TITLE: The Twelve Animals of the Chinese Zodiac
AUTHOR: Vivian Ling and Wang Peng
PUBLISHER: Tuttle
ISBN: 978-0804855945
PODCAST EPISODE: None
REVIEWER: Mark Norman
If you have more than a passing interest in the culture of Asian countries, whether that is folklore, mythology, traditional crafts, food or a host of other areas, then you should really be placing books from Tuttle Publishing at the top of your list. The publisher was founded in Vermont in 1832, but after opening a publishing outpost in Japan in 1948 they established a reputation as one of the leading publishers of arts and culture books about Asia in the English Language.
Tuttle publish books for all ages, and The Twelve Animals of the Chinese Zodiac is one for younger readers, being a collection of traditional fables from the region; short stories designed to entertain but to teach an important message at the same time. The stories are presented in dual language format and both English and Chinese, and are further enhanced with the availability of online audio recordings to listen to and read along.
Translations and interpretations are given a modern gloss by the two author, both of whom are from a background of academic delivery of Chinese language courses and programs. The writing is tight and entertaining, easy to read but delivering a strong story each time. Bringing the prose to life on the page are the beautiful illustrations, executed by Yang Xi - an up-and-coming artist in China with a style full of character and joy.
The Twelve Animals of the Chinese Zodiac is a book which works on many levels. The bilingual approach makes it valuable to parents and teachers supporting language learning. The writing style delivers traditional tales in an entertaining way for a modern audience. And, at the same time, the title captures and distils important traditional cultural tales for a new audience.
AUTHOR: Vivian Ling and Wang Peng
PUBLISHER: Tuttle
ISBN: 978-0804855945
PODCAST EPISODE: None
REVIEWER: Mark Norman
If you have more than a passing interest in the culture of Asian countries, whether that is folklore, mythology, traditional crafts, food or a host of other areas, then you should really be placing books from Tuttle Publishing at the top of your list. The publisher was founded in Vermont in 1832, but after opening a publishing outpost in Japan in 1948 they established a reputation as one of the leading publishers of arts and culture books about Asia in the English Language.
Tuttle publish books for all ages, and The Twelve Animals of the Chinese Zodiac is one for younger readers, being a collection of traditional fables from the region; short stories designed to entertain but to teach an important message at the same time. The stories are presented in dual language format and both English and Chinese, and are further enhanced with the availability of online audio recordings to listen to and read along.
Translations and interpretations are given a modern gloss by the two author, both of whom are from a background of academic delivery of Chinese language courses and programs. The writing is tight and entertaining, easy to read but delivering a strong story each time. Bringing the prose to life on the page are the beautiful illustrations, executed by Yang Xi - an up-and-coming artist in China with a style full of character and joy.
The Twelve Animals of the Chinese Zodiac is a book which works on many levels. The bilingual approach makes it valuable to parents and teachers supporting language learning. The writing style delivers traditional tales in an entertaining way for a modern audience. And, at the same time, the title captures and distils important traditional cultural tales for a new audience.