The Girl Who Drew a Phoenix - Hardcover

Demi

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1416953477 ISBN 13: 9781416953470

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2008

Synopsis

One day a young girl named Feng Huang finds a phoenix feather that has fallen from the sky. When she tries to draw the magical bird and share her inspiration, no one is able to tell what it is. Luckily for Feng Huang, the Queen Phoenix sees her troubles and swoops down from the heavens to offer her help.

A phoenix's powers are not easily revealed, however, and Feng Huang embarks on a journey of thought, wonder, and self-discovery. Wisdom, Clear Sight, Equality, Generosity, and Right Judgment are worthy qualities indeed, but Feng Huang finds that they are only truly powerful when shared.

Brilliant sweeps of plumage and flourishes of sparkles and stars accentuate award-winning artist Demi's interpretation of one of the most intriguing and elegant creatures of ancient myth.

About this title

About the Author

Demi is the award-winning creator of numerous books for children, including The Empty Pot; Buddha; The Dalai Lama; The Legend of Saint Nicholas; Gandhi, which was named a New York Times Best Illustrated Book and received an Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award; and Muhammad, which was named a Kirkus Reviews Editors’ Choice selection, a Booklist Editors’ Choice selection, one of the Booklist Top Ten Religion Books for Youth, and a Book Links “Lasting Connections” selection, and was cited in a Publishers Weekly starred review as a “timely, exceptionally handsome biography [that] serves as an excellent introduction to Islam.” Demi lives in Carnation, Washington.

Demi is the award-winning creator of numerous books for children, including The Empty Pot; Buddha; The Dalai Lama; The Legend of Saint Nicholas; Gandhi, which was named a New York Times Best Illustrated Book and received an Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award; and Muhammad, which was named a Kirkus Reviews Editors’ Choice selection, a Booklist Editors’ Choice selection, one of the Booklist Top Ten Religion Books for Youth, and a Book Links “Lasting Connections” selection, and was cited in a Publishers Weekly starred review as a “timely, exceptionally handsome biography [that] serves as an excellent introduction to Islam.” Demi lives in Carnation, Washington.

From School Library Journal

Grade 1–3—A girl finds a phoenix feather and decides that drawing the creature might help her to acquire its magical powers. Although Feng Huang works hard, her picture makes the other children laugh because it resembles an owl or a bat more than a phoenix. Pitying her, the Queen Phoenix swoops down to Earth and allows the child to spend a day drawing her. Although Feng Huang's renditions improve greatly, she still cannot capture the mythical beast's spirit. The Queen Phoenix again intervenes, giving the child a list of the bird's powers so that she can learn about each one. Through her diligence, she meets several gorgeous creatures that each embody a virtue—wisdom, clear sight, equality, generosity, and right judgment. Afterward, Feng Huang draws a glorious phoenix that gives her and her friends a ride through the heavens. The powers are relatively abstract, and as Feng Huang understands the opposing forces at work in each one—generosity and greed, wisdom and ignorance—she "draws away" the negative aspect. Brilliant splashes of color and imaginative details bring Demi's vision of this mythical creature to life. What doesn't come alive is the story, which seems little more than a vehicle for the paintings. In addition, no sources for the author's understanding of the phoenix in Chinese mythology are given, and adult readers, who surely will be needed to facilitate a child's understanding of the abstractions, will be left wondering if this phoenix represents traditional Chinese wisdom or Demi's imaginative re-creation of the creature.—Barbara Scotto, Children's Literature New England, Brookline, MA
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About this edition

• Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 1416953477
• ISBN 13: 9781416953470
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 52
• Illustrator: Demi