The Dragon's Pearl - Hardcover

Lawson, Julie

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 039563623X ISBN 13: 9780395636237

Publisher: Clarion Books, 1993

Synopsis

After finding a shimmering magical pearl, Xiao Sheng, a poor boy, and his mother are blessed with good fortune that they generously share with others, in a lyrical tale based on ancient Chinese dragon lore.

About this title

About the Author:

Julie Lawson is the author of several books for young readers including My Grandfather Loved the Stars, The Dragon's Pearl and Kate's Castle. She lives in British Columbia.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 2-5-- A well-crafted story with many folkloric qualities that successfully presents Chinese tradition and culture in a manner that is both enlightening and entertaining. The tale is of a poor but optimistic boy who cuts and sells grass for fuel or fodder in order to buy food for himself and his mother. When a drought ruins the land, killing the livestock and leaving the people poor and hungry, Xiao Sheng discovers a magic pearl that keeps his mother's food jars and money box full. She returns her neighbors' earlier kindness by sharing her wealth with them, while the pearl changes the boy's life and the fortune of the village in a most dramatic way. Lawson has appended a page of notes about Chinese dragons (water-gods) that sheds light on the unusual aspects of the story. Many of Morin's oil paintings on canvas show clothing, foliage, and grass that are carefully textured with sawdust and fibers. His skillful portraits are an indication of his great artistic talent. However, several panoramas--two of them featuring an ochre/yellow heat-parched land--lack the depth that gives similar scenes in Morin's exquisitely rendered book, The Orphan Boy (Clarion, 1991), a photographic quality. Xiao Sheng seems flat and unrealistic as well. Photographed swatches of painted fibre and realia (coin, fishhook, pearl) adorn white pages of text, with the whole encased in a neat, geometric border on fiber background. Despite its few artistic imperfections, the book as a whole is a lovely package of writing and visuals that will be enjoyed as read-aloud, cultural lesson, and folk fantasy. --Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Clarion Books
• Publication date: 1993
• ISBN 10: 039563623X
• ISBN 13: 9780395636237
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 31
• Illustrator: Morin Paul