Awakening the Dragon: The Dragon Boat Festival

by Arlene Chan, Song Nan Zhang (Illustrator)

In ancient times, the Chinese saw the dragon as both a protector and a threat, able to bring on rain or cause droughts. To honor this powerful creature, people created long narrow boats that they raced in an annual rainmaking festival.

From the wearing of fragrant pouches, to the consumption of rice dumplings, to thrilling boat races, the dragon boat festival of today is a celebration of Chinese traditions all over the world.

Arlene Chan, a respected librarian and an experienced dragon boat racer, explores the origins of the festival, it’s customs, and the races themselves. Beautifully detailed illustrations by Song Nan Zhang let you experience the beauty and energy of this ancient festival.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

24 pages, Paperback

First published April 20, 2004

Reviews

[Ben Truong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awakening the Dragon: The Dragon Boat Festival is a children's picture book written by Arlene Chan and illustrated by Song Nan Zhang. It tells the origins of the Dragon Boat Festival and the growing popularity of the event around the world. Today is the Dragon Boat Festival (25 June) as well as the Google Doodle for today, at least in my part of the world and I thought it would be apropos to read this book today.

The Dragon Boat Festival is a traditional holiday originating in China, occurring near the summer solstice. The festival now occurs on the 5th day of the 5th month of the traditional Chinese calendar, which is the source of the festival's alternative name, the Double Fifth Festival.

Chan's text is simplistic, straightforward, and informative. The text is generally clear although occasionally some of the descriptions could have been simplified further as some description seems a tad complex for children. Zhang's illustrations are the highlight of the book. They range from the bold reds in the wonderful picture of Zhong Kui to the soft greens and blues of the river dragons surrounded by mountains and clouds.

The premise of the book is rather straightforward. The first half examines the nature of Chinese dragons, the origins of the festival as a memorial to the poet Qu Yuan, and some of the customs associated with the festival. The second half looks at modern dragon boat racing and how it has developed from the past. Furthermore, the book is divided into distinct two-page spreads that deal with traditions, such as laying out food for the dragon, or elements of race preparation, such as fitness training.

All in all, Awakening the Dragon: The Dragon Boat Festival is a wonderfully informational children's book celebrating the Dragon Boat Festival.

[Katie Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is great in explaining the Chinese tradition of the dragon boat festival. It explains all of the symbols, when it was created, why it is celebrated, and how the festival is put together! This book is a really good celebration of this Chinese celebration and I would recommend it to children in the later years of elementary school to children in early middle school.

[Sasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was informative, well-illustrated, and interesting. I do think the text was a bit too dense for the intended audience, but I hope to use it during AAPI Heritage Month to bring awareness to this fascinating tradition. If you like dragons, or Chinese cultural holidays, you'll enjoy this.

[Y.Poston]

a very informative exploration of the festival