The Jade Stone: A Chinese Folktale

Book Overview

Named a Best Picture Book by San Francisco Chronicle and Book Links
Selected for California Collections by California Readers, 2000
ACCELERATED READER PROGRAM SELECTION

"A tale of artistic integrity told with artful simplicity."--Kirkus Reviews starred review

"Visually it advances like the unrolling of an oriental scroll . . . A satisfying tale, whether read aloud or pored over alone to pick up the whimsical humor of the illustrations." --School Library Journal

"The author masterfully retells the story . . . Combined with Chen's delightful ink and watercolor paintings, it makes reading the book like watching a well-done play." -The San Francisco Times

Chan Lo is a humble stone carver who is given a perfect piece of green and white jade to carve by the Great Emperor of All China. Is there a dragon in the stone, as the emperor demands? What does Chan Lo hear the stone say? What does it want to be? When Chan Lo finally succumbs to the stone's true wishes, the emperor is furious and throws him in prison. Can the spirit of the jade stone save the stone carver's life?

Warmly illustrated by painter Ju-Hong Chen, this Chinese folktale offers a clear and gentle message of artistic truth and a lesson in staying true to one's self.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1589803590
• ISBN13: 9781589803596
• Release Date: October 2005
• Publisher: Pelican Publishing Company
• Length: 32 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 10.2" x 8.3"
• Age Range: 4 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 3

Customer Reviews

A book to treasure and to pass on to future generations

I used to read this book to my kids when they were young and now I'm buying this book for friends who have young children. This is a fun book to read to your kids. The entire family will enjoy the story and beautifully illustrated pictures. This story reminds the adults and teaches our kids to be true to our conscience and not give in to pressure even if it means risking our lives. I highly recommend this book.

a wonderful book

I bought this book for a Chinese child who was adopted by a family in the United States. The tale is lovely and the illustrations are outstanding. The book was a real hit with the little girl I bought it for, her parents, and her grandparents.

Chan Lo is a stone carver who has a special assignment to carve a dragon from a lovely piece of gree

Chan Lo is a stone carver who has a special assignment to carve a dragon from a lovely piece of green and white jade - but there may not be a dragon in the stone. Indeed, the stone has other ideas of what it wishes to be, and Chan is faced with a dilemma: to please his emperor or listen to the stone's needs. Who will prove the most powerful? Lovely drawings by Ju-Hong Chen bring the traditional tale to life.