The Story of Kites: Amazing Chinese Inventions - Hardcover

Ying Compestine: Ying's dozens of children’s books have won many awards, including spots on the "best lists" from the ALA, Bank Street, Book Sense, and New York Times. She visits schools and teaches workshops internationally. She has written for magazines such as Cooking Light, Self, Men's Health, and Martha Stewart's Whole Living. Her website is www.yingc.com.

YongSheng Xuan illustrated the four volume "Story of" series. Educated at the renowned Central Arts and Crafts University in Beijing, China, he lives in Vancouver, Canada. His art has exhibited worldwide and appeared in Cricket magazine. His website is www.ysxuan.com.

Kindergarten-Grade 3-The creative Kang brothers are back, once again inventing a practical solution to a common problem-in this case, keeping birds out of the rice fields. Shooing them away is time-consuming so the boys decide to make some wings of their own. Of course, when they try using them, they come crashing down. After some experimentation with paper and chopsticks, the youngsters come up with an idea that works. The villagers are so taken with the objects that the brothers send floating into the sky that the Kang family opens China's first kite factory. The black lines outlining intense colors give Xuan's lively cut-paper pictures a feeling of action and life as well as a sense of traditional Chinese art. Pale blue borders frame the white backgrounds of many of the illustrations. The book ends with directions for making and flying a kite safely, and in an author's note, Compestine relates what is actually known about the development of kites in China. Demi's Kites (Crown, 1999) and Jane Yolen's The Emperor and the Kite (Philomel, 1983) speculate about kite development in China, but the playfulness and creativity of the Kang brothers make this version especially appealing.
Barbara Scotto, Michael Driscoll School, Brookline, MA
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