Shen married the king.

I am very enthusiastic about exposing my children to different cultures and ideas, and when I saw this book and read the reviews on Amazon, I was excited to get it for my girls. When the book arrived, I read it immediately. The story and the pictures are beautiful. I liked everything until the very last sentence of the book -- I was very surprised to read that Yeh-Shen's stepmother and stepsister were "crushed to death in a shower of flying stones." Although I understand that this may be part of the original story, I am giving this book one star because it is supposed to be appropriate for children 4-8. I don't believe, with such a violent and disturbing ending, that it is appropriate for this age group.