Scholastic Classics: East Asian Folktales, Myths And Legends

by Eva Wong Nava

Paperback

About the author

Eva Wong Nava lives between two worlds. She reads copiously and writes voraciously. She believes in connecting Asia to Europe and America, and finds immense pleasure in telling her English daughters stories of Singapore where she spent a big part of her childhood. She regales them with tales from Chinese myths and literature, imbuing her stories with personal experiences of watching the Chinese opera with her mother. Her favourite Chinese opera is The Monkey King’s Journey to the West.


Eva holds a degree in English Literature and Language from the University of Hull where Philip Larkin was once the University Librarian (and the reason why she chose to go there!); a Post-Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) from University College London where the Institute of Education resides, and a certificate in Art Writing from Sotheby’s Institute of Art which she undertook to better understand what the craft entails. She holds a M.A. in Art History and has taught children and adults how they can use writing for communication and play. She is the founder of CarpeArte Journal, an online space, which publishes works of flash fiction. Eva’s flash fiction have appeared in various places and her writing on art have been published in international art journals.

Reviews

[Juliette · Rating 4 out of 5]

très mignon ces petites histoires

[Sifa Poulton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. It has not affected my opinions.

This collection of tales draws from Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Mongolian traditions. It also has a really great explanation about the historical and religious/philosophical influences on tales included. I liked these contextual details!

As the author explains, many of the tales we have from this region of the world are Chinese because of the enduring records and how trade meant there was a great sharing of stories between countries. There are some from Korea, Japan, and Mongolia mixed in, and each story starts with an explanation of its similarities to other tales nearby.

I liked the way this collection was arranged by story type (romantic, origin tales etc). It lets you see the themes in the stories and know "ah, this is going to involve an animal" or "this will explain a festival."

[Vicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good introduction to versions of Asian folktales.

[Kel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Erg vlot en makkelijk geschreven. soms kan het erg snel en afgeraffeld eindigen. Maar voor de rest zijn de verhaaltjes erg leuk en schattig. Zal dit zeker aanraden voor kinderen