As you can see, I'm still finishing up drafts from years ago. These are the books we read when focusing for a year on the countries, culture, and geography of Asia back in 2015-2016. That year, I had a sixth grader, a third grader, a first grader, and a preschooler. These books were mainly for the younger two, but the third grader often listened in as well or read them on her own.
** I've used two asterisks to mark the ones we enjoyed the most.
Unless I state otherwise, these books were all checked out from the library.
The Littlest Matryoshka (Russia) by Corinne Demas Bliss, illustrated by Kathryn Brown begins with a woodcarver in Russia who sends a beautiful set of nesting dolls to an American toy store. The littlest one is bumped off the shelf and goes through a few adventures before being reunited with the set. There's a note in the back about nesting dolls in general and the ones lovingly and carefully crafted in Russia beginning in the 1890s.
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The Gigantic Turnip (Russia) by Aleksei Tolstoy and Niamh Sharkey, with illustrations by Niamh Sharkey, is a hilarious retelling of Tolstoy's short story. The old man and old woman eventually call on all the creatures on their farm to pull the gigantic turnip. Second Daughter and Second Son adored this book. They anticipated what would happen but were still delighted to see each page turn and the expected events depicted.
** The Blessing Cup (Russia) by Patricia Polacco is the story of a young family of Russian Jews trying to escape persecution is aided immeasurably by a kind doctor and a real cup that embodies hope and love for the author's family.
The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship (Russia) retold by Arthur Ransome, pictures by Uri Shulevitz, is a fun standard fairy tale in which the third son wins all in the end. Uri Shulevitz is not my favorite illustrator, but the pictures are bright and colorful.
** Magic Maestro Peter and the Wolf (Russia) is an audio CD of the Prokofiev symphony complete with narration and demonstration of the traditional Russian instruments. It also includes a brief biography of Prokofiev. The very best tracks are not available as MP3s so be sure to find a copy of the CD. Our library has one and we've checked it out many times over the years. Along with the CD, there are many versions of the story available in picture books. My favorite is
Peter and the Wolf by Sergei Prokofiev, translated by Maria Carlson and illustrated by Charles Mikolaycak
The Noisy Paint Box: The Colors and Sounds of Kandinsky's Abstract Art (Russia) by Barb Rosenstock, illustrated by Mary Grandpre is a little biography of a fascinating artist who probably had synesthesia which allowed him to "see" sounds.
The Sea King's Daughter (Russia) retold by Aaron Shepherd, illustrated by Gennady Spirin, is simply magnificent. The illustrations by Spirin are magical though the text is a little dense for very young listeners. There is a pronunciation guide for a few of the names.
** The Chiru of High Tibet by Jacqueline Briggs Martin, illustrated by Linda Wingerter is the true story of one man's quest to protect the chiru, an animal unique to Tibet. It's a beautifully illustrated tale of perseverance and hardship on a scientific expedition. There are a few photographs at the end.
Cherry Tree (Himalayas) by Ruskin Bond, illustrated by Allan Eitzen tells of a young girl who learns about growth from her grandfather as they watch and care for a growing tree. Apparently there is another book by Bond with the same title written about a boy rather than a girl. I haven't read that one, but just from the cover I'd guess the illustrations aren't as inviting as the Eitzen ones.
** Kami and the Yaks (Nepal) by Andrea Stenn Stryer, illustrated by Bert Dodson is
one of my favorite picture books full of beauty and bravery.
All the Way to Lhasa: A Tale from Tibet retelling and art by Barbara Helen Berger is a parable showing a humble young boy and his yak struggling but persevering in a journey to Lhasa, a holy city. This book has small amounts of text and vivid pictures making it a good choice for young listeners.
** King for a Day (Pakistan) by Rukhsana Khan, illustrations by Christiane Kromer is exactly the kind of book for Reading Around the World. A young Pakistani boy, confined to a wheelchair, dominates the skies with his sleek homemade kite during the festival of Basant. He conquers the bully next door and soothes his victims.
The Lotus Seed (Vietnam and the United States) by Sherry Garland, illustrated by Tatsuro Kiurchi, tells of a lotus seed treasured by a grandmother who collected it the day she saw the emperor cry in Vietnam then carried it to America when she fled her war-ravaged Vietnam.
The Story about Ping (China) by Marjorie Flack, illustrated by Kurt Wiese is a familiar story to most of us. (own copy, probably received as a gift many years ago)
** Ruby's Wish (China) by Shirin Yim Bridges, illustrated by Sophie Blackall, is
one of my favorite picture books. (copy from
PaperBackSwap.com)
The Leaky Umbrella (Japan) by Demi is no longer available at our library and I'm afraid I don't remember it well enough to say anything other than that we read it.
** On My Way to Buy Eggs (Taiwan) by Chih Y. Chen is
one of my favorite picture books. It's sweet and simple and conveys some of Taiwanese life through the joyful experience of a young girl on a short errand.
The Runaway Wok: A Chinese New Year Tale (China) by Ying Chang Compestine, illustrated by Sebastia Serra, is one of the silly stories I always try to include for the little ones.
** Brush of the Gods (China) by Lenore Look, illustrations by Meilo So, is an "imagined version" of Wu Daozi, one of China's greatest painters at the height of classical Chinese civilization. I love the beautiful and vibrant illustrations.
Yeh-Shen: A Cinderella Story from China by Ai-Ling Louie, illustrated by Ed Young, is the story of a young girl in southern China mistreated by her stepmother.
** Mulan (China) by Li Jian, translated by Yijin Wert with the Chinese characters remaining on the page, is an excellent Chinese story to share because it is not an Americanized version of the legend of Mulan, but one written and illustrated originally for a Chinese audience.
** One Grain of Rice (India) by Demi is one of those picture books you can read over and over again, focusing on the mathematical concepts, the gorgeous illustrations, or the Indian parable. (own)
Dim Sum for Everyone! (China) by Grace Lin is a brightly colored book celebrating a happy family dinner at a restaurant, enjoying the different little dim sum dishes. It's limited text is perfect for little listeners and there's more information on the dim sum tradition at the back for grown-ups and older readers.
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Rabbit's Gift (China) told by George Shannon, illustrated by Laura Dronzek, is based on a folktale from China in which a gift is passed from friend to friend until it is shared by all. It's sweet and welcomes the anticipation of little ones as they guess who will receive the gift next and what will happen to it.
Daisy Comes Home (China) by Jan Brett is a sweet story of a little girl with a flock of happy hens, all except one who is the outcast. One night, she floats away on the adventure of a chicken's lifetime and learns how to establish her place on the roost. It's not exactly a true depiction of chicken behavior, but it's close enough to be fun. The illustrations are classic Jan Brett with hidden pictures in the background.
The Bee Tree (Malaysia) by Stephen Buchmann and Diana Cohn, illustrated by Paul Mirocha, is a story of respect, family, tradition, and accomplishment. I absolutely love one stunning illustration in particular, showing a rain of sparks from the upper branches of the bee tree. The text is a little heavy for very little ones, but my five year old and seven year old were entranced for the whole book.
The Boy Who Drew Cats (Japan) retold by Anushka Ravishankar, illustrated by Christine Kastl, and
The Boy who Drew Cats adapted by Margaret Hodges, with illustrations by Aki Sogabe.
I wrote about these two picture books here.
** Yuki and the One Thousand Carriers (Japan) by Gloria Whelan, illustrated by Yan Nascimbene, tells of a young girl traveling on more than 300 miles for her father's new position. It's beautifully illustrated with many examples of haiku. (library) - library no longer has
Grass Sandals : The Travels of Basho (Japan) by Dawnine Spivak, illustrated by Demi, is an interesting book on the famous Japanese poet, Basho. Each page contains a haiku, a Japanese character and its meaning, and text describing some of the few facts we know about Basho. It's beautifully illustrated and nicely incorporates history and poetry.
Issun Boshi: The One-Inch Boy (Japan) by Ichinori is a retelling of a Japanese folktale in which a tiny boy overcomes an ogre to save a beautiful girl. The illustrations are overlays of yellow, orange, and blue, very different from most other books we have read.
The Boy from the Dragon Palace (Japan) by Margaret Read MacDonald, illustrated by Sachiko Yoshikawa, is a Japanese folk tale about a flower seller who receives the blessing of a young boy after giving flowers to the Dragon King by sprinkling them on the sea. He's annoyed, feeding the boy shrimp, but the snotty boy sneezes out money and other treasures. My kids loved this book; they laughed hilariously at the snotty boy. The message of thankfulness and contentment is welcome, but it was a little too gross for my own taste.
Three Samurai Cats: A Story from Japan retold by Eric A. Kimmel, illustrated by Mordecai Gerstein (Japan), is a folktale that delighted all of the children. As I was reading it, the twelve-year-old and the nine-year-old crowded around along with the two younger ones. A big ugly rat has taken over a palace. Three samurai cats come, one by one, to battle him. The oldest and seemingly weakest is the last to come, and conquers in a surprising way. The illustrations are entertaining. The rat is despicable. There was much cheering at the end.
Yumi and
Kimonos (Japan) by Annelore Parot were great fun. Both the younger children enjoyed them.
I wrote about them earlier on the blog here.
Hopefully this post gives some good ideas for Reading Around the World with Picture Books in Asia, but the best strategy is to search your own library's catalog for appropriate books. I've had excellent results by searching for individual country names.
I have received nothing for writing this post. Most of these books were ones we checked out of our local library. Links above are Amazon affiliate links and I do receive a small commission if you follow a link and make a purchase.
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