Ji-Li Jiang is the author of Red Scarf Girl (an ALA Notable Book), her own account of growing up in China under the Cultural Revolution. Born in Shanghai in 1954, she was a science teacher before coming to the United Sates in 1984. In 1992 she started a company, East West Exchange, to promote cultural exchange between Western countries and China. She lives near San Francisco, California.
Youshan Tang grew up in Shanghai, China, and graduated from the Central Academy of Fine Arts and Peking University with degrees in Chinese art and literature. Since 1980, Tang has made his home in San Francisco where the cultural diversity inspires his work. He is also the illustrator of Abadeha: The Philippine Cinderella and Anklet for a Princess: A Cinderella Story from India.
Gr 2-6-One of the best-loved figures in Chinese popular culture is the trickster Monkey King. Early traditional stories about him coalesced into Wu Cheng-en's 16th-century epic novel Journey to the West, which uses 100 chapters to chronicle the insouciant, courageous hero's adventures. In this engaging version of his story, Jiang begins with Monkey's birth on the Mountain of Flowers and Fruits. After proving himself to the monkey tribe, who choose him as their king, Monkey tries to learn the secret of immortality, travels under the sea to steal a powerful weapon from the Dragon King, and wreaks havoc at the heavenly court of the Jade Emperor. Only Buddha can stop his mischief, and does so in a scene that works as exciting action and profound metaphor. Lively, colloquial language distinguishes this telling, and Su-Kennedy's black-and-white woodcuts enhance the action. Jiang's format serves the old tale better than the two picture-book retellings currently available, Ed Young's Monkey King (HarperCollins, 2001) and Robert Kraus and Debby Chen's The Making of Monkey King (Pan Asian, 1998). David Kherdian's Monkey: A Journey to the West (Shambhala, 1992) abridges the entire story for adults and is accessible to middle and high school students. Jiang's is the best version for elementary school students, and libraries will want it as a good story for younger fantasy lovers, whether or not it is used as an introduction to authentic Chinese literature.-Margaret A. Chang, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, North Adams Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
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