Young made two trips to China to do his careful research into the traditional costumes and customs of the people in the area in which this tale is set.Ī School Library Journal Best Book of the Year The artwork for Yeh-Shen was more than two years in the making, and Mr. A graduate of the University of Illinois and the Los Angeles Art Center, he has illustrated many beautiful books for young people, among them The Emperor and the Kite, a Coldecott Honor Book (written by Jane Yolen) Chinese Mother Goose Rhymes (translated by Robert Wyndham) The Terrible Mung Gwama: A Chinese Folktale Bo Rabbit Smart for True: Folktales from the Gullah (by Priscilla Jaquith) and High on a Hill: A Book of Chinese Riddles. Further research confirmed that the story had been told in China since the days of the T'ang dynasty (618-907 A.D.), whereas the earliest known European version is an Italian tale dating from 1634.ĮD YOUNG was born in Tientsin, China, grew up in Shanghai, and came to the United States when he was in his late teens. Louie to the Cinderella of her grandmother's story as recorded in an ancient Chinese manuscript, which is reproduced in this book.

The tale of Yeh-Shen had been told in her family for three generations when, to her surprise, a research trail led Ms. After teaching school near Boston, she returned to the New York area, moving to New Jersey. (Magical fish bones aside.Born in New York City, AI-LING LOUIE graduated from Sarah Lawrence College and received her graduate degree from Wheelock College. Kids who are familiar with the European tale will recognize many familiar story elements. This ancient version of Cinderella retold by Ai-Ling Louie actually predates the oldest known European version of the classic tale.

We actually believe they are important to share with your children because they give us glimpses of greater things. (The real ones, that is…not modernized re-tellings.) We’re the ones squirming in our seats as we read, while the kids hardly bat an eye.īut we don’t just think fairy tales are fine to read to kids. In our experience, though, this doesn’t tend to happen.

So…not your average modern-day story.Īs adults, we may worry our kids will find these tales too weird and scary. In it you’ll find a chief with two wives, several untimely deaths, and magical fish bones. Take the Cinderella tale of Yeh-Shen, for example.

Sometimes fairy tales can be strange, and they’re not always easy to read aloud.

Yeh-Shen by Ai-Ling Louie