Mulan

by Michaela Morgan

'Mulan' is the story of a brave girl who has to pretend to be a boy to go and fight for her country.

Genres: Childrens

32 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2011

Reviews

[Albana Bregu · Rating 4 out of 5]

This a tale about a girl who against all the odds went to war and become famous for her fighting skills and devotion to her family. Different to other fairy tales where princess get saved by the charming prince, Mulan is the fighter and saviour of all China.
It is a good book as it inspires children to follow their dreams and wishes no matter to gender, or other personal characteristics.

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently used this version of the Mulan story to explore the Chinese tale with a year 2, mixed ability class. I found that the text was at a suitable level for the children to follow the story as I (the teacher) read it aloud. It was also accessible engough for some children to read aloud.
The book's detailed illustrations can be used as stimuli for short class/partner discussions and writing tasks such as setting descriptions and alternative endings.
I found that this book appealed to both the boys and the girls in the class, with it's mix of themes (e.g. duty, family life, war, fighting, appearance etc.) providing hooks for all sexes, personalities and abilities.
It also provoked discussion around stereotypes (the girl of the family going to war and becoming a successful fighter - not the most common theme!) so in this sense, the learning opportunitites crossed over into many PSHE topics).

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of Mulan can be seen as an unusual one due to the fact the main 'hero' is a female character. The story unfolds with Mulan pretending to be a boy and joining the war so that her old, sick father does not have to join. She succeeds as a fighter and keeps her gender hidden. This is an excellent story that is very well written. The text is not overly difficult, but provides an adequate challenge for a KS1 (year 2) class. Numerous lessons can be created from this book from diary entries/writing from the perspective of a character to creating an alternate ending. This book has lots of excitement which is sure to keep children on the edge of their seat!