Author(s): Ying Chang Compestine

Picture Books: Languages

Learn how the three fun-loving Kang brothers created paper, 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 boys' teacher catches them playing at school and writes embarrassing notes on their brothers' hands which they must display for everyone (including their parents) to see. The Kang boys don't want their teacher to write embarrassing notes on their hands anymore. If only the teacher could write on something smaller and more private. Can the Kangs concoct a formula for what just may become a very useful school supply? The story features an author's note on the history of paper and instructions for creating homemade paper. 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 Teachers and librarians like the storybook's historical references and how it features a bilingual translation in simplified Chinese - ideal for language classes, programs, and schools. "The ingenious Kang brothers, seen last in The Story of Kites, return for another entrepreneurial adventure." - ALA Booklist