The Crane Girl by Curtis Manley
OMG! Times Ten! That is how I felt after I read The Crane Girl by Curtis Manley and illustrated by Lin Wang. Though available, I read via an online reader copy and I plan on finding a finished copy as you need to hold this book, I think, to get the entire picture. The story is dense and deep. We find Manley adapted the Crane Girl/Wife story to fit their needed goals. Still, it feels as if this was a true interpretation of the legend. […]
The Amazing Leaf in the Cup: A Tale of Tea Retold in English and Chinese by Yiping Wei
It is probably a copout to just copy and paste the publisher’s description of The Amazing Leaf in the Cup: A Tale of Tea Retold in English and Chinese by Yiping Wei. However, I’ll summarize it “a man, named Ding Xian, has qualified for the imperial examinations. In his travels, he passes through Wuyi Mountain, where he meets a monk that helps him by giving him a drink that restores his energy. It is just hot water and leaves, but makes an impact on the […]
Stillwater and Koo Save the World (A Stillwater and Friends Book) by Jon J. Muth
Early February 2023 we will have another Jon J. Muth picture book. Now, if you are like me, I loved Muth. After a while, though the stories became similar, but I still love the illustrations, which is why I was excited to see that Stillwater and Koo Save the World (A Stillwater and Friends Book) will be the newest edition the collection. Muth has our two pandas finding ways to “save the world.” Now, they might not be big, splashy events, but they are important, […]
Deborah’s Tree by Jane Yolen
Deborah’s Tree by Jane Yolen and illustrated by Cosei Kawa is a picture book that has multiple layers. It is a book on religion and women’s history. I knew the name Deborah was biblical but did not know the history of the woman behind the story. Deborah was a female judge. In fact, the only one the bible mentions. We follow Deborah from a child to an adult. We see her visions (let us put divine intervention aside for the moment and I will say […]
Keepunumuk: Weeâchumun's Thanksgiving Story by Danielle Greendeer
Keepunumuk: Weeâchumun’s Thanksgiving Story might not be a great book (meaning it has all the bells, whistle, computer generated cuteness, and all the “I’m okay you’re okay” lovey-dovey stuff you see in a contemporary book), but it is a solid book. And it is a book with staying power that might just become a classic. It is an important book, a poetic book, and a strong representation of the Thanksgiving story told from another perspective. My score of 4 is really a 4.5 as I […]
