The Beggar's Magic: A Chinese Tale - Hardcover

Chang, Margaret; Chang, Raymond

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0689813406 ISBN 13: 9780689813405

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books, 1997

Synopsis

A kind, old man comes to the village and asks for the people to help him because he is poor, thus everyone in the town gives him food, except Fu Nan, so on August Moon Festival Day, the old man put his magic to use and makes Farmer Wu the joke of the village.

About this title

From Kirkus Reviews:

The Changs (The Cricket Warrior, 1994, etc.) retell an ancient Chinese tale about selfishness and sharing, set to luminous illustrations by Johnson. A holy beggar-priest comes to young Fu Nan's village. The boy and his friends are fascinated by the old man, whose cheer and care for all creatures impress them as much as the magic he works: drawing a sparrow that escapes from the page as a real sparrow escapes from a boy's cage; filling an old widow's dry well with water. When the August Moon Festival arrives, and rich Farmer Wu refuses to give a sweet, ripe pear to the priest, the holy beggar takes a pear seed, astonishing the crowd and admonishing the selfish farmer in one act of conjuring. Johnson's ink, watercolor, and colored-pencil illustrations have the pale luster of Chinese silk; his sure rendering of animals, fruit, and flowers, and his use of flat space and elegant line, are inspired by Chinese painting and calligraphy. The book is as satisfying as unselfishness rewarded fully and meanness punished neatly. (Picture book/folklore. 5-9) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Review:

Fu Nan befriends an elderly beggar who walks into his village. Gradually he learns that there is more to this beggar than his aspect suggests. Callous Farmer Wu does not look beneath surface appearances, however - until he is forced to do so. With a soft beige palate highlighted with orange and red, the artist expands this cautionary tale with a minimum of sketchy lines and a maximum of captured body language expressing emotion. Parents' Choice Recommended. -- From Parents' Choice®

About this edition

• Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0689813406
• ISBN 13: 9780689813405
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Johnson David A.