Yeh-Shen: A Cinderella Story from China

by Ai-Ling Louie

Book Overview

Told with beauty and grace, this Cinderella story from Ai-Ling Louie is brought vividly to life by Caldecott Medal-winner Ed Young's soft, glowing illustrations.

Half-starved and overworked by her stepmother, Yeh-Shen's only friend is a fish with golden eyes. When the stepmother kills the fish for dinner, poor Yeh-Shen is left with only the bones. But the bones are filled with a powerful spirit. When Ye-Shen is forbidden to attend...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0698113888
• ISBN13: 9780698113886
• Release Date: May 1996
• Publisher: Puffin Books
• Length: 32 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.1" x 8.0" x 10.0"
• Age Range: 4 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 3

Customer Reviews

Yeh-Shen is a beautifully illustrated Oriental Cinderella tale.

This Cinderella is told & illustrated with a Chinese perspective. A beautiful story & proven attraction for little girls and their parents; Yeh-shen teaches that people are the same, wherever they come from. Goodness and kindness are rewarded.

Yeh Shen

Excellent service, prompt delivery, excellent conditon as described, packaged well. Would use again.

Lovely Story with Georgous Illustrations

Cinderella stories are practically a dime a dozen...they can be found in practically every culture known to man and are amoung the most frequently read to young children. So what makes Yeh-Shen worth reading...well, it's retold by Louie with it's origins in China and is probably based on the oldest known version of Cinderella in existence. Louie writes with few words, but manages to tell the story eloquently and in a way that is appealing to both children and adults. Additionally, Young's illustrations are exquisite and really evoke a feeling of ancient China. This story includes all of the classic elements that we Westerners are familiar with...the evil step mother, an unattractive step-sister, an emperor looking for a bride, the wayward slipper (though this one is golden, not glass)...but it also has its differences. In place of the fairy god-mother we are used to, there is a kindly old man who offers sage advice to Yeh-Shen (and he appears once about midway thought the story) and of course, there is the magical fish who makes Yeh-Shen's life bearable and makes her dreams come true in the end. I love that the author didn't sanitize the ending and that the reader is told the fate of the cruel and mean-spirited step-mother and sister. It was done in such a way that I don't think the young children this books is geared toward would be at all disturbed...plus it is in keeping with what is considered the traditional ending for most fairy tales (before they were sanitized for modern times)...the evil and unjust get what they deserve and I think that's the perfect ending! I give Yeh-Shen 5 stars, it's a lovely tale that is beautifully illustrated, it would make a lovely addition to any library.

more realistic cinderella

Bought this for my 6-yo niece, who reads very well. It's a great version of the Cinderella story, set in China. Instead of fairies and magic, the story is woven with events that could actually happen. (Makes me wonder if it inspired Cinderella, or vice versa.) Loved it, and so does my niece!

A great book

I think this book is very,very good. It was a great book about China also a good book for childrens around the world. This book is about a girl named Yeh-Shen that was a orpahan. She had to work for her stepmother and her stepsister. Yeh-Shen had a fish that she did not know that it was magic fish. The fish's name is goldeyes. Yeh-Shen stepsister found out that Yeh-Shen had a friend that was a fish. The stepsister want and told her mother. The stepmother told Yeh-Shen to get some wood from the far side of the land. At the end of the story Yeh-Shen married the king.

THE OLDEST VERSION OF CINDERELLA

This is the oldest known version of Cinderella. It dates back to 9BC China. Having taught a unit on the history of Cinderella to my class every year around Holiday time, I'm pleased to finally have a copy of the book -- the copy from the Minneapolis Public Library is missing -- because it teaches children that not every version is about pumpkin coaches and glass slippers. Beautifully illustrated by Ed Young, the theme of the fish/fairy godmother character plays throughout the book.Enjoy this version, along with Shirley Chimo's Egyptian and Korean Cinderellas, The Turkey Girl, The Rough Face Girl, Sootface, and of course, the old classic versions. This book is an excellent addition to your multicultural children's collection!