Synopses & Reviews
Named a Best Picture Book by San Francisco Chronicle and Book LinksSelected for California Collections by California Readers, 2000ACCELERATED READER PROGRAM SELECTIONA tale of artistic integrity told with artful simplicity. --Kirkus Reviews starred reviewVisually it advances like the unrolling of an oriental scroll . . . A satisfying tale, whether read aloud or pored over alone to pick up the whimsical humor of the illustrations. --School Library Journal The author masterfully retells the story . . . Combined with Chen's delightful ink and watercolor paintings, it makes reading the book like watching a well-done play. -The San Francisco TimesChan Lo is a humble stone carver who is given a perfect piece of green and white jade to carve by the Great Emperor of All China. Is there a dragon in the stone, as the emperor demands? What does Chan Lo hear the stone say? What does it want to be? When Chan Lo finally succumbs to the stone's true wishes, the emperor is furious and throws him in prison. Can the spirit of the jade stone save the stone carver's life? Warmly illustrated by painter Ju-Hong Chen, this Chinese folktale offers a clear and gentle message of artistic truth and a lesson in staying true to one's self.
Synopsis
When the great emperor of China demands that Chan Lo carve him a dragon of wind and fire, Chan Lo is overwhelmed. No matter how hard he listens to the perfect jade stone, he does not hear dragons. This Chinese folktale is warmly illustrated, evoking the majesty of ancient China and the gentle message of artistic truth.