Today Caramel reviews Grandma Yogini, a neat picture book written by Raven Howell and illustrated by Alexander Santos. As usual Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.
Caramel reviews Grandma Yogini, written by Raven Howell and illustrated by Alexander Santos.
Sprinkles: So Caramel, today we are talking about a brand new book called Grandma Yogini.
Caramel: Yeah, it is a book about a grandma of these two children named Henry and Meredith. They are excited to play with her, and she teaches them some yoga.
S: It seems like she teaches them and some of their friends too, right?
C: Yeah. It seems like these kids and their friends do everything together. They are always doing things with one another’s grandmothers. One grandma bakes for them and another couple kids. Another grandma teaches them how to draw and so on.
S: So it seems that the two kids and their friends all like to spend time with their grandparents, right?
C: Yes. And that is totally the way it should be. Grandparents are awesome!
S: Yes, I agree. I loved my grandmother a lot and luckily spent a lot of time with her. You love spending time with your grandparents, too, right?
C: Yes, of course I do!! They are always so fun! We watch TV and movies, we eat awesome food, and we talk about things, they always have the best stories! And I love it!
Caramel is reading Grandma Yogini, written by Raven Howell and illustrated by Alexander Santos.
S: Let us get back to Henry and Meredith’s grandma. So she is a Yogini, which apparently means a female master of yoga.
C: Yes, that is what the book seems to imply.
S: And in the book she teaches some yoga moves to the kids and their friends, right?
C: Yeah. The book gives you the full instructions, and you can see the kids doing the poses. It is kind of cool, almost like an instruction manual so you can learn some new moves. Especially if you want to be an eagle or a cat or a snake. There is always a yoga pose for that! But there does not seem to be one for a bunny.
S: You are right. At least Grandma Yogini does not teach the kids a bunny pose.
C: No she doesn’t. That’s kind of sad. But they do a kangaroo pose, and kangaroos hop, like we do. So there is that.
S: Alright, let us count that as a plus for the bunnies then. So you might remember that you reviewed another book by this same author.
C: Yes, it was called Blink and Glow. There were two kids in that book, too. And they were always smiling. They are always smiling in this book, too. They are always happy.
S: Yes, this is a happy book too, right?
C: Yep. and it should be. Kids are happy with their grandma. And they are learning to do some cool animal poses. Then when she is leaving, the grandma tells them that the next time grandpa comes along, he will teach them Tai Chi.
S: Have you ever done Tai Chi, Caramel?
C: No. But I did do some yoga in preschool. It was nice and calming.
S: Yeah, it can be relaxing and calming for sure. But it can also be really challenging. Tai Chi is kind of like that too, I think. I tried it only once.
C: Cool. I might want to give it a try some day.
S: Maybe you will. So all in all, did you enjoy this book Caramel?
C: Yes, I did. I love my grandparents, so it was a natural book for me. Grandparents are awesome!
S: Yes! I love that, Caramel. Okay, so this is a good time to wrap up this review. What do you want to tell our readers?
C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!
Caramel enjoyed reading Grandma Yogini, written by Raven Howell and illustrated by Alexander Santos and now wants to know more about Tai Chi.
A while back Marshmallow reviewed Dragon Pearl, a book involving various themes from Korean mythology, written by Yoon Ha Lee. Today Caramel reviews a second book by the same author, Tiger Honor, published in 2022. As usual Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.
Caramel reviews Tiger Honor by Yoon Ha Lee.
Sprinkles: So Caramel, today you wanted to talk about another book with some Asian themes.
Caramel: Yeah, but this one is a novel, and it is called Tiger Honor. It is a really good book.
S: It must be. You read it rather quickly. So what is it about?
C: It is about this person named Sebin who wants to join the Space Forces of the Thousand Worlds and maybe become a captain like their uncle Hwan, but then Hwan is named a traitor. Sebin is shocked of course, but they join the Force nonetheless, hoping that they can perhaps clear their uncle’s name.
S: There is something special about Sebin, right?
C: Yes, they are a tiger spirit, and so you get the ”Tiger” in the title of the book. And their tribe the Juhwang Clan has a strong honor code. Again, that is the second part of the title of the book. Honor is very important to Sebin. Sebin wants to save their family’s honor by clearing Hwan’s name.
S: I see. What is a tiger spirit? Does it become clear in the book?
C: Yeah, it is explained in the first chapter. Sebin is a human but can shapeshift into a tiger and is exceptionally strong.
S: Are there other kinds of spirits in the book?
C: Yes, there are foxes, and ghosts, and I think others, but I’m not sure. But from what I understand these kinds of spirits show up in Korean myths and that is what inspired the author.
Caramel is reading Tiger Honor by Yoon Ha Lee.
S: Oh, yes, in the first book of this series, the main character was a fox spirit. In fact, as far as I understand, that character shows up in this book, too. Her name is Min.
C: Hmm, yes, Min does show up. She is an important character here actually. But I did not read that first book.
S: I have not read the book yet, but again from what I understand from everything I read about it, even though Min shows up here, too, and both books involve the Dragon Pearl and the Space Forces of the Thousand Worlds, they are actually independent stories. So I think it is okay that you did not read that one before reading this one.
C: That is good to know. I might still go ahead and read Dragon Pearl at some point though. This world is interesting!
S: Can you tell me more about this world then?
C: Sure, there are mostly human-like people, like the tiger and fox spirits, and some mercenaries.out-of-galaxy mercenaries fighting against the Space Force. There are a lot of planets and civilizations that came together and signed a treaty to form the Thousand Worlds, which is kind of like the United Federation of Planets in Star Trek. And the Space Force is basically Starfleet.
S: Okay, that is cool. It sounds like a neat mixture of science fiction and Korean mythological themes. So then tell us a bit more about what happens in the book.
C: So, Sebin joins the space force, and then the ship they join is sabotaged, and by Uncle Hwan no less. And it gets more and more exciting and a lot messier from there on, but maybe in order to really see this, one should read the book. And it is a good book so it is very much worth it.
S: Sounds like it. So maybe this is a good place to end this review
C: And maybe I should go and read Dragon Pearl next.
S: Makes sense to me. What do you want to tell our readers?
C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!
Caramel enjoyed reading Tiger Honor by Yoon Ha Lee and is considering whether it is time to go and read Dragon Pearl.
In the summer of 2024, Caramel took an online course on Asian myths and legends and as part of this course, he read several books on the topic. He has already reviewed a couple of these for the book bunnies blog; see these here and here. Today he picked up a third book from that summer experience and is talking to Sprinkles about Chinese Myths and Legends: The Monkey King and Other Adventures, retold by Shelley Fu, illustrated by Patrick Yee, and published originally in 2018.
Caramel reviews Chinese Myths and Legends: The Monkey King and Other Adventures by Shelley Fu and Patrick Yee.
Sprinkles: So Caramel, I see you have for us another book about Asian myths and legends today.
Caramel: Yeah, and it is a very good one at that.
S: Please do tell us a bit about the book.
C: It is about Chinese myths. There are seven stories in it. The first one is “Pan Gu and The Creation of the Universe.”
S: That is quite sensible, to start at the beginning with a universal creation myth.
C: Yeah, it’s also cool, it’s a cool concept.
S: So how was the universe formed according to this story?
C: This guy named Pan Gu was holding the universe in a ball away from the earth or something similar, and he became satisfied and lay down and became part of the earth.
S: Hmm, you say some guy, but if he was holding the universe, he is probably not just a regular person. Maybe a giant.
C: Yeah, he is a god.
S: Interesting! In Greek mythology, too, there is a giant deity named Atlas who carries the world on his shoulders.
C: Yeah, that is interesting. I guess a lot of people thought about how the world began.
S: It is an interesting question after all, no? Anyways, there is a long and detailed Wikipedia article on Pan Gu too, if our readers want to know more. We can maybe move on. You said there were six more stories in the book.
C: Yes, let me see. The next one is “Nu Wo: The Mother of Mankind.” It is told in six parts, and it is about the creator of humans, Nu Wo.
S: That is interesting. So the universe was created by one deity and humans were created by another. Or are these competing theories of creation?
C: Yup, there are two creators, one of earth, and the other of humans.
S: That is very interesting. In the three Abrahamic religions Judaism, Christianity and Islam, there is one creator who created everything. But Chinese mythology takes a different path.
C: Yeah, it’s cool, isn’t it?
S: Yes, very much so. I looked it up and will link to the Wikipedia article for Nu Wo (apparently more typically called NuWa) in case some of our readers want to learn more about her.
C: Good idea!
Caramel is reading Chinese Myths and Legends: The Monkey King and Other Adventures by Shelley Fu and Patrick Yee.
S: So that makes two stories. What comes after?
C: Then the next is “Ho Yi the Archer,” about a god loving another god. Ho Yi himself is an archer and a god, and he is married to a goddess of the moon. This story has five parts.
S: That is neat Caramel. I looked up this character, too, and the Wikipedia article about him made me realize we watched an animated movie that retold the story of Ho Yi and his wife, the lunar deity Chang’e. Do you remember it?
C: Yes, I do! It was called Over the Moon! It was a really good movie, and a bit strange. Can we maybe put a link to the trailer so our readers can see it a bit too?
S: Sure: here it is:
C: Thank you, and now for the next one! This one is a bit longer, and has nine parts. It is about the Monkey King, who is a monkey that becomes immortal and angers the gods.
S: Yes, I see that this chapter is titled “Journey to the West”. It is the story of the Monkey King, who angers the gods because of his impetuousness, and then travels to the West to find some scrolls of wisdom. There is a whole Wikipedia article about the classical version of the story too.
C: Yes, the book version is also neat. And we watched a TV series about it a while back; maybe you remember?
S: Yeah! When you said that I looked it up, and apparently there are many movies animated and not, about the Monkey King. But the one we watched was really funny.
C: Though it did get violent and a bit scary sometimes.
S: True. But we can still put a link to the trailer of The New Legends of Monkey!
C: Yes, good idea!
S: Okay, here goes:
S: So what other stories are there in the book? You told us about four so far. There should be three more.
C: Well, there is one called “The Man in the Moon” and it is one of the shorter stories. It is about a kid who saved a bird and he got rewarded with treasure, and another boy is angry and is bad and gets punished with being sent to the moon.
S: Hmm, the moon sounds like it could be lonely and cold.
C: yeah but he is busy attempting to cut a tree down, and guess who else is there?
S: Who?
C: Ho Yi’s wife!
S: Oh cool! Small world! Or rather, small solar system, I guess!
C: Exactly.
S: Does she teach the boy a lesson or help him somehow?
C: No, he ignores her.
S: That is not a good idea, to ignore a goddess.
C: Yeah, but she was in trouble too, so it’s most likely fine.
S: So interesting that the stories are kind of intertwined! Okay, so there are two more stories left.
C: Yes, the sixth one is “The Story of the White Snake,” and this is one of the longest stories in the book. It has twelve parts. It is about two snakes or snake spirits, one who wants to see humans and their world, and another one who wants to complete their training in immortality. But they do go into the human world and the first snake spirit falls in love with a human. And then it all goes wrong.
S: I remember this story! Here is the Wikipedia article about it in case our readers are curious to read more. I also remember we watched a Chinese opera about this legend!
C: Yes, that was also kind of different. Maybe we can put a link to that video, too.
S: Sure, why not? Here it is:
C: Thanks. It is very long. This video is only one part of two and it is already one and a half hours, but it will still give people an idea of the story.
S: And also they will get an idea of what classical Chinese opera is like, if they don’t already know.
C: Yeah, that is a good point. Anyways the last story is “The Heavenly River” and it is also one of the shorter stories. It is about a cowherd who is treated badly by his sister-in-law. When he comes into some money, she wants some of it, and he doesn’t want to give any money, so he asks some gods and goddesses for guidance. He meets a weaver girl, who is not just a girl but maybe a deity herself. When they try to run away from their duties, they are separated and sent to the two opposite sides of the Milky Way. They can only see each other every seven years.
C: Well, they can also just read this book! I mean it is really a neat book. And it has really cool illustrations on each page. And if you really want, there are notes in the back about each story, so curious bunnies could learn even more about them.
S: Yes, of course. Our readers can just read this book! It seems like you really enjoyed it. This is one of our longest reviews so far!
C: Yup, I did like it and there was a lot to talk about. A lot of interesting stories that I had not heard before.
S: This sounds like a good place to end this post then, upbeat and enthusiastic.
C: Yup, I agree.
S: So what do you want to tell our readers?
C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!
Caramel enjoyed reading Chinese Myths and Legends: The Monkey King and Other Adventures by Shelley Fu and Patrick Yee and recommends it to other young bunnies interested in learning about the famous stories of people from around the world.
In the summer of 2024, Caramel read several books on Asian myths and legends. A few months ago he reviewed one of these books. Today he is talking to Sprinkles about another one: Tamamo the Fox Maiden and Other Asian Stories, edited by C. Spike Trotman, Kate Ashwin, and Kel McDonald, and published originally in 2016. The edition the book bunnies read is from the 2022 printing.
Caramel reviews Tamamo the Fox Maiden and Other Asian Stories, edited by C. Spike Trotman, Kate Ashwin, and Kel McDonald.
Sprinkles: So Caramel, you have a graphic-novel kind of a book for us today.
Caramel: Yes, kind of. It is not quite a graphic novel though. It has lots of different stories, not just one.
S: Yes, that is true, it is not quite a graphic novel, because it is not a novel. A novel is a long-form writing, and there is a well-developed story that goes on from the beginning to the end. This one has several short pieces.
C: Yes. There are about twenty-three different stories, of ten to twenty pages each. And they are from all over the world.
S: Well, not quite. Not from all over the world.
C: Okay, they are from all over Asia. There are stories from Japan, China, India, Georgia, Turkey, Laos, Myanmar, Tibet, and Iraq.
S: That is not all the world, but it is quite a lot of different places.
C: Yes, and each story is hand-drawn by a different artist, so it is pretty cool to see that. Every artist has their own style. They are all black and white, but you can definitely see the difference.
S: How cool, Caramel!
C: Yes, very cool!
Caramel is reading Tamamo the Fox Maiden and Other Asian Stories, edited by C. Spike Trotman, Kate Ashwin, and Kel McDonald.
S: So tell me a bit about the types of stories. The title of the book is Tamamo the Fox Maiden. So I am assuming there is a story in the book with that title.
C: Yup. It is a story from Japan. It is kind of weird but it is a classic folk tale apparently. Here is a version of it, but the version in the book is not quite the same.
S: It does not seem like it is your favorite then?
C: No not really.
S: So which story is your favorite?
C: I don’t know. I really liked “Ghost Pepper”, a story from Laos, adapted by Molly Nemecek. It is about this guy who likes cooking but his mom does not like spicy stuff. He finds a demon thing who likes his cooking and then he marries her. I like the artist’s style, amusing and very effective.
S: Oh that is neat Caramel. Any others?
C: “The Great Flood”, adapted by Stu Livingston, is also cool. It is a Chinese story, part of a myth that has been retold by many people apparently. I liked this one because it had a good moral.
S: And what was the moral?
C: The boy is hard-working and kind and generous, and not greedy. And in the end good things happen to him. So the story is saying, be kind, hard-working, and generous, and don’t be greedy.
S: I like that. Simple but valuable.
C: Yep.
S: I am glad you enjoyed this book Caramel.
C: Yes, I did! It is always cool to learn about the stories people from other places tell their children.
S: That is so true Caramel. But it is getting late now. I think this might be a good time to wrap up our review.
C: Yes, I already said all I wanted to say anyways.
S: Okay, then, let us stop. But before that you want to say one more thing to our readers, no?
C: Of course! Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!
Caramel enjoyed reading Tamamo the Fox Maiden and Other Asian Stories, edited by C. Spike Trotman, Kate Ashwin, and Kel McDonald, and learning about the folk tales of many cultures from around the world.
BookBunnies 