Who Is Jackie Chan?

Who Was . . . ? Series

by Jody Jensen Shaffer, Who H.Q., Gregory Copeland (Illustrator)

How did Jackie Chan become one of the most recognizable and beloved actors in the world? Find out in this exciting biography of this martial artist turned international film superstar.

When Kong-sang was a young boy in Hong Kong, he enjoyed practicing martial arts with his dad but hated going to school. He was eventually enrolled in the China Drama Academy, where he improved his martial arts skills and became a stuntman. That training led to a successful career as an actor. Kong-sang, now known as Jackie Chan, never gave up on his passion for screwball physical comedy. Luckily for Jackie, his determination paid off. His humor and dangerous stuntwork in films like Cannonball Run , Rush Hour , Shanghai Noon , and Karate Kid have made him an international star, and it doesn't look like he'll be leaving the big screen anytime soon.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, History, Childrens

112 pages, Paperback

First published February 4, 2020

About the author

Jody Jensen Shaffer is an award-winning poet and the author of more than 70 books of fiction and nonfiction for children, including PRUDENCE THE PART-TIME COW, a Missouri Show Me Award finalist for 2019-2020 and Missouri’s choice for the National Book Festival in 2017, A CHIP OFF THE OLD BLOCK, nominee for the 2021-2022 Iowa Goldfinch Award, IT’S YOUR FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL, BUSY BUS!, an Amazon best-seller and Amazon Prime Book Box pick for September 2019, EMERGENCY KITTENS!, WHO IS JACKIE CHAN? and more. Jody’s poetry and fiction have been published in magazines like Highlights, Ladybug, and Clubhouse Jr. Jody lives in Liberty, Missouri, with her family. When she’s not writing, Jody can be found spending time with family and walking her rescue dog, Sophie.

Reviews

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, Jackie Chan! Isn't there Anything that this Chinese Stunt actor can't Do?!

[A🇳🇵 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it! But really the pictures could be better.but the way they wrote it,it so good.check this book out!

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to the audio of this and found that there were a plot of facts no about Jacie Chan. I feel as though this was filler to make the book longer. While the book was interesting, I was there for the Jackie parts not other people Nd their Achievement. If I want those facts I would read about them.
I thought Jackie's childhood to be interesting but the book overall was very dry.

[AMAO · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who Is Jackie Chan? by Jody Jensen Shaffer
Published February 4, 2020

<3

How did Jackie Chan become one of the most recognizable and beloved actors in the world? Find out in this exciting biography of this martial artist turned international film superstar.
When Kong-sang was a young boy in Hong Kong, he enjoyed practicing martial arts with his dad but hated going to school. He was eventually enrolled in the China Drama Academy, where he improved his martial arts skills and became a stuntman.

That training led to a successful career as an actor. Kong-sang, now known as Jackie Chan, never gave up on his passion for screwball physical comedy. Luckily for Jackie, his determination paid off. His humor and dangerous stuntwork in films like Cannonball Run, Rush Hour, Shanghai Noon, and Karate Kid have made him an international star, and it doesn't look like he'll be leaving the big screen anytime soon.

[Milana Melamed · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite character from this book is Jackie Chan because he worked very hard to get where he is and he never gave up. Even when the movie didn't go the way he hoped he still kept trying. When he got hurt he rested and then he got back to doing stunts.
Something that surprised me in this book is he weighed 12 pounds when he was born. Most babies when born weigh about 7.5 pounds.
If i were the author of this book i would not have changed the ending because I liked how it was talking abut his charity work which is nice. Jackie Chan was not only a hard worker but a nice person.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jackie Chan is well known for his stunts in his movies. He was born Chan Kong-sang on 7 April 1954 in Hong Kong. He was never really good at school work but became quite talented in the marshal arts. He started out as a stunt double in movies and quickly moved up the ranks as a professional stunt man. He has become one of the best known actors in action movies in both America and Asia. This book details his rise in the industry as well as his life growing up in Hong Kong.

[Layla Heimlich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid book with a nice inspirational message about getting far through hard work. Read it with my eight year old son, who thought it was pretty good, but he would have preferred a lot more about the stunts and less about the movie industry and box office receipts.

[Becky Cobb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Love Jackie Chan!

Great book for kids and adults! What a great person and great actor. I really enjoyed learning about his life and accomplishments. A simple way to gain more knowledge. Love these books.

[Reading into the Void · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a super short and interesting little book. It’s as tender as Jackie Chan has always seemed on screen. Growing up loving the Rush Hour movies, I’ve always had a soft spot for Jackie Chan and this was a really nice glimpse into his life from childhood to fame.

[Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about Jackie Chan's life. I learned that Jackie Chan puts in a lot of effort to make a lot of movies. It was interesting that Jackie Chan got his name from one of his co-workers named Jack from when he worked in Australia. I recommend reading this book.

[Vani Ghanate · Rating 5 out of 5]

An inspiring biography of Jacky Chan. It explained well how Jackie Chan became popular in America, something that I had always wondered.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting life story.

[MLL · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great info but too short and makes irrelevant side trips.

[Kea4 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a huge Jackie Chan fan so this was well done and you learned a lot about his life

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good biography of Jackie Chan

[Zaveon Sanchez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jackie Chan was a martial artist stunt double and became known through acting and playing in movies, like Rush hour and the sequels and much more, and he is known worldwide as a stunt double actor and voice character.

[Maya Ch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jackie Chan is an unique actor, doing his own stunts and making people laugh. All his characters are kind and have integrity and honesty. I’d like to think that is who he is in life. Was introducing my daughter to Jackie Chan’s comedies and this was great book for her to learn more about the actor behind the movies’ characters.

[Kathryn Egly · Rating 5 out of 5]

We received this book free from our library as part of the summer reading program so Clark and I read it together. Jackie Chan has had a very interesting life. He began his life with his family in ONE room of a larger house where his dad worked. Jackie began training in Kung Fu and theatre at the young age of 7 – working up to 16 hours a day, sleeping only 5 hours each night. His career began as a stunt person in the film industry, then he began acting, writing, singing, and directing. I had no idea how much he had accomplished in his life – it was a simple and fun book to read together. I love the “Who Was/Is” series for kids!! Visit me at KathrynEgly.com for more!

[Karthika · Rating 5 out of 5]

My six-word memoir: Penance, perseverance gives unlimited returns, success.
Jackie Chan's training for several years was the basis for his success. A very breezy read.
I made a note of the illustrator, Gregory Copeland. His work in the WHO HQ series is awesome. I can't stop staring at the illustrations.

[Kristi Clemow · Rating 5 out of 5]

very cute - can't believe he weighed 12 pounds when he was born!