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Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 3?Early Chinese astronomers devised a zodiac based on a repeating 12-year cycle, with each year in the cycle named for an animal. Variant stories explain why the cycle starts with the year of the Rat, continues through ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, and the rest, and ends with the year of the Pig. Usually, a deity sets up a contest to decide which animals, and in what order, will represent each year. Here, it is an unwell Buddha. Confined to his bed, he sends flying female messengers to invite animals from various regions to visit him. Their order of arrival will determine the order of years. Brightly colored watercolor illustrations inspired by frescoes on the caves of Dunhuang and by the vibrant lines of Chinese woodcuts show animals from varied ecosystems answering the call. Only the cat remains at home by the fire. This story represents Chinese tradition more accurately than David Bouchard's The Great Race (Millbrook 1997), and offers a better story and more compelling art than Clara Yen's Why Rat Comes First (Children's Book Pr., 1991) or Monica Chang's Story of the Chinese Zodiac (Pan Asian Publications, 1994). Libraries owning Ed Young's darkly elegant Cat and Rat (Holt, 1995) should consider this new and very different version as an alternate and interesting comparison to the earlier book. Whitfield provides an informative source note and a chart of the animal signs and their characteristics. An illustrator's note, documenting the inspiration for the art, is also appended.?Margaret A. Chang, North Adams State College, MA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Kirkus Reviews
Yet another book taking on the story behind the Chinese Zodiac; there have been at least eight since 1991, among them Clara Yen's Why Rat Comes First (1991), Demi's The Dragon's Tale and Other Animal Fables of the Chinese Zodiac (1996, not reviewed) and Ed Young's Cat and Rat (1995). And once again, Rat manages to arrive ahead of the others at Buddha's feet, and the first year of the cycle is named accordingly. Cat, on the other hand, is left behind, thus prompting the age-old feud between rats and cats. Curiously, Whitfield opts for more of a series of explanations than a story, and fails to generate much excitement. Chatty, caption-like blurbs accompany the animal figures, taking up several pages without developing the action. Explosions of color result in pages that are predominantly red and yellow, reminiscent of Chinese fireworks. A history of the development of the Chinese zodiac follows the story, as does an interpretation of the attributes of each animal's qualities. (Picture book. 5-8) -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
See all Editorial Reviews
Kindergarten-Grade 3?Early Chinese astronomers devised a zodiac based on a repeating 12-year cycle, with each year in the cycle named for an animal. Variant stories explain why the cycle starts with the year of the Rat, continues through ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, and the rest, and ends with the year of the Pig. Usually, a deity sets up a contest to decide which animals, and in what order, will represent each year. Here, it is an unwell Buddha. Confined to his bed, he sends flying female messengers to invite animals from various regions to visit him. Their order of arrival will determine the order of years. Brightly colored watercolor illustrations inspired by frescoes on the caves of Dunhuang and by the vibrant lines of Chinese woodcuts show animals from varied ecosystems answering the call. Only the cat remains at home by the fire. This story represents Chinese tradition more accurately than David Bouchard's The Great Race (Millbrook 1997), and offers a better story and more compelling art than Clara Yen's Why Rat Comes First (Children's Book Pr., 1991) or Monica Chang's Story of the Chinese Zodiac (Pan Asian Publications, 1994). Libraries owning Ed Young's darkly elegant Cat and Rat (Holt, 1995) should consider this new and very different version as an alternate and interesting comparison to the earlier book. Whitfield provides an informative source note and a chart of the animal signs and their characteristics. An illustrator's note, documenting the inspiration for the art, is also appended.?Margaret A. Chang, North Adams State College, MA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Kirkus Reviews
Yet another book taking on the story behind the Chinese Zodiac; there have been at least eight since 1991, among them Clara Yen's Why Rat Comes First (1991), Demi's The Dragon's Tale and Other Animal Fables of the Chinese Zodiac (1996, not reviewed) and Ed Young's Cat and Rat (1995). And once again, Rat manages to arrive ahead of the others at Buddha's feet, and the first year of the cycle is named accordingly. Cat, on the other hand, is left behind, thus prompting the age-old feud between rats and cats. Curiously, Whitfield opts for more of a series of explanations than a story, and fails to generate much excitement. Chatty, caption-like blurbs accompany the animal figures, taking up several pages without developing the action. Explosions of color result in pages that are predominantly red and yellow, reminiscent of Chinese fireworks. A history of the development of the Chinese zodiac follows the story, as does an interpretation of the attributes of each animal's qualities. (Picture book. 5-8) -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
See all Editorial Reviews
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