In the middle of winter, a little boy's parents are stuck in the snow and cannot get home. To keep him company while he waits, his grandmother cuts a horse out of red paper for him. What follows is a fantastical journey that unexpectedly reunites the boy with his parents! Written in poetry, this gently whimsical story will enchant readers of all ages.
Although a universal story of a child missing his parents, in modern-day China this story holds special meaning with the millions of migrant workers that leave their children behind in the care of grandparents in the country while they seek work in large urban centers. Over the holidays, especially during Chinese New Year, family reunions become even more significant as parents travel hundreds of miles to see their children. This story emphasizes the importance of family in Chinese culture while using the motif of a paper horse made from the ancient Chinese craft of paper-cutting.
Hardcover
English with Simplified Chinese at the end of the book
Kirkus Discoveries Review (www.kirkusreviews.com)
Xiong, Kim and Clarissa Yu Shen
PAPER HORSE
Better Chinese (38 pp.)
$18.95
July 2008
ISBN: 978-1-6060-3003-5
Right in time for the Year of the Ox comes a tale about a little boy and his paper horse, penned and illustrated by the Brothers Xiong, China’s modern-day answer to the Brothers Grimm.
The Chinese author/illustrator Xiong brothers, along with their English author Shen, have pulled off a remarkable feat. With intoxicating illustrations that capture the haunting depths of Maurice Sendak’s work, they bring to life a story of a child waiting for his parents to fetch him from his grandmother’s house—in thrillingly relevant and universally connected ways. Shen cites Robert Frost as an influence on the writing, bringing a Western touch to the tale. It centers on a young boy whose grandma creates a red-paper horse to keep him company—it later leads the dreaming child to his parents, who are stuck in a snowstorm. The English author notes that the object references not only the ancient Chinese art of paper-cutting (used to ring in the New Year) and red as a color of good luck, but also the fallout from the global economy. In rural China, parents must leave children in the care of relatives while they travel to the big cities seeking work, lending reunions during the New Year and other too-infrequent holidays the same sense of poignancy that it holds for immigrant children and parents in the United States. While this could be an emotionally overwhelming topic for a children’s book, the creators approach it with sensitivity and grace. The illustrations conjure up magical worlds from childhood fears, but show that, as the last line reminds, “dreams do come true.” Even those too little to understand the difference between East and West, rich and poor, will recognize an enthralling story when they see it.
A gorgeous book for a globalized world.
