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Rating: 
Summary: Bitter Beginnings, Sweet Future.....
Review: "Long ago in the middle kingdom, in a village by the sea, there lived a girl called Mei Mei. She was a girl with no prospects." So begins Jeanne Lee's evocative folktale set in a fifteenth century Chinese village. When Mei Mei's father dies on the eve of her wedding, her brothers use her dowry to pay for an extravagant funeral, then take all his possessions for themselves, and throw her out of the house. Unable to marry and shunned by the village, she eventually finds work and shelter with the crippled old woman, Po Po, another outcast who makes and sells her bitter dumplings each day at the market. When the Emperor's treasure fleet sails into the harbor, a ship's slave escapes, and asks the two women to hide him, and this, the three find is the start of a new beginning for all of them..... Ms Lee's dramatic text is filled with history as her story unfolds, slowly, towards its happy and satisfying conclusion, and is complemented by eloquent illustrations in soft and muted colors. Together, word and art transport the reader to a far-away place and time. With an author's note filled with historical details that enhance the story, Bitter Dumplings is an engaging tale, perfect for youngsters 7-10, or as a read-aloud for younger children.
Rating:
Summary: Bitter Beginnings, Sweet Future.....
Review: "Long ago in the middle kingdom, in a village by the sea, there lived a girl called Mei Mei. She was a girl with no prospects." So begins Jeanne Lee's evocative folktale set in a fifteenth century Chinese village. When Mei Mei's father dies on the eve of her wedding, her brothers use her dowry to pay for an extravagant funeral, then take all his possessions for themselves, and throw her out of the house. Unable to marry and shunned by the village, she eventually finds work and shelter with the crippled old woman, Po Po, another outcast who makes and sells her bitter dumplings each day at the market. When the Emperor's treasure fleet sails into the harbor, a ship's slave escapes, and asks the two women to hide him, and this, the three find is the start of a new beginning for all of them..... Ms Lee's dramatic text is filled with history as her story unfolds, slowly, towards its happy and satisfying conclusion, and is complemented by eloquent illustrations in soft and muted colors. Together, word and art transport the reader to a far-away place and time. With an author's note filled with historical details that enhance the story, Bitter Dumplings is an engaging tale, perfect for youngsters 7-10, or as a read-aloud for younger children.
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