Min-Yo and the Moon Dragon - Softcover

Hillman, Elizabeth

Softcover

ISBN 10: 015200985X ISBN 13: 9780152009854

Publisher: Voyager Books, 1996

Synopsis

The people in a small village in China notice that the moon is falling from the sky and select the tiny Min-yo to climb the cobweb staircase to reckon with the moon dragon

About this title

From Publishers Weekly

This original creation myth provides a clever explanation for the genesis of the stars. The people of China notice that the moon is sinking lower in the night sky and fear that it will soon crash into the earth. The emperor, on the advice of his wise men, locates Min-Yo, a girl light enough to climb the cobweb staircase to the moon , where she can ask the moon dragon for help. She learns that the moon is weighed down by the many gifts of diamonds presented to the moon dragon over the years. Min-Yo and the dragon relieve the burden by flinging the diamonds into the sky. Though Hillman's writing exhibits an imaginative flair, her text is uneven, reading at some times like an ancient tale, at others like a pat contemporary story. Wallner's watercolor and colored - pencil illustrations contrast muted black-gray skies with the candied hues of a fantasy world. Unfortunately, the paintings' delicate borders--inlaid with floral patterns and men rowing long boats--clash with the interior art and prove distracting. Lisa Desimini's recent How the Stars Fell into the SkyMC: is the following format correct for referring to earlier review?/dd ok now, eed (Children's Forecasts, Mar. 16), based on a Native American legend, offers yet another interpretation of this topic. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2-- An original pourquoi tale set in ancient China. Wise men warn the emperor that the moon is falling. Someone must climb the fragile staircase to it and seek the counsel of the dragon who lives there. Min Yo, the lightest person in China, is selected, and responds bravely to the task, taking with her gifts of food and a diamond for the dragon. The dragon is entranced by the vegetables but ho-hum about the gem--he has a cave full of them--until he realizes their weight might be making the moon fall. He and Min Yo toss the diamonds to the skies, where they become stars. Some of Hillman's descriptions are wordy, and the ending is a bit flat, but the tale has an undeniable sweetness. Wallner juxtaposes the delicate and the concrete in his watercolor and colored-pencil illustrations, and creates brightly colored, improbable rock formations; a cartoon dragon; swirling skies; and small, pigtailed figures against a pale, tapestrylike border. --Leda Schubert, Vermont Department of Education, Montpelier
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Voyager Books
• Publication date: 1996
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 015200985X
• ISBN 13: 9780152009854
• Binding: Paperback
• Illustrator: Wallner John C.
• Number of pages: 32