Page 14 n THE ASIAN REPORTER
Lunar New Year
January 20, 2014
Year of the Horse for kids
The Year of the Horse:
Tales from the Chinese Zodiac
Written by Oliver Chin
Illustrations by Jennifer Wood
Immedium, 2014
Hardcover, 36 pages, $15.95
By Marie Lo
The Asian Reporter
ive-year olds are a picky and
particular bunch, and mine is no
exception.
“Mom, this potato is touching the carrot.
I can’t eat it.”
“There is a dot on this picture. It’s
ruined!”
“Don’t wear those tights — there’s a big
hole at the knee.”
“But, mom, I love holes.”
When it comes to books, she is the same
way. There doesn’t seem to be a rhyme or
reason for why some books are loved and
others are neglected. It may have to do
with the book being too colorful or not
colorful enough, the pictures too small or
too big, or there being too many words or
not enough. Who knows? She uses her own
random algorithm of plot, pictures, and
color to decide, and at this developmental
stage, I’m embarrassed to say, she does
judge a book by its cover.
Therefore, when the opportunity to
review The Year of the Horse: Tales from
the Chinese Zodiac by Oliver Chin came
along, I wasn’t sure how she would react.
As part of a series that features the signs
of the Chinese zodiac, this one follows
Hannah, a foal who embarks on a journey
with young Tom to deliver art to the
governor. Along the way, she demon-
F
strates the characteristics that typify
people born in the Year of the Horse, and
which the book sums up as energetic and
animated, proud and attention-seeking,
hot-blooded, headstrong, steadfast, and
resilient.
The illustrations are adorable and
bright, and hidden throughout the book
are the other 11 zodiac signs. This
encourages children to learn the other
signs and invites them to look out for them
as they read.
My daughter’s verdict: “I liked it.”
Here is her review in full: “I liked it
because [Hannah] proved she’s big and
strong and she said I can do it and she
didn’t give up and didn’t have a frown.”
While this story has a sweet message
and is entertaining, for parents interested
in educating their children about Chinese
culture they might be disappointed.
The story is a mishmash of Chinese and
western cultures and is decontextualized
from any particular time period. The main
protagonists, Hannah and Tom, have
all-American names, while the older
generation has Chinese names and titles
such as Uncle Fu, Auntie Yi, and Lao Shi,
which simply means teacher.
Similarly, the older generation wears
robes that are typical of ancient China
while Tom wears a riding cap and overalls.
Even the cover of the book reflects this
confusion. There are grey and rolling
mountains reminiscent of Chinese
paintings and the fence seems to refer to
the Great Wall. The stable, on the other
hand, seems to be modelled after those in
European fairytales, complete with
turrets and a banner.
These may be rather picky details, and
this kind of cultural hybridization is very
typical of many cartoons today. (It is not a
coincidence, I think, that the illustrator,
Jennifer Wood, works for studios such as
Nickelodeon and the Cartoon Network.)
Ultimately, how this story will be read
will depend on how parents want to
approach the book. For an engaging story
about a lively, resilient, and steadfast
horse named Hannah, then this book
would fit the bill. But if parents are
interested in using the book as a way to
teach children about China or Chinese
culture, there are better selections out
there.
My own reservation aside, my daughter
loves it. She is already asking to read more
books in this series.
My team. My possibility.
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We celebrate the wisdom of collaboration and the strength of diversity.
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