Error loading page.
Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading.
Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help.

The Story of Kites

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

Learn how the three fun-loving Kang brothers created kites, one of China's most famous inventions! This colorfully redesigned edition features a new bilingual Chinese translation.
The three playful and creative Kang brothers (Ting, Pan, and Kùai) discovered four of China's most famous discoveries in the series Amazing Chinese Inventions. the brothers need to protect the rice harvest from the birds. Nothing works!
Then the boys get an idea: if they made wings, they could fly drive the birds from their rice fields! Using paper, straw, and feathers, the boys experiment with flying many different things, including themselves! What else can they create which will get the job done and be fun to fly at the same time? The story features an author's note on the history of kites and instructions for making your own kite.

This fanciful blend of fact and imagination brings Asian culture alive for young readers. Children will enjoy the bright and bold artwork, created in the traditional Chinese style of hand cut, colored paper. Parents will enjoy the ingenuity of the main characters who teach adults a thing or two about inventiveness.
Teachers and librarians like the storybook's historical references and how it features a bilingual translation in simplified Chinese - ideal for language classes, programs, and schools.
"Written to appeal to children in primary grades, the exciting story of the invention of kites is told in both English and Chinese/Mandarin narratives, with exciting, vibrant woodcut-style illustrations and brilliant primary colors."
- Midwest Book Review

  • Creators

  • Series

  • Publisher

  • Release date

  • Formats

  • Languages

  • Levels

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      January 1, 2003
      Fresh from creating noodles and chopsticks (The Story of Noodles; The Story of Chopsticks), the inventive Kang brothers take to the air in The Story of Kites by Ying Chang Compestine, illus. by YongSheng Xuan. The three boys, weary of chasing birds away from their family's rice fields, experiment with ways to fly and instead come up with one of the most popular inventions of ancient China. Traditional cut-paper art puts the wind in the sails of this charming story, appended with kite-making instructions. .

    • School Library Journal

      May 1, 2016

      Gr 1-3-Originally published in the early 2000s, these amusing fictional "origin stories" for four ancient Chinese inventions are reissued in a handsome duo-lingual edition. Set against a nondescript "long ago" China, the tales are not meant to be historically accurate. Instead, they are to encourage curiosity about the famous inventions, demonstrating how necessity could have inspired someone to create solutions to daily inconveniences. The three spirited and playful Kang brothers take young readers on four lighthearted journeys, getting into scrapes, finding ingenious ways to get themselves out of trouble, and each time "accidentally inventing" one of the most well-known Chinese cultural objects along the way. The elegantly colorful cut paper-style illustrations are perfect echoes to a Chinese folk art form. Each book features an author's note with an explanation of the title invention's origin and cultural significance, as well as a text-relevant project. The translation team did top-notch work in transforming the stories into highly readable and sophisticated Chinese texts. Since there are no phonetic markings (pinyin) or glossary for the Chinese characters and expressions, the Chinese text is best suited for fluent native readers. An advanced Chinese learner could also handle most of the text but might find it a struggle to look up some of the less familiar phrases.

      Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • The Horn Book

      July 1, 2016
      In bilingual editions of these original tales (Chinese texts not evaluated), the clever Kang brothers tackle various challenges: eating hot food (Chopsticks), scaring birds from their rice fields (Kites), salvaging their mother's botched cooking-contest entry (Noodles), and saving face at school (Paper). Bold images, reminiscent of traditional Chinese cut-paper designs, illustrate the tales. An author's note provides brief history of each invention. Recipe/activity appended.

      (Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Formats

  • Kindle Book
  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • Lexile® Measure:550
  • Text Difficulty:2-3

Loading