[AUDIOBOOK REVIEW] Rabbit Ears Treasury of Fairy Tales and Other Stories: Thumbelina, The Talking Eggs, The Fisherman and His Wife, The Emperor and the Nightingale

Title:  Rabbit Ears Treasury of Fairy Tales and Other Stories: Thumbelina, the Talking Eggs, The Fisherman and His Wife, the Emperor and the Nightingale

Author:  Rabbit Ears

Genre:  China / Fairy Tale / Folktale / Magic / Animals

Year Published: 2006

Year Read: 2009

Series: Rabbit Ears Treasury

Publisher:  Listening Library (Audio)

Source:  Purchased

Content Rating:  Ages 5+ (Some Rude Behavior and Intense Moments)

Buy or Add on:  Amazon  //  Goodreads

When I first heard that Rabbit Ears was finally releasing their classic stories on audio CDs, I was so excited and happy because not only will I have the pleasure of listening to these fantastic classics over and over again, but now everyone will have a chance to listen to this fantastic series! “Rabbit Ears Treasury of Fairy Tales” is an audio cd that is full of various fairy tales created by Rabbit Ears and with a vast array of famous celebrities along with engaging music for each story, this audio cd is a delightful treat for both children and adults!

Since I have reviewed half of these stories already, I am just going to briefly summarize each story on this audio cd:

The Fisherman and his Wife
Told by: Jodie Foster
Music by: Van Dyke Parks
In this Brothers Grimm tale, a meek fisherman stumbles upon a magical flounder who promises the poor fisherman that he will grant him several wishes if he frees him. When the Fisherman told his wife about this, his wife suddenly gets greedy and she starts wishing like crazy.

The Talking Eggs
Told by: Sissy Spacek
Music by: Micheal Doucet dit Beausoleil
A kind girl named Blanchett learns about the importance of being kind towards other and how it brings its own rewards.

Thumbelina
Told by: Kelly McGillis
Music by: Mark Isham
A tiny little girl named Thumbelina, who is no bigger than a thumb goes on a wild adventure in the outside world that changes her life forever.

The Emperor and the Nightingale
Told by: Glenn Close
Music by: Mark Isham
An Emperor learns about the importance of the real thing when the real nightingale has to save the Emperor from a horrible fate.

Oh my goodness!! Never would I have thought that I would enjoy this series now as much as I did as a child! Every narrator on this audio CD has greatly contributed enough excitement and tenderness to each of these stories that will have any child and adult listening to this series over and over again! Out of all four of these stories presented in this audio cd, my favorites were “The Talking Eggs” and “The Emperor and the Nightingale.” In “The Talking Eggs” Sissy Spacek has indeed done an excellent job at narrating this story as she provides a Southern flair to the story and actually puts so much emotion in her narration whenever she is enacting a character yelling or being soft-hearted. Micheal Doucet dit Beausoleil’s music is clearly catchy and inspiring as it has a slight country theme that will have many children toe-tapping to the music until the very end of the story! In “The Emperor and the Nightingale,” Glenn Close does a splendid job at narrating this story as she sounds extremely tender and soothing and Mark Isham’s music provides a magnificent presentation of Chinese inspired music that will have everyone be mesmerized by the music.

The only problem I had with this audio CD was that it did not come with a book or in this case, books, to accompany each story. For anyone who has grown up with the Rabbit Ears series since they were children might possibly be disappointed in not receiving a book to go with each story. However, because the celebrities’ narrations are so effective and creative, this audio cd is still a treat to listen to. 

Overall “Rabbit Ears Treasury of Fairy Tales” is a fantastic audio cd for both children and adults who love reading old classics and fairytales and will be an instant treat for many years!

You might also like:

• Rabbit Ears Treasury of Animal Stories: How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin, How the Game Got His Hump, How the Leopard Got His Spots, The Monkey People

• Rabbit Ears Treasury of World Tales Volume 2: The White Cat and the Fool and the Flying Ship
• Rabbit Ears Treasury of World Tales Volume 3: The Bremen Town Musicians and Koi and the Kola Nuts

[BOOK REVIEW] Tikki Tikki Tembo by Arlene Mosel

Title:  Tikki Tikki Tembo

Author:  Arlene Mosel

Artist:  Blair Lent

Genre:  China / Family / Drama / Parental Favoritism

Year Published: 1968

Year Read:  1993

Publisher:  Holt, Rinehart and Winston

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 5+ (Some Intense Scenes and themes of Child Mistreatment)

Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository 

I actually first heart of this book on a Weston Woods video and I really enjoyed this story!  “Tikki Tikki Tembo” is an old Chinese folktale retold by Arlene Mosel along with illustrations by Blair Lent and it is about how a young boy named Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruche-pip peri pembo (what a name!) gets into big trouble because of his long name.  “Tikki Tikki Tembo” is certainly a great book for children who are fans of Chinese folklore!

I have always found this book extremely interesting to read, especially about the part where the first sons are given long and extravagant names, while the second sons are always given short names in Ancient China.  Arlene Mosel has done an excellent job at retelling this ancient Chinese folktale as the story is cute and somewhat intense at the same time.  I really loved the way that Arlene Mosel repeats Tikki tikki tembo’s long name (Tikki tikki tembo – no sa rembo -  chari bari ruchi – pip peri pembo) over and over again in the book since it is a huge tongue twister to say fast!  I also loved the close relationship between Tikki tikki tembo and his brother Chang as they loved to play with each other all the time and they are always willing to help each other out during their time of need.  Blair Lent’s illustrations are simplistic since there are only yellow, blue, white, black, grey and green colors on each page, but the illustrations still make the story entertaining to read, especially as they capture the true essence of Ancient China and it was also interesting to see a big contrast in clothing between Tikki tikki tembo and Chang as Tikki tikki tembo is dressed in a blue royal looking outfit while Chang is always dressed in a yellow country styled outfit, which indicates to the audience about the importance of their names.

The reason why I gave this book a four star rating instead of a five star rating is because of the way that Chang was treated in this book.  Since Chang is the second born son of the family, his mother never really noticed him and they also seemed to lack any concern for when Chang fell into the well.  Also, near the end of the story, it was unclear whether Chang was treated any better after the incident in the well.  I usually do not approve of children being treated less kindly than their older or younger siblings, so this was a big issue for me in this book.  Also, some children might feel like that their parents are paying more to their younger or older sibling and that might upset them, so parents should tell their children that they will always love all of their children equally.

All in all, “Tikki Tikki Tembo” is a great book for fans of Chinese folklore and for children who enjoy reading about some good sibling bonding!  I would recommend this book to children ages five and up since the scenes where the boys fall into the well might be too intense for smaller children.

* 1968 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Picture Book

 You might also like: 

• The Story About Ping by Marjorie Flack and Kurt Wiese

• Lon Po Po by Ed Young

• Yeh-Shen: A Cinderella Story from China by Ai-Ling Louie

[BOOK REVIEW] The Story About Ping by Marjorie Flack and Kurt Wiese

Title:  The Story About Ping

Author:  Marjorie Flack

Artist:  Kurt Wiese

Genre:  Animals / China / Family / Runaway

Year Published: 1933

Year Read:  1993

Publisher:   Grosset & Dunlap       

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 5+ (Themes of Family Separation)

Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository 

I actually first heard about his story years ago on a Weston Woods video.  “The Story of Ping” is a Chinese story by Marjorie Flack and Kurt Wiese about how a young and beautiful duck named Ping gets lost in the Yangtze River after he tries to avoid punishment of being late.  “The Story of Ping” is a cute story about showing the consequences of disobedience and the importance of family that children cannot resist!

Once there lived a beautiful young yellow duck named Ping who lived with his mother, his father, his two sisters, his three brothers, his eleven aunts, his seven uncles and his forty-two cousins in the wise-eyed boat on the Yangtze River.  Every morning, the duck family would hunt for snails and fishes to eat, but in the evening, the master of the boat calls the duck family back to the boat and the last duck coming to the boat will be spanked.  One afternoon however, Ping did not hear the call from his master because he was underwater and when he finally swam towards the boat, the last of his forty-two cousins crossed the bridge and Ping did not want to be spanked, so he hid in the grasses until the next morning and he set out into the Yangtze River to find his family.

This is one of those books that remind me about why I love reading about folktales from different cultures!  Marjorie Flack and Kurt Wiese made a great team in both illustrating and writing this book!  Marjorie Flack did a great job at pointing out the messages of this book about how being disobedient can get you into trouble and the importance of family as Ping traveled the river by himself to find his family.  I also loved the Chinese influence that Marjorie Flack brought to the story as it made the story even more magical to read since it is like placing yourself in a faraway land!  I also loved the way that Marjorie Flack made Ping into a brave little duck as he was tried to find his family by himself and faced dangerous obstacles by himself and children will be rooting for him throughout the book.  Kurt Wiese’s illustrations are just simply beautiful, especially of the image of Ping himself as he is the only yellow duck in his entire family, which makes him truly stand out from all the other ducks.  The images that I really enjoyed in this book were the images of Ping swimming in the river and you can see Ping’s beautiful reflection in the water.

Parents should know that this book focuses on Ping being separated from his family, so smaller children might be upset about Ping going out into the river by himself with danger lurking everywhere.  Parents might want to read this book first to see if their children can handle Ping’s situation.

All in all, “The Story about Ping” is a fantastic book about the importance of family that many children will easily enjoy and learn from.  I would recommend this book to children ages five and up since the scene of Ping being separated from his family might scare smaller children.    

[BOOK REVIEW] Ruby's Wish by Shirin Yim Bridges

Title:  Ruby's Wish

Author:  Shirin Yim Bridges

Artist:  Sophie Blackall

Genre:  Family / China / School / Independence

Year Published:2002

Year Read:  2015

Publisher: Chronicle Books         

Source:  Library   

Content Rating:  Ages 4+  (Themes of Sexism)

Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository 

I have read many children’s books that take place in China, but I had read a children’s book that is as inspirational and heartwarming as “Ruby’s Wish!”  “Ruby’s Wish” is an Ezra Jack Keats award winning children’s book by Shirin Yim Bridges along with illustrations by Sophie Blackall that is a heartwarming experience that the whole family would relive over and over again!

In ancient China, there lived an old man who had an enormous family of over one hundred children and out of all of the children, there was a little girl named Ruby who was the most unique out of all the children, as she is always shown wearing a red outfit for any occasion due to the fact that red is her favorite color.  Back during those times, even though all of Ruby’s grandfather’s children were able to attend school, only the boys were allowed to learn how to read and write, while the girls were only allowed to learn how to cook and keep house for their future husbands.  Ruby, however, has managed to obtain a special talent in learning calligraphy and she desperately wishes to go to a university instead of getting married.

Will Ruby be able to attend the university just like she always wanted?

Read this book to find out!

Wow! This book was simply amazing and brilliant!  I never would have thought that I would read a children’s book that really stresses the importance of education while also teaching children about the importance of equality in the school system.  Shirin Yim Bridges did a brilliant job at writing this book as Ruby is shown as being a gentle yet independent girl whose only desire is to attend a university just like her male cousins, despite the fact that she was not allowed to attend university due to her gender.  I loved how Shirin Yim Bridges was able to tackle such a tough subject such as how women were not allowed to attend schools while men were and gave us a protagonist who was determined to break the norms of society to get want she truly desires and that made me really root for Ruby throughout the entire story since I believe that education is extremely important to anyone and everyone should have the opportunity to obtain a good education for themselves.  Sophie Blackall’s artwork is truly amazing to look at as we get to see how ancient China looked like and I really loved the exotic clothing worn by each character, especially by Ruby who is constantly seen in a different variety of red clothing.

Overall, “Ruby’s Wish” is a truly beautiful and inspiring book that teaches children to stand up for what they believe in and expresses the importance of a good education for everyone.  I would recommend this book to children ages four and up since there is nothing inappropriate in this book.

 * 2003 Ezra Jack Keats Book Award for New Writer and New Illustrator