by Laurence Yep
This story was a very interesting one, and was similar to the American version of Beauty and the Beast. A poor farmer lived with his seven daughters (each named for their place in the family). The youngest and prettiest daughter, Seven, worked the hardest and made the most money for the family by embroidering fine silk. The third daughter, Three, was always jealous of Seven. One day, a dragon jumped out of a cave and took the father, telling him that one of his daughters must agree to marry him for him to survive. All of the daughters, one by one, passed on the offer, leaving him for dead, until Seven, who agreed to marry the dragon to save her father. The dragon took her away to his underwater kingdom, where he was transformed into a man and was much more bearable to live with. Seven had a great life, but missed her family. The prince allowed her to go home and visit, but when she got there, Three was still terribly jealous of Seven's life and tried to drown her and return in her place to the prince. However, the prince could see through the lies and went looking for Seven, who was a beauty inside and out (unlike Three). Finally, he found Seven staying with an old woman who had rescued and taken care of her. They all flew back to the kingdom and sent Three back to the family, who was very ashamed of her.
Of all the picture books I have read in this blog so far, this was my favorite. I loved the illustrations, as well as the story itself. Beauty and the Beast has always been my favorite fairy tale, so it makes sense that I would like this adaptation; however, I liked it for the differences to the common story rather than the similarities. I loved how the story focused on the inner beauty in Seven, rather than just the physical beauty that our society seems to focus on so much these days. In addition, I like how Seven showed character by putting her family first before herself--again, something not that common in this day and age. I like how this is not the traditional Disney version that we are all so accustomed to, but instead a version that could teach children/readers about the Chinese values of putting family first and self last. I also think that reading this story could open a lot of doors in regards to children wanting to learn more about China, Chinese culture and history, and possibly make them think about reading their favorite fairy tales as adaptations from other countries/cultures.
Other titles by Laurence Yep include:
The Golden Mountain Chronicles (nine books), Chinatown Mysteries (three books), City Trilogy, The Tiger's Apprentice (three books), Ribbons (four books), Later, Gator (three books), many picture books, and many, many other titles.
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