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

by Cindy Chang (Author), Charles Reasoner (Author) "Long ago, in the heavens above, seven beautiful maidens wove the glorious tapestry of the night sky..." (more)
Key Phrases: Milky Way

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
A lonely shepherd is saddened when he must let the maiden he loves return to help her sisters weave the tapestry of the night sky. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Troll Communications (September 13, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0816734127
• ISBN-13: 978-0816734122
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 8 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,602,581 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Something of a Melencholy Story...But an Excellent Retelling of this Legend, January 23, 2007

By	Amy Graham (Scottsdale, AZ) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Chinese Legend of the Night Sky, August 9, 2000

By A Customer

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.