People's Republic of China
(Romanization according to international Pinyin norms)
19
Jin, Bo (text)
Tao, Wenjie (illus.)
Tituotituo-xiaohongxie (The red shoes)
Hunan : Hainan-Chubanshe, 1994. – [44pp]
ISBN 7-80617-111-8
Shoe - Lost/Found - Assistance - Friendship
Pudgy loses one of his red shoes without noticing it. The red shoe cries and wants to find
his best friend – the other red shoe. Grandpa takes it back home and promises the red
shoe to look for his friend. The next day, a whole trail of people and animals follows the
red shoe down the street because they all want to help. More and more people join this
parade until they come upon another group led by the other shoe in a park! The re-united
shoes sing: »Good friends stay together«. The author tells this story to elaborate on
the theme of everlasting friendship. The illustrator makes use of Chinese folk elements to
endow the pictures with a Chinese atmosphere. (5+)
Special Mention
20
Sun, Youjun
Sun-Youjun-tonghua-quanji (The complete works of Sun Youjun)
Vol. 1
Hunan : Hunan-Shaonian-Ertong-Chubanshe, 1996. – 29, 6, 698pp
ISBN 7-5358-1176-0
Fantastic tales - Magic - Everydaylife - Humour
This first of four volumes is representative of the complete works of Sun Youjun, one of
the most important fantasy writers in contemporary Chinese children's literature. He has
won many awards and was nominated for the H.C. Andersen Award in 1990. His complete works
consist of 42 short stories, among them his first work »Xiaobutou qiyuji« (»The
adventure of a rag-doll«), originally published in 1961, which established his reputation
in children's literature. Sun has a gift for developing magical plots in the midst of
everyday-life circumstances. His narratives are full of humour, innocence and tenderness.
(10+)
21
Yang, Hongying (text)
Huang, Bixia / Liao, Wei (illus.)
Xiao-hong-chuan (The small red boat)
Jiangsu : Jiangsu-Shaonian-Ertong-Chubanshe, 1998. – [24pp]
(You'er-wenxue-xinzuo-huaku)
ISBN 7-5346-1953-x
Shoe - Forest - Bird - Wound - Rescue
A little girl loses one of her red shoes in the forest and a blue bird, wounded by a wild
cat, finds shelter in it. A tortoise pushes the red shoe to the river and it starts
floating down the river like a boat. The red carps escort the boat until it passes the
house of Xiaoya. She takes the red »boat« and the little invalid passenger home. This
simple story creates a fantastic world in warm tones, full of decorative patterns and with
colourful, stylised figures. (5+) ¤