THE CHINESE MIRROR

by Mirra--Adapt. Ginsburg ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 10, 1988

In a Korean folktale, a traveler returns from China with an unknown wonder: a small mirror. He thinks it's funny, the way it makes faces at him, but--not wanting to wear it out--hides it in a trunk. There his wife discovers it, and is horrified to think he has a picture of another, prettier woman. She wails to her mother-in-law that her faithless husband has brought a young wife from China--but the old woman, seeing a wrinkled crone, scoffs at her. So it goes till a final amusing error results in the mirror's destruction. Although it does depend on an unlikely premise (surely even people who have never seen a mirror would have seen reflections in water), this is a delightful comedy, with all the appeal of such stories as ""The Blind Men and the Elephant."" Adopting a Korean genre style characterized by vigorous yet fluid brushwork in black augmented by watercolors in soft tints, Caldecott-winner Zemach beautifully captures the story's humor and milieu. Perfect for sharing with a group.

Pub Date: April 10, 1988

ISBN: 0152175083

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1988

Categories: CHILDREN'S