Caramel’s reviews – Page 9

Caramel reviews Chinese Myths and Legends: The Monkey King and Other Adventures by Shelley Fu and Patrick Yee

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.

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. — 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.

S: Hmm, a sad story. I think I found the relevant Wikipedia article here, in case anyone wants to read up about this story.

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. — 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.

Caramel reviews Tamamo the Fox Maiden and Other Asian Stories edited by C. Spike Trotman, Kate Ashwin, and Kel McDonald

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.

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. — 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. — 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.

Caramel reviews Flipping Brilliant by Jonathan Chester and Patrick Regan

Inspired by Marshmallow’s first book for the new season, Caramel decided to start his reviews with Flipping Brilliant: A Penguin’s Guide to a Happy Life, first published in 2008. The book brings together nature photographer Jonathan Chester’s images with accompanying text by Patrick Regan. As usual, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking followup questions.

Caramel reviews Flipping Brilliant: A Penguin's Guide to a Happy Life by Jonathan Chester and Patrick Regan. — Caramel reviews *Flipping Brilliant: A Penguin’s Guide to a Happy Life* by Jonathan Chester and Patrick Regan.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, I am glad you chose to talk about this book today, even though it may not be completely targeting a young audience.

Caramel: Yes, Marshmallow talked about an advice book, so I thought this would work well to follow it. And also because it is a really short book. Only fifty-nine pages!

S: That is short! And actually the book does not have much text in it.

C: Yep. Basically 39 out of 59 are all just photos of penguins.

S: Did you just count that?

C: No. But I am approximating. A lot of the pages are full of penguin photos and there are some words sprinkled here and there that match them.

S: I see. So there are some cool photos by the photographer, Jonathan Chester, and then the other person, Patrick Regan adds some pithy statement to each photo that makes sense.

C: Yes for example one of my favorites is a photo of four penguins walking in a line. This is on page 57. They look really funny. They look like the Beatles. Remember how they were crossing the street?

S: Yes, here it is:

Image from Beatles album Abbey Road, obtained from Wikipedia, under fair use conditions.

C: Yes, so the four penguins look just like that! And the words next to the penguins say:

“Be an original. There have been countless imitators, but there is a reason the Beatles will never be forgotten. Find your own road.”

S: That is cool Caramel!

C: Yes I agree!

Caramel is reading Flipping Brilliant: A Penguin's Guide to a Happy Life by Jonathan Chester and Patrick Regan. — Caramel is reading *Flipping Brilliant: A Penguin’s Guide to a Happy Life* by Jonathan Chester and Patrick Regan.

S: I think there are some notes about each of the photos in the back of the book. Right?

C: Yep. For my four penguins it says: “King penguins, Falkland Islands. King penguins, true to their name, comport themselves in a regal fashion. Their stateliness, beautiful mating ritual, and gregariousness make them a delight to observe.”

S: That is neat! So you get to learn the type of penguin in the picture and also where the photo was actually taken.

C: Yes. And a little fact about the penguins too. And you know I love my facts!

S: I do! But when I first saw you read this book, I thought it was going to be something like Penguins Hate Stuff, which you reviewed a long time ago.

C: Yeah, that was a good book, too. But that was mostly funny. And the images were hand-drawn. Here the images are real, and the words say meaningful stuff. But of course I can laugh at them too. For example, there is one which says “It’s better to be smart than cute. (And best to be both.)” And that is kind of funny!

S: But it is also true. You are both smart and cute. So it applies to you!

C: Hmm, I don’t know how to respond to that without sounding too full of myself or too humble.

S: Okay, you do not have to say anything.

C: Okay, so maybe we can say we are done with the post?

S: Sure. Let us wrap it up then. What would you like to say to our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel enjoyed reading Flipping Brilliant: A Penguin's Guide to a Happy Life by Jonathan Chester and Patrick Regan and recommends it to all little bunnies who love penguins. (After all, penguins are among the cutest animals, besides bunnies.) — Caramel enjoyed reading *Flipping Brilliant: A Penguin’s Guide to a Happy Life* by Jonathan Chester and Patrick Regan and recommends it to all little bunnies who love penguins. (After all, penguins are among the cutest animals, besides bunnies.)

Caramel reviews Ingo by Helen Dunmore

As his last review before the book bunnies take off for the summer, Caramel chose Ingo by Helen Dunmore, originally published in 2005. As usual, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, as we are getting ready to take off for the summer, you chose to talk about a book about the ocean.

Caramel: Yes. Ingo is about the ocean, that is true. But it is also about a lot more.

S: Tell me.

C: It is about a girl named Sapphire. Her father “mysteriously vanishes into the waves off the Cornwall coast where her family has always lived.” At least that is what the back of the book says.

S: Hmm, I thought you read the book.

C: I did. I thought it would be quicker to use the book’s own summary.

S: I guess that makes sense. But so her father disappears into the waves, does that mean he goes off swimming and does not come back?

C: Yes, almost. He goes sailing and does not come back. But before he disappears, he tells Sapphire about these people of the sea called the mer.

S: Like mermaids?

C: Yes, but they are called the mer, and they hate being called mermaids. They think the humans’ way of thinking about mermaids is silly.

S: That is interesting. I think there were some wild merpeople in one of the Harry Potter books.

C: Yeah I think you are right. In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, there were merpeople too. But those were kind of vicious and almost evil. These mer are a lot less vicious and evil.

S: There were also some mer people in another book, one that you read, I think?

C: Oh yes. There were some mer people and even some selkies in The Menagerie: Krakens and Lies! Those books were cool!

Caramel is reading Ingo by Helen Dunmore. — Caramel is reading *Ingo* by Helen Dunmore.

S: So does Sapphire meet the mer?

C: Yes. She goes looking for her dad and meets some mer. Before that, her brother Conor disappears for hours and does not remember what happened, or so he claims. It turns out that he was meeting with the mer. Conor and Sapphire make friends with two mer children, Faro and Elvira, who help them when some people get into trouble.

S: So the book is about Sapphire discovering the world of the mer and maybe finding her dad?

C: Well, she does not find her dad in this book. Apparently there are four other books after this one, and maybe she will find him, but in this book, she does learn about the mer and their world. It is called Ingo.

S: Oh, that is why the book is titled Ingo!

C: Yup. Ingo is the name of the underwater world that the mer live in.

S: That is interesting Caramel. So did you enjoy this book?

C: Yes. I even want to read the next four books.

S: I see. That is a good sign.

C: Yep, I’d say so!

S: Okay, so would you recommend this book to other young bunnies?

C: Yes! It is fun to imagine other worlds under the sea!

S: Cool! Okay, maybe this is a good time to wrap up this review, which is your last one before our summer break. What would you like to tell our readers Caramel?

C: Have a great summer and stay tuned for more book bunny reviews! We will be back in August with new books!

Caramel enjoyed reading Ingo by Helen Dunmore and recommends it to all little bunnies looking for an intriguing summer read. — Caramel enjoyed reading *Ingo* by Helen Dunmore and recommends it to all little bunnies looking for an intriguing summer read.