Awakening the Dragon: The Dragon Boat Festival

By Arlene Chan

Book Overview

In ancient times, the Chinese saw the dragon as both a protector and a threat, able to bring on rain or cause droughts. To honor this powerful creature, people created long narrow boats that they raced in an annual rainmaking festival.

From the wearing of fragrant pouches, to the consumption of rice dumplings, to thrilling boat races, the dragon boat festival of today is a celebration of Chinese traditions all over the world.

Arlene Chan, a respected librarian and an experienced dragon boat racer, explores the origins of the festival, it's customs, and the races themselves. Beautifully detailed illustrations by Song Nan Zhang let you experience the beauty and energy of this ancient festival.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0887768059
• ISBN13: 9780887768057
• Release Date: April 2007
• Publisher: Tundra Books (NY)
• Length: 24 Pages
• Weight: 0.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.1" x 8.4" x 11.0"
• Age Range: 6 to 9 years
• Grade Range: Grades 1 to 4

Customer Reviews

An exciting festival time.

This is the story of the cultural and historical origins of the dragon boat festival celebrated in China and by the Chinese around the world. Dragon boats represent the effort of villagers to protect the spirit of one of the emperor's advisors who drowned himself in the river. Many other legends accompany this festival, including the story of a nightmare from an emperor in the 700's who dreamed of a ghost. This book provides a nice overview of the legends and customs from the past and the celebrations today of this exciting festival time.