Xiao Mao

The small girl narrating this story for young readers declares: “I have a zoo with no walls or entry fees. It’s open to everyone.”

She and a young boy then take us on a tour of the “zoo,” showing us geese, frogs, sheep, dogs, oxen, birds, and other creatures inhabiting the world around them.

The main idea of the book of course is that “going to a zoo” is a matter of definition. For kids who feel they are denied cultural opportunities, the story may help them to see that a change in outlook can help.

An Afterword by renowned Chinese illustrator Liang Peilong explains that he employed a unique form of Chinese painting created from the interaction of water and ink. In Chinese ink wash painting, the artist tries to capture the internal reality of an object rather than its objective appearance. The resulting images challenge Western dogma about methods of representation; even time and space itself are approached entirely differently. Although the medium uses a limited palette, the artwork is mesmerizing.

The book is bilingual, but there is no guide to the Chinese characters beyond the English equivalent on the pages. Nevertheless, it may get children interested in learning more about different languages.

Discussion: No one familiar with what a goose looks like will be unable to identify the goose painted in this book, and yet it’s hard to articulate just how you know. The book provides an excellent example of how non-representational art can successfully portray everything from objects to emotions.

Teachers could have students try Chinese ink wash for themselves. Children who could never master a fidelity to reality in art can gain confidence by seeing how different techniques and perspectives can create pleasing images that capture the spirit of their subjects.

Adults can also explore with readers the contrast between alphabetic languages - like English - and logographic systems, like Chinese. Written Chinese uses characters that may represent objects, concepts, or even indications of pronunciation. Some words are made up of multiple characters. For example, to write “volcano” you would write the characters for fire and for mountain. Thus reading Chinese requires the memorization of much more than does the modern English alphabet, made up of only 26 letters; the average Chinese person needs to know between 1,500 and 2,000 characters to be considered fluent. This has an effect on everything from education to receptivity to global influences. There is so much to discuss just from this one little book!

Evaluation: With enhancements by parents or teachers, this lovely book has a lot to offer. But even by itself, the story is a wonderful one and the pictures are entrancing.… (plus d'informations)