Perhaps it was the subject matter (I am not a huge gunpowder fan, though I am a bit of a fireworks enjoyer) or the fact that I have read read several titles by Oliver Chin and Philip Amara, that made this book, The Discovery of Fireworks and Gunpowder: The Asian Hall of Fame, feel a smidgen weaker due to the similar tones their work has. However, I like the characters and it is a fun way to introduce a subject that might not immediately be on a kids radar. Maybe because it was the second book in the series of Aisan history made it awkward as they were starting to get their groove and later ones had been more polished. The illustrations of Juan Calle are cute and clever. But when it is all said and done, I enjoyed reading this and recommend anything Oliver Chinn has written.
This time around we follow our kiddos and their red panda friend throughout the ages and learn how things went from little to big bangs. They focus a bit more on the firework part of things, but do not leave out how gunpowder was used for other things, such as weapons. Some questions I had about fireworks (like how do they get the colors, or how does the swirls and whirls happen) are answered, plus we see how history was shaped. If you are doing a unit about Asia this is a good series to have in your classroom. I like that our kiddos have a red panda time traveling agent.
I am still waiting to find a copy of The Discovery of Anime and Manga: The Asian Hall of Fame, but I am a fan of The Discovery of K-Pop: The Asian Hall of Fame (due September 2026), The Discovery of Ramen: The Asian Hall of Fame and the first one I read, The Discovery of Chess: The Asian Hall of Fame (And in fact, I still have a readers copy tucked into my metal file holder with other books to be read, have been loved and some other goodies).
