THE PAINTED FAN
by Marilyn Singer & illustrated by Wenhai Ma
Set in long-ago China, a tale of a greedy lord who hopes to evade his fate and the courageous girl who brings it to pass. After hearing that the Painted Fan will be his undoing, Lord Shang commands that all fans be destroyed; still, Bright Willow, a poor farmer's daughter, brings along an heirloom fan after Lord Shang selects her as his unwilling bride. When she's caught talking with a young groom, Shang agrees to waive her punishment if she can fetch a huge pearl that's guarded by a terrible demon. The fan's magic is instrumental in her success and the subsequent destruction of the wicked lord; the young people, revealed as heirs to the warring houses Lord Shang supplanted, are happily united. Singer knits together several folkloric motifs to create an original tale with satisfying strands of adventure and romance. The Chinese-born illustrator, now a professor at Duke University, makes a fine picture-book debut with dramatically posed scenes of realistically depicted figures in impressionistic settings that effectively enhance the mood. (Picture book. 6-10)