Lon Po Po is a red-riding hood story from China, translated and illustrated by Ed Young. This story lends a new cultural perspective on an old favorite with re-enforcing illustrations.
Three girls are left at home while their mother visits their grandmother on the occasion of her birthday. They are told to lock the door and stay safe. A wolf tricks them into thinking that he is their grandmother or Po Po, who has misinterpreted the birthday plans. The eldest daughter quickly discerns the deception and saves her sisters. The story turns a little gruesome when the sisters succeed in killing the wolf by lifting him into a tree via a basket and dropping him to his death. Having read the end, I now understand the dedication, “To all the wolves of the world for lending their good name as a tangible symbol for our darkness.” The ending consists of the mother coming home and being told of the events and its manner is very abrupt.
The illustrations are breath taking. The watercolors are separated into panels like much of Asian art. The sizes of the illustrations of the characters fluctuate based on who is strongest in that scene. Illustrations give a great deal of context and the colors reflect the tide of the story.
Overall, the lesson of this story is that teamwork can pull you through the most dire of circumstances. It also teaches children to be wary of strangers or those posing to be friends. Safety is important for young children to learn, especially in this day of increasing technology.
I think this book would work well in a lesson about the comparison of America and China. This story would help American students recognize the similarities of American culture to another culture. At the same time, it might help make Chinese students feel that their culture is valued in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteI love how you began your review and described this book as a Chinese version of "red-riding hood." It made the book much more relevant and interesting to me since it was inspired by a story I'm familiar with. I also found the quote “To all the wolves of the world for lending their good name as a tangible symbol for our darkness.” If you read "The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs," you might find this quote a bit more amusing (based off the wolf's true opinion on his negative reputation).
ReplyDeleteThis is an awesome book to compare to our American folktales. It would be a great way to show students how different cultures have different stories and histories, but in some ways we share a common history that sometimes includes stories common to more than one culture.
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