Available:
Library | Material Type | Shelf Number | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
Searching... HCPL Octavia Fields | HCPL Book | Jiang | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... HCPL Katherine Tyra @ Bear Creek | HCPL Book | Jiang | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... LSC-Tomball Community Library | HCPL Book | Jiang | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... HCPL Crosby – Edith Fae Cook Cole | HCPL Book | Jiang | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... HCPL South Houston | HCPL Book | Jiang | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... HCPL Katy | HCPL Book | Jiang | Searching... Unknown |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
When Tai Shan and his father, Baba, fly kites from their roof and look down at the crowded city streets below, they feel free, like the kites. Baba loves telling Tai Shan stories while the kites--one red, and one blue--rise, dip, and soar together. Then, a bad time comes. People wearing red armbands shut down the schools, smash store signs, and search houses. Baba is sent away, and Tai Shan goes to live with Granny Wang. Though father and son are far apart, they have a secret way of staying close. Every day they greet each other by flying their kites-one red, and one blue-until Baba can be free again, like the kites.
Inspired by the dark time of the Cultural Revolution in China, this is a soaring tale of hope that will resonate with anyone who has ever had to love from a distance.
Notes
Ji-li Jiang (www.jilijiang.com) was born in Shanghai , China. For over twenty years she nursed her childhood memories of surviving the Cultural Revolution in China, and she finally brought them to life in her first book, Red Scarf Girl, which has sold more than 300,000 copies since it was published in 1997 and has become required reading in many schools. Following the success of Red Scarf Girl, she published her adaptation of Chinese classic folklore, Magical Monkey King: Mischief in Heaven. When she isn't writing or speaking, Ji-li devotes time to various cultural exchange programs, including leading group trips to China. She believes that a better understanding among people around the world is the only route to global peace.
Greg Ruth (www.gregthings.com) has worked in comics since 1993, creating artwork for The New York Times , DC Comics, Paradox Press, Fantagraphics Books, Caliber Comics, Dark Horse Comics, and The Matrix. His book projects include The Lost Boy, which he wrote and illustrated, and The Secret Adventures of Jack London, The Haunting of Charles Dickens, A Pirate's Guide to First Grade, and R.L. Stine's Goosebumps tales. After watching President Obama's Inauguration he was inspired to create sketches that eventually became the basis of his picture book Our Enduring Spirit. Greg lives in Massachusetts with his family.
Reviews (2)
School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 4-In this picture book, Jiang uses one of the unfortunate circumstances that many children had to endure to make China's Cultural Revolution somewhat understandable for young readers. Tai Shan and Baba, his father, enjoy a special private time together when they fly their kites from the roof of their home. When the revolution begins, Baba is sent to a labor camp but still manages the long walk to visit Tai Shan every Sunday. When those visits are denied, the two communicate by flying their kites-Tai Shan in the morning, Baba at sunset. In this way they remain connected: "Finally, Baba's blue kite sways into the white clouds. The kite waves at me and whispers, `Here I am, my son.'" When even this is taken from them and before Baba is moved to a different labor camp, he escapes and visits his son. Tai Shan then flies both kites together, clinging to the connection with Baba in his mind. "The red kite follows the blue kite, forward and backward, up and down, like Baba and me, always together, never apart." While the pain of the situation is palpable, so is the sense of hope. The watercolor illustrations capture the emotional tone of the story gracefully, with the scenes from the revolution in sepia and the other background colors in gentle hues, making the brilliant colors of the kites pop. An interesting glimpse into a turbulent time, and a valuable story about love conquering distance.-Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Ruth (A Pirate's Guide to First Grade) paints affecting closeups and dramatically lit spreads that ratchet up the tension as Tai Shan endures separation from his beloved father, Baba, who is imprisoned during China's Cultural Revolution. The days when Tai Shan and Baba flew their kites joyously from the rooftop are only a memory by the time Tai Shan ends up lodging with Granny Wang. When Baba can no longer visit, he flies his blue kite from the prison camp as a signal for Tai Shan, who flies his red kite for Baba. One day, Baba's kite doesn't appear. "Please take me to see Baba," Tai Shan begs Granny Wang. Ruth shows Baba in his prison uniform, wan and unshaven; he has just enough time to ask Tai Shan to wait for him before his transfer to a distant camp. While Tai Shan and Baba are happily reunited, the anguish of their ordeal-which Jiang (Red Scarf Girl) portrays with scrupulous honesty-makes this introduction to Mao's China best suited for readers on the older end of the suggested age range. Ages 5-8. Agent: Caryn Wiseman, Andrea Brown Literary Agency. (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.