The Mystery of Dragon Bridge: A Peach Blossom Village Story - Softcover

Howard, Ann

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1583948139 ISBN 13: 9781583948132

Publisher: North Atlantic Books, 2014

Synopsis

When Peach Blossom Village's bridge disappears, Master Chen must solve the mystery! The Mystery of Dragon Bridge is an English-Chinese bilingual children's fantasy story. The tale revolves around the inhabitants of Peach Blossom Village and the mysterious Dragon Bridge—the villagers' only connection to the outside world—which suddenly vanishes in the middle of the night. The astonished villagers appoint a retired soldier, Master Chen, to investigate what has happened to their missing bridge. What he finds will surprise readers as much as it did the perplexed villagers! Both a satisfying mystery story and a lesson in working together for the community, preserving the environment, and appreciating what is often taken for granted, The Mystery of Dragon Bridge can be enjoyed by younger children and intermediate readers alike. The short, easy-to-read story is presented in both English and simplified Chinese, with vocabulary suitable for students aged 7 to 10, and features 12 beautiful watercolors painted by the author.

About this title

About the Author:

Author and illustrator Ann Howard was born in a small town in "Butterfly Valley," deep in the mountains of Taiwan. She spent her childhood wandering the hillsides, chasing butterflies and dragonflies and sketching everything she saw. She has been a professional artist most of her adult life, painting surreal oils and watercolor illustrations. The Peach Blossom Village stories are a patchwork of her childhood memories interwoven with the landscape of her Northern California home. This is her first work of fiction. Find her online at www.annhowardstudio.com.

From School Library Journal:

Gr 2–5—An old stone bridge connects the small village of Peach Blossom with the outside world. When the villagers awake and find it missing, Master Chen investigates, only to realize that the bridge was a sleeping dragon who was so neglected by the villagers that he grew ill and had to fly away. Master Chen then comes up with a way for the village to apologize to the dragon and get a new bridge. Written in English and Simplified Chinese characters, this straightforward original tale features a dozen full-color water color illustrations, five of which occupy entire page spreads. Additionally, there are smaller black-and-white sketches interspersed with the text. While the trim size and page count suggests a picture book, there are several text-only page spreads, making this title better suited for independent reading or one-on-one sharing. A match for fans of longer illustrated folktales and fairy tales who are looking for something new.—Jennifer Rothschild, Arlington County Public Libraries, VA

About this edition

• Publisher: North Atlantic Books
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1583948139
• ISBN 13: 9781583948132
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 40