Illustrated Stories from China

by Li Weiding (Illustrator)

Discover magical princesses, mighty dragons, mischievous monkeys and more, in this captivating collection of classic Chinese tales. Specially selected and retold for readers today, each story is brought vividly to life by traditional Chinese brush-and-ink illustrations.

Genres: China, Fantasy, Fiction, Fairy Tales, Childrens, Short Stories, Graphic Novels

192 pages, Hardcover

Published July 11, 2019

Reviews

[Preili Pipar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Visuaalselt nauditav raamat. See joonistamisstiil on täiesti omaette klass. Lood on ka head ja väga lahe on see, et iga loo alguses on lühidalt toodud, kust lugu pärineb või miks ta on oluline.
Ja ei olegi Hiina ja Euroopa muinasjutud nii erinevad. Nii mõneski loos on sarnasusi Euroopas tuntud lugudega nagu näiteks Tuhkatriinuga.

[Alyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the French version that I got, but there is an English one by the same publisher.

Always love to read some tales (might they be our traditional fairytales we all know so well or tales from other cultures), but even more so when it's presented in such a beautiful form.

This book includes 13 tales from China (a few of which similar to some of our western tales like Red Riding Hood or Cinderella), completed with lots of magnificent illustrations painted the traditional way by Li Wielding.

Highly recommend! ❤️



For the story: it was initially a friend who noticed it in the bookshop and was like "omg so pretty let me buy it" and when I looked at it, I ended up thinking too "me want" and got it the next day. 😂

[Birgit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Üks ilusamaid lasteraamatuid, mida olen viimastel aastatel näinud. Lausa rõõm oli käes hoida ja lugeda. Lood on ümber jutustatud ja koostatud tänapäeva lugejat silmas pidades, seega sobivad lugemiseks nii noortele kui vanadele. Raamatu illustratsioonid on tehtud hiina traditsioonilises maalitehnikas, nagu raamatu esilehekülgedel mainitud. Ma ütleks, et pool lugemisrõõmu pälvisid ilusad illustratsioonid. Ainuke miinus, kui seda võib miinuseks nimetada, on lehekülgede arv - oleks võinud olla rohkem (191 lk), ent see-eest on lugude valik hea.

[Sarah's Reading Nook · Rating 5 out of 5]

We love each of the stories and the beautiful illustrations!

[Kristi Einberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really beautiful book. Gorgeous. Stories were mostly familiar, nothing special. Monkey story was my least favourite. Not going to read this book again but will be watching those illustrations again for sure.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really fun to read paired with Where the Mountain Meets the Moon.

[Melanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The kids love these illustrated stories series (so do I!) and we did like most of the stories in this book - though there were a few where I questioned the appropriateness for their age levels, just because of some violence / talk about death and killing in a bit of a violent way. Since I was reading this aloud to the kids, I changed some of the language when I had the foresight to be able to do it :)

Love the illustrations - beautiful watercolors - and the explanations in the beginning of the book about where these stories come from and about the illustrations themselves. My personal favorite is the last story - the tale of how the customs surrounding Lunar New Year came to be.

The kids (5 & 7) were typically interested and listening throughout each story (I read one story a night, some are rather long). Most pages have pictures, but some do not. I would probably recommend for an older age group than my kiddos, but do love sharing folk tales from other cultures with them and discussing them afterward.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful little collection of Chinese folk tales. Beautifully illustrated. I plan to read these to my son when he’s a toddler to expose him to other cultures. In the meantime, I’ve been fascinated with folk tales and mythology from other cultures - most of these are meant to teach values to children, and it’s interesting to see what values different cultures find important. Some are different, and some are similar. Some of these tales, in fact, are very similar to western ones (e.g., compare “The Golden Slippers” to “Cinderella” and “Great-Aunt Tiger” to “Little Red Riding Hood”).

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a beautifully illustrated book, it made it fun to read the first time on my own, and every time I've read it to someone as well. Whether you're familiar which Chinese folklore or this is your first exposure to it, it's definitely worth having on your shelf.

My only qualm was with The Monkey King I know its a long and adventurous tale, so I understand it being hard to condense into an anthology like this. If you are curious, I highly recommend looking more into other versions of the tale of Sun Wukong.

[Mr Bramley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this collection of traditional tales from China.
I will definitely be using it in the future for classroom activities.

This wonderful little book is perfectly out together with a collection of different stories. Some very similar to classical stories children may already know, some that help to explain religion or culture, and some entirely new. The illustrations are beautiful, and the book even begins with a little cultural background as well.

[Willow Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is beautifully illustrated with traditional Chinese brushstrokes - a delight to look at as well as to read. In some stories, the translation is given real emotive, glittering descriptions that brought a smile to my face. There are some classics in here that you might already know about as a fairytale lover, but I was delighted to read new Chinese fables I hadn't personally found before.

[Annabelle Guthrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a gorgeous compilation of Chinese stories, myths and tales, complete with traditional water coloured illustrations which are stunning. Some of the tales are similar to Western Fairytales such as Cinderella and Little Red Riding Hood, but others tell the story of Chinese traditions such as Chinese New Year. As a student primary teacher, I bought this book as a resource to use in the future, and I have not been disappointed. This book totally deserves the 5 star rating

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoy fables and myths and lore from other countries. It's surprising to me (shouldn't be) that every culture's morality tales often are quite in line with each other.

The illustrator of this book is (according to the intro) an expert in brush painting, and I don't doubt it. The art is extraordinary!

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great read-aloud collection for bedtime. My young elementary-age kids enjoyed them and were very engaged. The stories were written in an interesting, easy-to-follow manner. The illustrations were captivating, done in a traditional Chinese brush painting style. My favorite stories were about the mouse marriage and the dragon paintings.

[Adrienne · Rating 5 out of 5]

So beautiful! We all gushed over the artwork. Then we looked up the artist on YouTube to see him at work. We loved reading stories from China and finding similarities with stories we grew up with. There are some universal stories around the world, I think.

[Mallory · Rating 5 out of 5]

We read this over a series of weeks. The art is gorgeous!! Each story was good but our favorite was second to the last - The Monkey King! We will be looking for more Monkey King adventures after reading this. Great bedtime read as the stories were fairly short and left you with something to ponder.

[Păcurar Andreea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este o carte de fabule chinezești care poate fi citită la orice vârstă. Din fiecare povestioare avem ceva de învățat! Recomand cu placere o lectura ușoară și plină de învățăminte cu imagini minunate gata sa ți capteze atenția. Dacă avem cărți ca acesta când eram copil as fi fost tare fericită.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

We’ve been slowly reading stories before nap times and I have really enjoyed them. The illustrations are also amazing. My son is far too young for them but I can’t wait for when we can reread them and he can show more interest.

[James Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing illustrations and stories. The stories were often mystical, deep and philosophical, or just outright fun—a great addition to any family avid on reading to their children. The Monkey King story and the old man and the butterfly are standouts for sure.

[Mary Sasala · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great introduction to Chinese fairytales. The artwork is gorgeous

[Jbondandrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely collection of stories and beautiful illustrations.

[Kristine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely book! I loved the folk tales! Wow! They give you so much to think about and learn!

[Gin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read as part of some research I did for an event last year. Aimed at children, which I am not, but it charmed me nevertheless

[Zoe Gurney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very nice stories with interesting brief descriptions including background info about the stories. The art is absolutely gorgeous.

[Robbyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely stunning illustrations.
I love fairytales and enjoyed reading new ones I haven’t heard before.

[Calie · Rating 3 out of 5]

De jolis contes qui nous font voyager au coeur de la Chine, le tout sublimé par les magnifiques illustrations de Li Weiding: un artiste renommé pour ses peintures traditionnelle.

[Joseph Whitt · Rating 3 out of 5]

One day, our family hosted a book sale in our home. Although not many books were sold, my just-barely-four-year-old daughter wanted this book oh so so badly that the vendor gave this book to her. She grew very sad as we got near the end of the book and only wanted to read it on Saturday's. She did not mind at all when we missed a day. At the end, she somehow thought I would never read to her again. My darling Addison's mysterious attachment to this book and to the reading of it sway my opinion heavily. Having read two cultural story anthologies this past year, including Shen of the Sea: Chinese Stories for Children which is also from China, I was slightly burnt out though I don't believe there were any repeated stories between the two. But it is of no difference because my children enjoyed the strange stories that had them baffled and laughing. The artwork in this book is also beautiful which is really why I've given it three stars.