People's
Republic of China (Romanization
according to the international Pinyin norms)
16
Ge, Bing
Bingwan xiaodian (The iced-bowl store)
Beijing: China Juvenile and Children’s Books
Publishing House, 2007. – 239 p.
ISBN 978-7-5007-8714-3
Chinese kung fu – Imaginary world
Ge Bing’s first short-length kung-fu novels for children appeared in several
Chinese children’s magazines in the 1990s and stirred controversy among
parents and educators about their suitability for children, since kung-fu
novels were usually regarded as an exclusive adult literary genre. But
children loved them. And the author has been focusing on this special genre
writing since then. This book is a collection of thirty-seven short-length
kung-fu novels. Each of them combines traditional Chinese kung fu culture
with delicate suspense and humour. Ge’s writing is well-known for its
fluency and its unique linguistic features. It is quite enjoyable to read
these novels and to see how the writer spins every suspenseful story in just
a few pages, and how he has successfully adopted and developed kung fu into
children’s fiction. (10+)
17
Lü, Lina
Liulanggou he tade wupo pengyou (The vagrant dog and his witch friend)
Fuzhou: Fujian Children’s Publishing House, 2008. – 237 p.
ISBN 978-7-5395-3205-9
Animal – Magic
This collection features twenty-three short stories for little kids,
including fairy tales, animal stories, and fantasies. The author of this
book is one of the best contemporary storywriters for children. Many of her
stories are short, but have delicately elaborated structures and a kind of
tender warmth. Despite the absence of any intentional propounding of moral
doctrines, these little stories themselves could be the best »textbook« on
love, beauty, and, sometimes, childhood philosophy. They capture inner
rhythms that are recognizable at once. Every one of them reads like a poem –
and to a certain extent, their lightness and delicacy make them poetry. (4+)
18
Yang, Hongying
Zhentan xiaozu zai xingdong (Little detectives in action)
Guang Xi: Jieli Publishing House, 2008. – 178 p.
(Taoqibao Ma Xiaotiao)
ISBN 978-7-5448-0289-5
Detective – Society – Childhood
The naughty boy Ma Xiaotiao phoned his three friends for an emergency
meeting as soon as he got the news from a classmate that one of their
classmate’s father suffered a bad hit-and-run traffic accident. The four
boys set up a detective team at the meeting to find an eyewitness of the
accident so that they might trace the criminal driver. During the
investigation, a strange but »kind-hearted» man joins their team and seems
to help a lot. When the detective team finally finds the criminal driver,
however, everyone is astonished and confused. As another instal-ment of
Yang’s Ma Xiaotiao the Naughty Boy Series, enjoyed by so many Chinese kids,
but also under some critical controversy for their literariness, this novel
again portrays a comic adventure within an everyday-life environment,
showing the power of childhood as well as its difficulty confronting the
adult world. (8+)
19
Zhang, Xiaoling (text)
Pan, Jian (illus.)
Duomaomao dawang (The best hider)
Jinan: Tomorrow Publishing House, 2008. – 48 p.
ISBN 978-7-5332-5815-3
Game – Countryside – Memory – Mental disability
The mentally disabled boy Xiao Yong lives with his grandfather in a little
village. He likes to play hide-and-seek with his little friends in the
village, although he is always the first one who got found and caught by the
other seekers. There’s only one time Xiao Yong becomes the best hider, with
the help of a girl his age, who is also the narrator of the story. Yet this
happy time ends when all the other little girls and boys begin to go to
school, while Xiao Yong is left behind at grandpa’s house. When grandpa
dies, Xiao Yong’s father goes to the village to bring him back home. But
Xiao Yong, who is unwilling to leave all his friends, hides again. No one
can find him this time until the whole team of seekers cries out »Xiao Yong
is the Best Hider, Please Come Out«, which is the best farewell phrase the
little boy could want. This is a story about the warmth, happiness, and the
tender sadness of a childhood memory. The simple-styled illustrations fit
the mood of the story, evoking a remote yet timeless childhood nostalgia.
(5+)
20
Zheng, Chunhua (text)
Yao, Hong (illus.)
Ma Mingjia chengle xiaoxuesheng (Ma Mingjia’s school days)
Shanghai : Juvenial and Children’s Publishing House, 2007. – 90 p.
(Feichang Xiaozi Ma Mingjia)
ISBN 978-7-5324-7233-8
School – Growing-up – Urban child – Love
In this new instalment of the »Feichang Xiaozi Ma Mingjia« children’s novel series, little boy Ma Mingjia becomes a student at the elementary school, where he continues to share all kinds of growing-up experiences with the readers. His careless mistake in writing down his Chinese name creates a dramatic comedy at the school’s celebration; his pulling pranks with a female classmate’s braid actually is an expression of his affection toward the girl, which he doesn’t realize until she has transferred to another school. His seven schoolbags of different colours are proof of his boyish light heartedness as well as his mum’s quiet love. This novel brings us laughter, and interests us in a contemporary urban Chinese boy’s everyday life. Always happy, energetic, and behaving humorously, Ma is one of the central figures in contemporary Chinese children’s literature. (7+)