Book Review: Henry and the Kite Dragon. By Bruce Edward Hall. Illustrated by William Low. Philomel, 2004. 40 pages. Tr. $16.99 ISBN 0399237275; PLB $16.99 ISBN 978-0399237270.
Henry Chu and his friends, in New York City’s Chinatown, are enthralled by the beautiful pigeon-chasing kites that their neighbor Grandfather Chin teaches them to make. When some boys from neighboring Little Italy attack their spectacular dragon kite, the Chinese-American children decide that it’s time to stand up and fight. But they learn that their rivals’ destructive behavior is motivated by concern for the terrified pigeons, which turn out to be homing pigeons and the boys’ pets. The children, with Grandfather Chin’s help, work out a compromise to allow birds and kites to share the sky and Chinese and Italian children to share the nearby park.
Based on true events experienced by the Bruce Edward Hall’s father during the 1920s, the story is remarkable for its historical and cultural detail as well as its level of cross-cultural sensitivity. Children will be delighted by the depictions of the sights and sounds of Chinatown, the references to the traditions of kite flying and training homing pigeons, and even the emphasis on the sounds of the children’s names. William Low’s impressionistic paintings, with their rich paper texture, suggest the materials of the kites and enhance the straightforward text with their sensitive, realistic portrayal of children’s faces and clothing and colorful, sweeping depictions of kites and city streetscapes. Children of any cultural background will relate to this story about feeling different, about overcoming loss, about the limitations of adult wisdom, and about the transformational power of beauty and friendship. Recommended for children ages 4-8.
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