I'm finding myself feeling some of the same things I felt after I finished Tales from Silver Lands. . Title: Shen of the Sea Author: Arthur Bowie Chrisman Copywrite: 1925 Condition: As shown in photographs You will receive the actual book 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. I've finally finished this Newbery Medal winning book. What role do these play in the lives of the characters? share. Two books of short stories completed for the year. Really this book is 2.5 stars, but I decided to be nice and round up. But presenting it as authentic Chinese folktales to children today would be a misrepresentation. On every side the land held it back, and it was retarded and had no freedom of motion. Dutton & Co. Shen of The Sea: Chinese Stories for Children. ", Ghastly in its cultural appropriation, but not nearly as offensive and as poorly written as, As a folklorist I am deeply disappointed in this book and I would be hard pressed to recommend it to any child today. 1793 Ratings. Shen of the Sea is a collection of sixteen lighthearted and humorous Chinese folktales. The original title page shows subtitle A Book for Children[1] and one early dustjacket shows Chinese Stories for Children. 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 But my deepest response and strongest attachment derive not from the content of the book but from its form. Shen of the Sea Chinese Stories for Children This edition was published in 1968 by E. P. Dutton & Co. in New York, NY. Chrisman never went to China and probably nev. 2.5 stars. Shen of the Sea is a collection of short stories by Arthur Bowie Chrisman that won the Newbery Medal in 1926. Refresh and try again. Hopefully. Arthur Bowie Chrisman (Author) › Visit Amazon's Arthur Bowie Chrisman Page. Welcome back. It was fun to read, and quite humorous at times. Free shipping for many products! Words fail me. Shen of the Sea is a collection of well-written and great folktales. It's about as authentic as "The Mikado" (also regarded as "authentic" at the time). As it was I renewed it 3-4 times. 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! As a folklorist I am deeply disappointed in this book and I would be hard pressed to recommend it to any child today. We’d love your help. I added a star to my rating after one of my students declared, "It wasn't awful. I read this as part of my quest to read all the Newbery Medal winners sometime before I die. Yes. Other stories are wisdom and/or morality tales about using cleverness to solve problems. I found most of them boring and terribly silly. It's taking me that long. I stopped reading this book after about 1 and a half stories. I read this for my 2018 Reading Challenge and my Newbery Challenge. 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) Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Smoky is up next. These beautiful stories deserve more contemporary artwork to entice our visually-saturated young eyes. There were some that held my attention for a bit, but most of them were just a slog. Shen of the Sea by Arthur Bowie Chrisman. shen of sea. At best Shaggy Dog stories. Free 2-day shipping. No_Favorite. 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. 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. And the Newbery Winner read/re-read continues. 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. Full of superstition, dragons, demons (aka Shen), witches, and naughty childr. Arthur Bowie Chrisman (Author) › Visit Amazon's Arthur Bowie Chrisman Page. The sea was very high then-a-days, far too high for its breadth. Editions. And yet told one at a time these stories might have worked read aloud with small details changed. Shen of the Sea: Chinese Stories for Children (published in 1925 and reprinted in 1968 by E. P. Dutton and Co. Inc., a division of Penguin Young Readers Group, New York City, NY). So the Shen, the demons of the sea, got them together and took thought. Both subtitles have been used for later editions.[2]. And the Newbery Winner read/re-read continues. 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). Each folk tale embodies its own humor and cleverness—none of them are straightforward or predictable. Shen of the sea; Chinese stories for children Item Preview > remove-circle Share or Embed This Item. Anyway, this one is a product of its time. Arthur Bowie Chrisman was … I'm a folk tale lover myself, so I loved this book. 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'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. 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. This one was nowhere near as impressive as the other one. A book of unauthentic Chinese folktales told in such a way to make fun of the culture. This 1926 Newbery winner is a collection of 16 Chinese tales. 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. Buy Shen of the Sea : Chinese Stories for Children at Walmart.com A collection of stories that capture ancient Chinese wisdom and thought and enliven Chinese culture for the middle school reader. Chrisman won the 1926 Newbery Medal for the work, recognizing the previous years most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. Taken at face value these are some cute stories about how some things were invented, words came to be, and moral things we should all know. Blah. 224. by Arthur Bowie Chrisman, Else Hasselriis (Illustrator) Arthur Bowie Chrisman. Start by marking “Shen of the Sea: Chinese Stories for Children” as Want to Read: Error rating book. Shen of the sea by Arthur Bowie Chrisman, 1968, E. P. Dutton & Co. edition, Hardcover in English Shen of The Sea : Chinese Stories for Children by Arthur Bowie Chrisman (1968-10-30) Library Binding – January 1, 1656. by. Get this from a library! Unusually entertaining folktales. 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 tried explaining it to others, and half-way through they were bored. This is one of the more readable and entertaining Newbery winners of its period. Shen of the Sea portrays a wide variety of Chinese characters. Anyway, this one is a product of its time. I love the humor in … Is it a product of the 1920s full of cultural appropriation and imperialism? I should have realized it would not stand up to such works written by Chinese authors. Chrisman won the 1926 Newbery Medal for the work, recognizing the previous year's "most distinguished contribution to American literature for children". Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of. Some are inventive, creative, and optimistic, while others are foolish, contrary, and undisciplined. 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 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 It’s an interesting pattern to note, but it also has a clear historical precedent. by E.P. In addition to the problematic proper names (Hai Lo, Ah Mee, Ah Fun), I was really bothered by the dragons who are thoroughly Western European style dragons, not the beneficent Chinese kind. There’s some sort of moral attached to each one, but not in any obtrusive way as in Aesop’s Fables. This May, as we celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we wanted to take an opportunity to shine a light on some of the... 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. Reason for Reading: Read aloud to my 9yo son. As it was I renewed it 3-4 times. Some were mildly entertaining). This is a stunning book with gilded cover and spine. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Winner Rank: WIN. This article about a children's book is a stub. Shen of the sea : a book for children. Not the most terrible Newbery winner so far (this challenge will drive me insane until I hit the 40s), but not great. EMBED (for wordpress.com hosted blogs and archive.org item tags) Want more? No, e.g. 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 - … 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. These are also very cute and absurd, merely in a different setting. Published It has the trappings of Chinese folklore but it is not Chinese folklore. I only feel slightly bad because it is a Newbery Medal. Full facsimile of the original edition and not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. 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. Is it a product of the 1920s full of cultural appropriation and imperialism? But they are couched in insensitive language by a story writer and not a folklorist. And the tone of children's books from the 20s continues to be patronizing and irksome. Taken at face value these are some cute stories about how some things were invented, words came to be, and moral things we should all know. So don't be looking for authentic Chinese folk tales here. 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. Children will enjoy the twists, as many times the story seems to wrap up, and then several more pages reveal an amusing, surprising extra turn of events. It was first published by Dutton in 1925, illustrated with more than 50 silhouettes by Else Hasselriis. About Arthur Bowie Chrisman. We always have a book of folktales, fairy tales, myths, etc. 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"? And the sea was much higher in those days, for then there were no heavy ships to weigh it down, and flatten it. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. Grades. 2.5 stars. No, e.g. To see what your friends thought of this book, Shen of the Sea: Chinese Stories for Children. Shen of the Sea is a collection of short stories by Arthur Bowie Chrisman that won the Newbery Medal in 1926. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Shen of the Sea by Arthur Bowie Chrisman. It now seems like the best book in the history of books in comparison with the other winners. Shen of the Sea is a collection of short stories written by Arthur Bowie Chrisman. It is a Western interpretation/appropriation of Chinese folklore. The book was written by an American in the mid 1920s. First Sentence ""A shamelessly rainy day, my honorable brother Chi."" Shen of The Sea: Chinese Stories for Children. Editions. 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. no ghastly Ting A Ling for a name. Broadcasted live on Twitch -- Watch live at https://www.twitch.tv/painezor EMBED (for wordpress.com hosted blogs and archive.org item tags) Want more? 'S one that i could not get shen of the sea and avoided going back to ; it... 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