In two and a half weeks, we’ll be leaving the Year of the Rabbit for the Year of the Dragon. And to usher in the new year and its mighty dragon, here’s a short list of dragon-inspired books for kids and adults.
One of my kids’ favorite new acquisitions is this fun picture book illustrated by Grace Lin.
The Seven Chinese Sisters (Albert Whitman and Co., 2003) by Kathy Tucker is a contemporary take on The Five Chinese Brothers from way back in 1938. When a big dragon sweeps down on the sisters’ home and swipes the baby sister, the other sisters work together to save her. It turns out the dragon is skinny and hungry, so the sixth sister–the chef of the family–promises a bowl of her noodle soup the next day.
My kids also love Christoph Niemann’s The Pet Dragon (Greenwillow Books, 2008).
The book tells the story of a girl named Lin who has a pet dragon. The illustrations incorporate one of a couple dozen Chinese characters.
How cool is that? My four year old can already recognize many of these characters.
One of my favorite memoirs is Linda Furiya‘s How to Cook a Dragon: Living, Loving, and Eating in China (Seal Press, 2009). Furiya moves to China to follow her boyfriend and learns to navigate Beijing and Shanghai as a Asian-American who doesn’t speak Chinese. She experiences ups and downs in her relationship, but finds her niche at a Chinese culinary academy. Each chapter ends with a delicious recipe.
If you like a little spice in your reading, check out Jeannie Lin‘s latest romance novel, The Dragon and the Pearl (Harlequin Historical, 2011). When Li Tao, the warlord from her first novel, Butterfly Swords (Harlequin Historical, 2010), kidnaps courtesan Ling Suyin, he finally meets his match.
Before Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, Lisa See wrote a brilliant memoir of her Chinese family as well as a three-part mystery series starring Liu Hulan, a rising star in the Chinese Ministry of Public Security, and her husband, David Stark, an American lawyer. The last in this series is Dragon Bones (Random House, 2004), which takes place on the Yangzi River and its controversial Three Gorges Dam.
Of course, there’s also Swedish blockbuster, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, which has already been turned into a film twice.
Do you have a favorite dragon book?
A book that I read and like very much is “Feeding the Dragon: A Culinary Travelogue through China with recipes” by Mary Kate Tate (2011). A book that I plan to read, following the team of my own novel to promote understanding and friendship between China and America, is “The Dragon and the Eagle: China and America: Growing together, worlds apart” by Denis Waitley (2008).
Thanks for these titles, Giora! I’ll definitely put them on my list!
My daughter wrote to Grace Lin and Grace sent her the sweetest post card and book plate! My daughter was delighted!
These books look marvelous!
Thanks so much, Amy! I saw and loved your post about your daughter’s letter! That is so cool!!
Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders Of Pern series comes to mind….
In the early 80’s I read Robert Daley’s “Year Of The Dragon”, which gave me my first look at Triads – but didn’t have much to do with actual “dragons” past the title. I never did get around to seeing the Mickey Rourke film of it, though.
However, my favourite dragon related book would have to be Tery Pratchett’s “Guards! Guards!” – which drew together all the Tolkien ideas of dragons seen in “The Hobbit”, and flipped them on their head.
Speaking of dragons, it’d be a good year to watch Mario Andreacchio’s “The Dragon Pearl” (http://thedragonpearl.com.au/), set and shot in China, but with all the post-production work done in Adelaide, South Australia.
Yes, “Year of the Dragon”! I haven’t read it, but I’ve watched the Mickey Rourke film many times. I’ll put that book on my list.
Thanks for the other book suggestions and the film, “The Dragon Pearl”. I didn’t know Sam Neill was from out your way. Cool!