Many of the stories were hard to follow because of the repeating of certain names (Nu Wa appears twice and Ching Chi thrice as different people), name parts (Ah, Mei, Ching, Fu, Wu, Lang, Ting....) and words that I am sure are not really Chinese at all. And yet told one at a time these stories might have worked read aloud with small details changed. I do like the inclusion of Chinese words and I do ap. Shen of the Sea: Chinese Stories for Children is a delightful little book of folk tales, something that I think Tales from Silver Lands tried to be and failed. So the Shen, the demons of the sea, got them together and took thought. Full of superstition, dragons, demons (aka Shen), witches, and naughty childr. It's one that I could not get into and avoided going back to. I wish I could tell you what kept me on the edge of my seat. [Arthur Bowie Chrisman; Juvenile Collection (Library of Congress)] -- Sixteen original stories reflecting the spirit of Chinese life and thought. Grades. Shen of the Sea is a collection of short stories written by Arthur Bowie Chrisman. Shen of the Sea H Hamilton, Hardcover, 1969; Shen of The Sea : Chinese Stories for Children Dutton Juvenile, Library Binding, 1968; SHEN OF THE SEA: Ah Mee's Invention; How Wise Were the Old Men; Chop-Sticks; Buy Shen of the Sea is a collection of short stories written by Arthur Bowie Chrisman. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Title: Shen of the Sea Author: Arthur Bowie Chrisman Copywrite: 1925 Condition: As shown in photographs You will receive the actual book Shen of the Sea: Chinese Stories for Children is a delightful little book of folk tales, something that I think Tales from Silver Lands tried to be and failed. I read this for my 2018 Reading Challenge and my Newbery Challenge. The original title page shows subtitle A Book for Children[1] and one early dustjacket shows Chinese Stories for Children. The title story tells of a king who tries to match wits with the demons of the water in order to save his city from a flood. Chrisman's 16 original stories are written in the style of humorous Chinese folk tales. Are the stories funny? I am conflicted. It was first published by Dutton in 1925, illustrated with more than 50 silhouettes by Else Hasselriis. These action-filled stories express ancient Oriental philosophies and culture, and offer descriptions of pagodas and paper-covered windows, brocade tapestries and lacquered sedans, Chinese medicines and foods, and the constant fear of "death by beheading." It's important to remember when reading some of these older books that weren't offensive at the time and our sensibilities are more enlightened now. I read this as part of my quest to read all the Newbery Medal winners sometime before I die. As it was I renewed it 3-4 times. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. 1793 Ratings. It's a little hard for me to judge this one since I read it right after reading the previous Newbery winner, which is another collection of tales. Chrisman won the 1926 Newbery Medal for the work, recognizing the previous year's "most distinguished contribution to American literature for children". Advanced embedding details, examples, and help! Arthur Bowie Chrisman was a famous storyteller and collector of tales in the early part of the twentieth century, which is why the stories collected in. Shen of The Sea : Chinese Stories for Children Library Binding – Illustrated, October 30, 1968. by. Fiction. Chrisman's original stories are written in the style of humorous Chinese folk tales. Most of them about stupid people who somehow, through their ineptness, invented things the Chinese are famous for such as tea, kites, and china dishes. Full of superstition, dragons, demons (aka Shen), witches, and naughty children, these stories can still be a hit if you just read them out loud with the right inflection to wide-eyed children. This one was nowhere near as impressive as the other one. The first thing to understand is that this is probably not a book that could be written today, and it's certainly not a book that could be published today. I eventually fell asleep while reading this book and never picked it up again. There’s some sort of moral attached to each one, but not in any obtrusive way as in Aesop’s Fables. I reviewed Shen of the Sea, my fifth Newbery medal-winning book, last Monday. . This book of stories was good enough that I finished it, but I didn't think it stood up all that well in comparison with Tales from Silver Lands, the previous year's Newbery Award winner. I stopped reading this book after about 1 and a half stories. It’s just that it claims to be a collection of “Chinese stories,” but from what I can tell these stories have almost no basis in Chinese folklore. Shen of the sea by Arthur Bowie Chrisman, 1968, E. P. Dutton & Co. edition, Paperback in English No_Favorite. [Arthur Bowie Chrisman; Juvenile Collection (Library of Congress)] -- Sixteen original stories reflecting the spirit of Chinese life … Winner Rank: WIN. But my deepest response and strongest attachment derive not from the content of the book but from its form. no ghastly Ting A Ling for a name. This one was nowhere near as impressive as the other one. And the Newbery Winner read/re-read continues. But presenting it as authentic Chinese folktales to children today would be a misrepresentation. At best Shaggy Dog stories. Be the first to ask a question about Shen of the Sea. Shen of the Sea by Arthur Bowie Chrisman. This is one of the more readable and entertaining Newbery winners of its period. Get this from a library! Title: Shen of the sea : a book for children: Author: Author: Arthur Bowie Chrisman 1889-1953.: The book was written by an American in the mid 1920s. It was hailed at the time as "authentic" but cultural authenticity is regarded a little differently today. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Shen of the Sea : Chinese Stories for the Children by Arthur B. Chrisman and Arthur Bowie Chrisman (1968, Hardcover) at the best online prices at eBay! No_Favorite. Hopefully. Chrisman won the 1926 Newbery Medal for the work, recognizing the previous years most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of. Is it a product of the 1920s full of cultural appropriation and imperialism? At best Shaggy Dog stories. It's important to remember when reading some of these older books that weren't offensive at the time and our sensibilities are more enlightened now. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Many of these stories explain how the first something was created, so they are like creation myths, only most stories don't explain how an element of nature arose, instead how a man-made thing came about. Many of these stories explain how the first something was created, so they are like creation myths, only most stories don't explain how an element of nature arose, instead how a man-made thing came about. And besides the dumb names which were clearly chosen to amuse someone by their play on language for English, they also got details about pretty much everything wrong for China. About Arthur Bowie Chrisman. As a folklorist I am deeply disappointed in this book and I would be hard pressed to recommend it to any child today. Smoky is up next. share. These tales were made up for a Western/American audience to explain the origins of various items: the printing press, chop-sticks, gunpowder, tea, porcelain, and kites. It was first published by Dutton in 1925, illustrated with more than 50 silhouettes by Else Hasselriis. EMBED (for wordpress.com hosted blogs and archive.org item tags) Want more? It’s an interesting pattern to note, but it also has a clear historical precedent. To see what your friends thought of this book, Shen of the Sea: Chinese Stories for Children. I should have realized it would not stand up to such works written by Chinese authors. Some were mildly entertaining). Shen of the Sea is a collection of short stories by Arthur Bowie Chrisman that won the Newbery Medal in 1926. Welcome back. A series of fascinating Chinese stories, strong in humor and rich in Chinese wisdom, in which the author has caught admirably the spirit of Chinese life and thought. On every side the land held it back, and it was retarded and had no freedom of motion. I might recommend this book, it just wasn't for me. I added a star to my rating after one of my students declared, "It wasn't awful. Each folk tale embodies its own humor and cleverness—none of them are straightforward or predictable. I read this as part of my quest to read all the Newbery Medal winners sometime before I die. I love the humor in … Anyway, this one is a product of its time. Shen of the Sea is a collection of sixteen lighthearted and humorous Chinese folktales. The title story tells of a king who tries to match wits with the demons of the water in order to save his city from a flood. This is one of the more readable and entertaining Newbery winners of its period. A book of unauthentic Chinese folktales told in such a way to make fun of the culture. no ghastly Ting A Ling for a name. I should have realized it would not stand up to su. Chrisman never went to China and probably never spoke to anyone Chinese. Shen of the sea by Arthur Bowie Chrisman, 1968, E. P. Dutton & Co. edition, Hardcover in English Blah. This item: Shen of The Sea : Chinese Stories for Children by Arthur Bowie Chrisman (1968-10-30) by Arthur Bowie Chrisman Library Binding $28.81 Only 1 left in stock - … Sweet Ladies! share. It was first published by Dutton in 1925, illustrated with more than 50 silhouettes by Else Hasselriis. Many of the stories were hard to follow because of the repeating of certain names (Nu Wa appears twice and Ching Chi thrice as different people), name parts (Ah, Mei, Ching, Fu, Wu, Lang, Ting....) and words that I am sure are not really Chinese at all. What role do these play in the lives of the characters? This one's very deserving of the Newbery Medal, and I'm glad it's still in print. Another early one, and not a good one. I know nothing about their accuracy or whether this book is racist/stereotypical, though. I'm glad I didn't give up but I will also not recommend it to any readers (unless s/he is participating in the reading challenge ~ then I'd have to say, some of the stories are not terrible. The stories in Shen of the Sea make frequent reference to luck, fortune, astrology, and fate. This 1926 Newbery winner is a collection of 16 Chinese tales. This article is within the scope of WikiProject Novels, an attempt to build a comprehensive and detailed guide to novels, novellas, novelettes and short stories on Wikipedia. I still enjoyed the read. Yes, at times, which is why the book gets a half star higher rating than "The Pigtail of Ah Lee Ben Lo". Another early one, and not a good one. Title: Shen of the sea : a book for children: Author: Author: Arthur Bowie Chrisman 1889-1953.: Year: 1925: Source: _empty_: Progress: Create a pagelist for the source file before commencing proofreading (to verify file is correct) A series of fascinating Chinese stories, strong in humor and rich in Chinese wisdom, in which the author has caught admirably the spirit of Chinese life and thought. It has the trappings of Chinese folklore but it is not Chinese folklore. Ironically, I didn't like the first story in, This collection of short Chinese traditional tales is timeless. Shen of the Sea is a collection of sixteen lighthearted and humorous Chinese folktales. Chrisman also includes some Anglicized Chinese phrases and words which may or may not be correct (shen/shin for demon and lung/long for dragon are two I recognize). I don’t know if children in 1926 liked it, but can say that for the 25 to 30 years, Shen of the Sea set on my classroom library shelves, not one student checked it out. And the Newbery Winner read/re-read continues. This book is perfect for displaying due to its beautiful cover and spine. First Sentence ""A shamelessly rainy day, my honorable brother Chi."" I'm a folk tale lover myself, so I loved this book. 3-5 Genre. Start by marking “Shen of the Sea: Chinese Stories for Children” as Want to Read: Error rating book. 2.5 stars. Advanced embedding details, examples, and help! Other stories are wisdom and/or morality tales about using cleverness to solve problems. Shen of the sea : a book for children. These are also very cute and absurd, merely in a different setting. I wish the cover of the book could be re-done. Shen of the Sea is a collection of short stories by Arthur Bowie Chrisman that won the Newbery Medal in 1926. on the go, reading one story every school day. It is a Western interpretation/appropriation of Chinese folklore. . A collection of stories that capture ancient Chinese wisdom and thought and enliven Chinese culture for the middle school reader. I wasn't in love with this book, but I did kind of enjoy reading it. It has the trappings of Chinese folklore but it is not Chinese folklore. EMBED. By Else Hasselriis, Arthur Bowie Chrisman. Of the five books recognized by the Newbery Award selection committee in 1925 and 1926, four of them were short story collections, including back-to-back winners Tales from Silver Lands and Shen of the Sea.It’s an interesting pattern to note, but it also has a clear historical precedent. Undated title pages of three Dutton editions, displayed at Google Books (books.google.com), show the former subtitle reported as 1925 and 1958, the latter reported as 1968. And the sea was much higher in those days, for then there were no heavy ships to weigh it down, and flatten it. It's about as authentic as "The Mikado" (also regarded as "authentic" at the time). And yet told one at a time these stor. I have trouble trusting that these are accurate folktales as there is no information in the book attesting to origins. Arthur Bowie Chrisman (Author) › Visit Amazon's Arthur Bowie Chrisman Page. October 30th 1968 Shen of The Sea : Chinese Stories for Children by Arthur Bowie Chrisman (1968-10-30) Library Binding – January 1, 1656. by. Shen of the Sea portrays a wide variety of Chinese characters. Shen of the sea : a book for children. And the tone of children's books from the 20s continues to be patronizing and irksome. Shen of the Sea is a collection of short stories written by Arthur Bowie Chrisman. So don't be looking for authentic Chinese folk tales here. Yes. The book was written by an American in the mid 1920s. I think perhaps Shen of the Sea could use a little light editing (such as Dr. Dolittle received) or at the very least a forward to clarify the author's use of another culture's bits of folklore to create new literary inventions. I do like the inclusion of Chinese words and I do appreciate, that for the time, it was big step forward in accepting and introducing other cultures to children. Seriously, the Newbery winners of the 1920s are making me despair for the children who were reading them. This is yet another early example of the librarians of the ALA trying to use the Newberys to reward cultural diversity and failing big time.Is it as bad as "The Pigtail of Ah Lee Ben Lo"? 224. by Arthur Bowie Chrisman, Else Hasselriis (Illustrator) Arthur Bowie Chrisman. It was fun to read, and quite humorous at times. Reason for Reading: Read aloud to my 9yo son. Free 2-day shipping. Published Ms. Hasselriss complements the stories with silhouette art. I'm finding myself feeling some of the same things I felt after I finished Tales from Silver Lands. Chrisman won the 1926 Newbery Medal for the work, recognizing the previous year's "most distinguished contribution to American literature for children". Hopefully. Both subtitles have been used for later editions.[2]. It is a Western interpretation/appropriation of Chinese folklore. I finally finished it; if it had been an ILL book I'd have forced myself to read it in 2 weeks. A book of unauthentic Chinese folktales told in such a way to make fun of the culture. This is yet another early example of the librarians of the ALA trying to use the Newberys to reward cultural diversity and failing big time.Is it as bad as "The Pigtail of Ah Lee Ben Lo"? Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by Project Gutenberg. This collection of short Chinese traditional tales is timeless. I finally finished it; if it had been an ILL book I'd have forced myself to read it in 2 weeks. We’d love your help. I found most of them boring and terribly silly. [1] Chrisman won the 1926 Newbery Medal for the work, recognizing the previous year's "most distinguished contribution to American literature for children". Winner Description: by Arthur Bowie Chrisman, and published by Dutton. shen of sea. It's about as authentic as "The Mikado" (also regarded as "authentic" at the time). My edition of Shen is illustrated by Else Hasselriss, a Danish artist who lived from 1878–1952. Shen of the Sea; Chinese Stories for Children; By: Arthur Bowie Chrisman; Narrated by: A. C. Fellner; Length: 4 hrs and 52 mins Unabridged Audiobook Yes. I think I would have liked it better if, like Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, the author had made clear that it was "inspired" by Chinese folklore though I'm not sure that distinction would have been one understood by the author or readers at that time period. 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