Around the World in Picture Books: CHINA

We have three lovely hard cover books from China - the country we are visiting this month -  in picture books!

​1. 灶王节 (KITCHEN GOD DAY)

This book tells the story of the origin of the Kitchen God Day and how it is celebrated. The Kitchen God day falls on the 23rd of the 12th month of the Chinese lunar calendar, just before the Chinese New Year. It is regarded as a Little New Year. According to Chinese myth, the Kitchen God observes all that a family does throughout the year and then reports it to the Jade Emperor who will reward or punish accordingly. It is therefore a tradition to thoroughly clean the house and to make sweet cakes to offer to the Kitchen God (sometimes referred to as Stove King) so that he will only have sweet things to say. ​Here are some wonderful illustrations from the book:

2. 牙齿，牙齿，扔屋顶 (Tooth, Tooth, Throw it onto the roof)

Xiao Niu has lost a tooth. She remembers Grandfather telling her that if a tooth from the lower jaw falls off, it must be thrown up to the roof so that she can grow tall. She takes her tooth to find grandfather and along the way we are treated to scenes of old alley ways and people at work and at leisure. We also get glimpses of tall and new buildings being erected as old buildings are being demolished.  The illustrations are of old Nanjing City.  According to the publisher, the book 'dwells on the custom of throwing the baby teeth of children onto the roof. The author links the custom with the theme of city changes: old alleys and houses are gradually disappearing with the old life style.'

This book is published by the China Welfare Institute Publishing House. Written and illustrated by Liu Xun, it won the Outstanding Chinese Children’s Picture Book Award in the Feng Zikai Chinese Children's Picture Book Award, 2015.

3. 一个，两个，三个……蘑菇下躲雨 ((One after another... mushroom shelter)

It is raining heavily and the animals in the forest are looking for shelter. An ant saw a mushroom and went and sheltered under it. Then a butterfly comes along. "But there isn't space for you," the ant starts to say but then he looks sideways and sees perhaps there is a little space for butterfly. Then comes a mouse. "Please let me shelter here," he says. "But there isn't space for you," the butterfly says but then he sees, there is a little space for the mouse. This is followed by the sparrow and the rabbit. They all squeeze to make room for one another. How strange that a mushroom can shelter so many creatures! Gorgeous illustrations with simple repetitive text make the reading fun for young children.

Remember, as part of our Around the World in Picture Books project, these books will be added to the lucky draw for our online customers in the month of February. You could be the lucky winner!