Folktale retold by Ed Young

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Young, Ed. 2004. THE SONS OF THE DRAGON KING: A CHINESE LEGEND. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0689851847

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Young retells the ancient Chinese folktale of the Dragon King. According to legend, each of the Dragon King's nine sons, at first seem lazy or participating in behavior improper as the son of a king. The Dragon King visits each of his nine sons, and at first is dismayed at what each seems to be doing. After reflecting and contemplating, however, the Dragon King recognizes the unique talents each son posesses, and how they can use their skills productively. For example, when the Dragon King visits his sixth son, Ba-Sha, he finds him frolicking in the Great Water rather than working. The Dragon King, realizing his son's strength in swimming, helps his son to recognize he can guard those using the Kingdom's rivers and lakes. Young then shows how Ba-Sha still watches by his image remaining in the architecture of the bridges. The other sons are still reflected as well in Chinese art and architecture.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This retelling of an ancient Chinese folktale contains strong elements important to folktales. Repeated patters and elements are in the story, such as the number nine, which is an important factor in the story and in many Chinese folktales. The story follows a repetitive pattern as each son is introduced, his theoretical shortcoming explored, and his strength uncovered. Many Chinese folktales reward gentleness and sacrifice, and this is the case in this story, as each son learns to serve the community. The setting also follows traditional folktales as the story occurs in the distant past, but time passes quickly as the Dragon King is able to visit each son without spending any obvious time traveling. Young's brush and ink illustrations are a gift to this retelling. Traditionally Chinese, the illustrations are primarily black and white, with a small amount of red. The effect is masterful; each illustration flows with thick brush strokes, giving the feel of melody to accompany the text. As each son's virtue is discovered, on the right of the double-page spread, the illustrations are made from cut paper, and are more sharp, distinct, and have the addition of more red ink. The story alone will be appealing to children, but the illustrations are what stands out and make this retelling a classic.

4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
BOOKLIST: "The ink-wash portraits of the exuberant young dragons are probably reason enough to buy this book; readers of any age will marvel at how much Young can accomplish with just a few sinuous strokes of his brush."

5. CONNECTIONS
* Find other retelling of the Dragon King and compare and contrast them to Young's.
* Practice painting dragons with ink and brush.
* Look at Chinese architecture for the son's legacies.
* Read other Chinese folktales including:
TWO OF EVERYTHING: A CHINESE FOLKTALE by Lily Toy Hong. ISBN 0807581577
MOUSE MATCH: A CHINESE FOLKTALE by Ed Young. ISBN 0152014535
THE JADE STONE: A CHINESE FOLKTALE by Caryn Yacowitz. ISBN 1589803590