Little Monk and the Mantis: A Bug, A Boy, and the Birth of a Kung Fu Legend - Hardcover

Fusco, John

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0804842213 ISBN 13: 9780804842211

Publisher: Tuttle Publishing, 2012

Synopsis

**2012 Creative Child Magazine Preferred Choice Award Winner**

A young boy, abandoned on the steps of the Shaolin Temple, is adopted by mysterious Kung Fu monks. Raised in a place where the powers of animals are studied and practiced, Wong Long tries to fit in and learn kung fu.

Forever bested by the exotic animal styles of the other students, Wong Long runs away from the temple. That summer, he discovers and befriends a small praying mantis. Naming the mantis "Teacher", Wong Long is inspired to create an entirely new style of self-defense. When he returns to Shaolin Temple with his own unique style, the young monk is redeemed, history is made, and a kung fu legend will live on forever.

Little Monk and the Mantis is the thrilling tale of one boy's search for self-expression, courage and the peaceful, non-violent teachings that are at the root of true martial arts.

About this title

About the Author

John Fusco is an award-winning screenwriter with ten major movies to his credit, including "Young Guns", "Hidalgo", "The Forbidden Kingdom", and the Academy Award-nominated animated film "Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron". An avid martial artist, he began studying Tang Soo Do at 12 years old and currently holds a black belt in Northern Shaolin Praying Mantis Kung Fu. He lives with his wife and son in Northern Vermont.

Patrick Lugo was the Art Director for Kung Fu Tai Chi magazine for 15 years, where he created the long running comic strip 'Tiger's Tale' which is currently slated for development as a graphic novel. He resides on Alameda Island in the San Francisco Bay.

Reviews

Gr 2-4-Full-spread watercolors illustrate this wordy retelling of a Chinese legend that explains the founding of the praying mantis style of kung fu. Wong Long is a young monk who studies and practices various styles of kung fu diligently, but he is always bested by the older disciples. Tired of his continual defeat and embarrassment, he runs away, feeling unworthy of the Shaolin Temple. Alone in the mountains, he watches as a praying mantis easily defeats a much larger beetle. Wong Long studies the mantis, copying his movements. Eventually he returns to the temple where his new style of kung fu earns him the success he longs for. Appealing to both folktale and martial-arts fans, Fusco's work highlights the fighting skills learned from nature but stresses how rarely and reluctantly the monks used them. Young readers will enjoy Lugo's paintings of the fight scenes, but his work truly shines when portraying the praying mantis.-Jennifer Rothschild, Arlington County Public Libraries, VAα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Edition details

• Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
• Publication date: 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0804842213
• ISBN 13: 9780804842211
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Lugo Patrick
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32