As a child, I remember going to a Chinese restaurant with placemats holding the animals of the Chinese Zodiac and the small descriptions about people born under each one. I fall under rat, which I wasn't really happy about. What kid wants to be a rat? Today's read centers around the chinese Zodiac and should explain what it is to readers. So, cultural goodness marks these pages.
Let's open it up and see what each one is about.
ANIMALS OF THE CHINESE ZODIAC
An Illustrated Guide to the 12 Signs
by Teresa Robeson
Illustrated by Ping Zhu
Phaidon
Middle Grade Nonfiction
64 pages
ages 6 and up
COMING OCTOBER 15th!!!
The ultimate guide to the Chinese Zodiac, featuring fun facts, frame-worthy illustrations, and a choose your own adventure-style quiz to find your perfect zodiac match!
MY TIDBITS
With a bit of story and a dive into each of the Chinese Zodiac animals, these pages leave readers with a general idea of what each one stands for.
The book begins with a lively introduction into the Chinese Zodiac and gives general insight into how it works and what meaning it holds. Then, there's a short tale surround the Great Race and the Jade Emperor. This tale holds a special touch, since it's laid out like a mini graphic novel and spreads out wide thanks to a folding page on either side. Then, there's a list of the animals and the birth years as well as an explanation surrounding the elements, which can add extra twists. After that, each animal receives a large, two-page spread illustration with the Chinese name as well as the English. The next pages offer a quick insight into the personality people under the animal are said to possess as well as a few fun bits of information.
The author keeps this book light and fun, making sure gentle humor accompanies the scenes. The information is short and sweet, and makes sure to add insights which fit nicely to the intended age group. The entire time, the author invites readers to learn about each animal and consider which one fits the reader's personality best...even if it doesn't match up with the birth year. In other words, every person is an individual and doesn't necessarily fall into a certain category.
The illustrations are bright and bold the entire way through. The animals carry a cartoon direction and are always active and cheerful. The text fits well to the age group and steers clear of growing heavy or long. It's just right to pick up, search for certain animals, grab a few facts, and set down to pick up again another time.
And here they are...
Teresa Robeson is a Chinese-Canadian-American author of children's books, and an artist, with a focus on science, nature, and her cultural voice and heritage. Her work has won the Asian Pacific American Librarians Association Picture Book Award, a National Council of Teachers of English Orbis Pictus Recommendation, and an International Reading Association Nonfiction Picture Book Honor, plus other awards, lists, and starred reviews.
Ping Zhu is a Chinese-American artist based in Brooklyn, whose work is frequently seen in The New York Times. A graduate of ArtCenter College of Design, in 2013 she received the ADC Young Guns award. Her children’s book debut, The Strange Birds of Flannery O’Connor: A Life (2020), was selected by The New York Times as one of the Best Children’s Books of the year.
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