Treasure Chest - Hardcover

Wang, Rosalind C.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0823411141 ISBN 13: 9780823411146

Publisher: Holiday House, 1995

Synopsis

In southern China, with the help of a magical fish, a poor boy defeats an evil king, wins the hand of a beautiful girl, and comes to rule over an enchanted kingdom, in a colorful retelling of a Chinese folktale.

About this title

From School Library Journal:

Grade 3-5?Laifu, a poor widow's son, rescues a beautiful, rainbow-colored fish and earns the gratitude of the Ocean King, whose gift of three bamboo sticks helps the young man save the woman he loves. Funtong, an evil ruler, covets Pearl and proposes three contests to see who will win her hand in marriage. Each time Laifu breaks one of the sticks, a giant, genielike monk assists him until he defeats Funtong once and for all. Wang's narrative is competent and the standard fairy-tale conventions play out against an exotic background, heightening the interest. Wang is unable to cite a written source for the story; it is one her parents told her as a child. According to his note, Hillenbrand's stylized watercolors are loosely based on southern Sung paintings. Peachy pinks and soft blues are punctuated with unexpected bursts of color, such as Funtong's sickly green face and Pearl's wedding kimono. More suitable for independent reading than reading aloud, this title would be a pleasant addition to any folklore collection.?Donna L. Scanlon, Lancaster County Library, PA
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist:

Ages 4^-8. Wang's retelling of a Chinese folktale that was told often during her Taiwanese childhood merits a larger audience. When the evil despot Funtong spies the beautiful peasant Pearl, he challenges her betrothed, Laifu, for her hand in marriage. The challenges are fully weighted in Funtong's favor, but Laifu gets some magical aid from the Ocean King, whose son--in the guise of a fish--Laifu had rescued earlier. Laifu wins each challenge, the last of which ends in the defeat of Funtong by a magical chest full of toy soldiers. Laifu's victories are based less on his own ingenuity than on the generosity of the Ocean King, which in a sense cheapens them, but the king's gratitude is a direct result of Laifu's selflessness. Hillenbrand, basing his mottled, magical illustration style on the southern Sung paintings (circa A.D. 1200), lends welcome authenticity to this entertaining slice of oral history. Julie Yates Walton

About this edition

• Publisher: Holiday House
• Publication date: 1995
• ISBN 10: 0823411141
• ISBN 13: 9780823411146
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Hillenbrand Will