From School Library Journal
reSchool-Grade 3--In a tale reminiscent of Marjorie Flack's The Story about Ping (Viking, 1933), the smallest hen in Mei Mei's chicken house can't compete each evening for her spot on the perch. One rainy night, Daisy decides to sleep outside, and she settles down in one of Mei Mei's market baskets, which is picked up by the rain-swollen Li River. Carried downstream, she has many adventures until she is caught by an enterprising fisherman who plans to sell her in the market. Of course, she is rescued by her determined owner in a daring escape scene. Brett's tale is clever and contains many authentic elements-varied Chinese people in modern clothing, fruits and vegetables, typical architecture from the area, etc. However, some of the market scenes are a bit old-fashioned, and not all of the Chinese characters on the baskets are correct. As is typical of Brett's work, the pages are full of detail and often overdecorative, and the small pictures in the slanting sidebars distract from the dramatic, bold watercolors. The karsts, oddly shaped mountains found near the Li River, are drawn to resemble animals, which takes attention away from the main focus of the illustrations. Still, this lively story will be popular with young readers who won't mind a tale that reflects China as seen by an admiring American visitor.
Barbara Scotto, Michael Driscoll School, Brookline, MA
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
*Starred Review* Ages 5-8. Brett, known for her intricate designs and her engaging artwork, outdoes herself in this story set in modern-day China. Young Mei Mei loves taking care of her hens, calling them the happiest hens in China. But one of them, Daisy, is bullied by her coop mates. One night, Daisy floats down the river in a straw basket, and suddenly she must rely on survival skills she didn't know she had. Mei Mei shows her own bravery when she rescues Daisy, who turns up at the local market bound for the kettle, and Daisy proves she can hold her own when she returns to the farm. The story has a strong beginning and end, but it bogs down in the middle. What never flags is the excitement generated by the incredible artwork. Children can see every feather on a hen, each orange in a bin in the marketplace, and every tile on a roof. Brett's attention to detail is matched by her skill in representing the story's viewpoint and movement: spot art on the edge of each page moves the story along or adds a bit of new knowledge. Particularly eye-catching are the richly hued pictures, bursting with Chinese life. The art sets off the story with decorative corners resembling bamboo or woven basketry that further carry out Chinese motifs. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Review
Brett, known for her intricate designs and her engaging artwork, outdoes herself in this story set in modern-day China. (Booklist, starred review)
The elegance of the illustrations gains a touch of whimsy as Brett hides some surprises in the distant mountains. (Publishers Weekly)
About the Author
With over thirty four million books in print, Jan Brett is one of the nation's foremost author illustrators of children's books. Jan lives in a seacoast town in Massachusetts, close to where she grew up. During the summer her family moves to a home in the Berkshire Hills of Massachusetts.As a child, Jan Brett decided to be an illustrator and spent many hours reading and drawing. She says, "I remember the special quiet of rainy days when I felt that I could enter the pages of my beautiful picture books. Now I try to recreate that feeling of believing that the imaginary place I'm drawing really exists. The detail in my work helps to convince me, and I hope others as well, that such places might be real."
As a student at the Boston Museum School, she spent hours in the Museum of Fine Arts. "It was overwhelming to see the room-size landscapes and towering stone sculptures, and then moments later to refocus on delicately embroidered kimonos and ancient porcelain," she says. "I'm delighted and surprised when fragments of these beautiful images come back to me in my painting."
Travel is also a constant inspiration. Together with her husband, Joe Hearne, who is a member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Jan visits many different countries where she researches the architecture and costumes that appear in her work. "From cave paintings to Norwegian sleighs, to Japanese gardens, I study the traditions of the many countries I visit and use them as a starting point for my children's books."
With over thirty four million books in print, Jan Brett is one of the nation's foremost author illustrators of children's books. Jan lives in a seacoast town in Massachusetts, close to where she grew up. During the summer her family moves to a home in the Berkshire Hills of Massachusetts.
As a child, Jan Brett decided to be an illustrator and spent many hours reading and drawing. She says, "I remember the special quiet of rainy days when I felt that I could enter the pages of my beautiful picture books. Now I try to recreate that feeling of believing that the imaginary place I'm drawing really exists. The detail in my work helps to convince me, and I hope others as well, that such places might be real."
As a student at the Boston Museum School, she spent hours in the Museum of Fine Arts. "It was overwhelming to see the room-size landscapes and towering stone sculptures, and then moments later to refocus on delicately embroidered kimonos and ancient porcelain," she says. "I'm delighted and surprised when fragments of these beautiful images come back to me in my painting."
Travel is also a constant inspiration. Together with her husband, Joe Hearne, who is a member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Jan visits many different countries where she researches the architecture and costumes that appear in her work. "From cave paintings to Norwegian sleighs, to Japanese gardens, I study the traditions of the many countries I visit and use them as a starting point for my children's books."
