D Is for Dancing Dragon: A China Alphabet (Discover the World) (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Zong-Zhou Wang (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1–4—A fascinating glimpse into Chinese culture. Two rhyming sentences for each letter of the alphabet highlight people, places, and things commonly associated with the country, including the Great Wall, pandas, Chinese New Year, kites, and the Himalayan Mountains. Both the illustrated rhymes and the expository sidebars feature information about calligraphy, inventions, the importance of the color yellow, wheelbarrows, dough figurines, jasmine tea, an instrument called an ehru, and more. The couplets, chalk-pastel illustrations, and additional facts together create a comprehensive, nonlinear overview from geography and history to art and science. Although the meter of the text and the detailed pictures may not work for a group read-aloud, the title still has broad appeal. The alphabet portion could be shared one-on-one with younger students, while the additional facts keep the book relevant for independent readers and researchers. The wealth of information and the richness of the realistic drawings allow readers to savor a few letters at a time or to pore over the entire work again and again.—Julie R. Ranelli, Kent Island Branch Library, Stevensville, MD
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Product Description

Winding its way like a long dragon through 4,000 miles of mountains, desert, and grasslands, The Great Wall of China was built entirely by hand, taking hundreds of years and millions of workers to complete. That's just one of the myriad wonders of China children will discover in this far-reaching book. "D is for Dancing Dragon" brings China's history and culture alive by describing its unique customs, art works, music, foods, geography and wildlife. Children will learn, for example, that paper, ink, printing, umbrellas, kites and fireworks are all Chinese inventions. They'll find the secrets of how silk is made, how chopsticks work and why you should never cry on the Chinese New Year's Day. They will even learn a few Chinese words, as well as which astrological animal sign belongs to them. This captivating book is sure to be of special interest to anyone curious about this beautiful and mysterious land.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press (August 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1585362735
• ISBN-13: 978-1585362738
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 9.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #776,625 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Chinese Alphabet book - a terrific book for your home library!, November 9, 2006

By	KSL "emma-and-me" (Florida, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

I have about 3 or 4 of these Chinese Alphabet books and this book is a definately up there as an awesome book about China A through Z with lots of interesting facts that some books do not have. I actually learned several new facts that I had not know prior. The way this book was done allows for the book to grow with your child as they grow. There is a picture representing the letter which I believe is done in oil paint and a few sentences of information. Then if you look to the left hand side of the page there is much more detailed information.

Here is a break down of each letter. I hope this is helpful to you.

A - Acrobats ( showing Lion dancers)

B - Bejing ( shows the Forbidden City, Summer Palace)

C - Chopsticks

D - Dragon Dance

E - Ehru pronounced Ay-roo ( an old musical instrument that only has 2 strings) this page also talks about the Chinese instruments.

F- " Four Treasures of Study - brush, ink, paper and ink stone used for Calligraphy which is a must for every child to begin to learn since the Chinese language has no alphabet but characters that are for each word.

G - Great Wall

H - Himalayan Mountain range & Mount Everest

I- Inventions - paper printing, compass, abacus, wheelbarrow & fireworks

J - Jasmine Flower

K - Kites & dough

L - Lanterns ( also talks about the fifteenth day of the Spring festival marking the end of the Chinese New Year celebrations which is the Lantern Festival.

M - Mongolians

N - Chinese New Year

O - Opera & shadow puppets

P - Giant Pandas

Q - Qin Terra-Cotta Warriors

R - Rice Paddies and terraces

S - Silk Road

T - Transportation

U - Umbrella

V - Vegetables

W - Wok

X - Xie, Xie Mandarin for THANK YOU ( pronounced She-eh She-eh)

Y - Yangtze River

Z - Chinese Zodiac ( painted to look like paper cuts of the 12 animals)

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Nice Alphabet Book About China, October 1, 2008

By	Lynn Ellingwood "The ESOL Teacher" (Webster, NY United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

I like the Sleeping Bear press alphabet series and this one is another good entry. China is covered by using dragons, Beijing, the forbidden city, acrobats and other familiar subjects. It is very nice. You can read the poetry to children and read more thorough information on side. It seems pretty accurate and the pictures are very engaging and beautiful.

5.0 out of 5 stars D Is for Dancing Dragon, January 24, 2008

By	R. Miller (phx az) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Beautifully illustrated with text for the younger child to understand and additionally each page includes a more detailed explanation with some history about each Chinese custom.