The Dinner That Cooked Itself - Hardcover

Hsyu, J.C.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1909263419 ISBN 13: 9781909263413

Publisher: Flying Eye Books, 2014

Synopsis

Long, long ago, in a small town in ancient China, there lived an honest and respectful man called Tuan. Tuan was lonely and looked hard for a wife, but even the matchmaker couldn't help him. One night, however, Tuan's luck changed. And so begins the story of Tuan, White Wave, and the Dinner that Cooked Itself. This beautiful and enchanting Chinese fairytale will captivate the imagination with the perfect blend of magic and realism!

J.C. Hsyu was born in Taipei, Taiwan, and raised in Los Angeles. A graduate of UCLA and the Clarion Writers' Workshop, she has worked in the animation, VFX, and video game industries and published speculative fiction short stories. She lives in San Francisco, California, with her husband and reads incessantly. The Dinner That Cooked Itself is her first children's book.

Kenard Pak grew up in Baltimore and Howard County, Maryland. He studied at Syracuse University and California Institute of the Arts, and as a visual development artist worked on films with Dreamworks and Walt Disney Feature Animation. The Dinner that Cooked Itself is his second children's book. Along with his wife, he lives and works in San Francisco. Visit his website at pandagun.com.

About this title

About the Author

J.C. Hsyu was born in Taipei, Taiwan, and raised in Los Angeles. A graduate of UCLA and the Clarion Writers' Workshop, she has worked in the animation, VFX, and video game industries and published speculative fiction short stories. She lives in San Francisco, California, with her husband and reads incessantly. The Dinner That Cooked Itself is her first children's book.

Kenard Pak grew up in Baltimore and Howard County, Maryland. He studied at Syracuse University and California Institute of the Arts, and as a visual development artist worked on many films with Dreamworks and Walt Disney Feature Animation. Along with his wife, he lives and works in San Francisco. The Dinner that Cooked Itself is Kenard Pak's second children's book.

From the Back Cover

Once upon a time in ancient China, there lived a humble and hard-working young man named Tuan. One night he came across the biggest snail he had ever seen. "Are you hungry?" he asked the snail? "I'll look after you!"

The next night, there was a delicious dinner on the table when Tuan came home, but the cook was nowhere to be found!

Reviving the ancient Chinese folk tale, children's film animators J. C. Hsyu and Kenard Pak have created a contemporary cinematic feel in this enchanting book that blends magic with realism.

Reviews

Gr 1–3—Hsyu and Pak have revived a Chinese folktale, keeping the flavor of ancient China while making the story appealing to a modern audience. The mixed-media illustrations are done in the style of traditional Chinese art and include Chinese characters for several key words. The well-written story offers a familiar lesson on the value of hard work and thoughtfulness. The idea of finding a match based on birth year and name may be unusual to readers but will offer a starting point for talking about Chinese culture. VERDICT A solid choice for multicultural folktale collections.—Laura Stanfield, Campbell County Public Library, Ft. Thomas, KY

Edition details

• Publisher: Flying Eye Books
• Publication date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1909263419
• ISBN 13: 9781909263413
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Pak Kenard
• Number of pages: 32