White Ravens is the premium label given to recently published books selected by the language specialists at the International Youth Library, Munich, as being especially noteworthy. White Ravens are books of international interest that deserve a wider reception on account of their universal theme and/or their exceptional and often innovative artistic and literary style and design. For details of previous Chinese-language White Ravens, see our posts no. 111 (White Ravens 1984-2020) and no. 133 (White Ravens 2021).
This year, the beautiful White Ravens book contains details and summary of 200 notable children’s and young adult books from 53 countries published in 37 languages.
The Chinese-language books selected for 2022
Nine Chinese-language books were selected as the 2022 White Ravens. Details of the nine books are given below. For keywords and OPAC links, click on the blue English title for each book, which links to the White Ravens database.
Different “1”s ： Bu yi yang de 1. 不一样的一, text by Wu Yanan 吴亚男, illus. by Liu Longsha 柳垄沙 (Jinan: Mingtian chubanshe 明天出版社 [Tomorrow Publishing House], 2021). 32 pp. Age 3+. ISBN 978-7-5708-1121-2.
Summary: Mr. Brown Bear is teaching his students how to write the number “1”. Everybody is trying very hard. Crab walks sideways and writes a “1” that seems to be sleeping. Ant writes a very small “1” that you must look hard to find. Chicken can’t hold the pen steadily and writes out a dancing “1”. Mole has bad eyesight and writes “1” like “7”. Bird finds a stick-like “1”. Dog draws a bone as “1”. Turtle writes its “1” so slowly that you need to wait patiently for it to appear. Though everyone writes “1” in different ways, Mr. Brown Bear always finds a way to understand and appreciate each student’s effort. The short and joyful story reminds readers of the time when they had just started to attend school, while Mr. Brown Bear plays the role of an ideal teacher, treasuring children’s early passion for learning. Wu Yanan is a young children’s book writer from Chengdu (Sichuan Province). Her text received the 8th Hsin Yi Picture Book Award and the 2021 Laureate Award for Children’s Books hosted by “China Publishing Today”. [FW, ZX]
Hot, hot summer days : 熱天的時陳. 嚕嚕的夏天 Jua̍h-thinn ê sî-tsūn. Lóo lóo ê hā-thinn // Re tian de shi zhen. Lu lu de xia tian, text by Chu Yu-Ling (Chu, Yuling) 儲玉玲, illus. by Chu, Chia-Hui (Chu, Jiahui) 儲嘉慧, tr. Lü Meigin. Xin bei shi: Lian jing chu ban shi ye gu fen you xian gong si 聯經出版公司 (Linking Publ.), 2021. – 36 pp. Age 3+. ISBN 978-957-08-5860-0. Bilingual text: Hokkien (Taiwanese) and Mandarin.
Summary: There is always something to look forward to on a hot summer day. Yellow mangoes sway on tree branches like little suns, and after a sudden tropical downpour the whole yard is filled with water. Two boys and their dog become ferrymen, rowing in a bucket. They shake the trees to let water droplets splash all over their bodies and let their clothes dry by the whispering wind. Rain is a gift, wind is a luxury, the canopy of the mango trees seems like the top of the world. Tomorrow they will play again. In this simple story, Chu Yu-Ling recreates the smells and sounds of summer in lyrical phrases and the rich, beautiful tones of the Hokkien (Taiwanese) language. For her, a picture book is a song with an overall rhythm, a song composed of pictures and text. The calm texture and few simple colours of Chu Chia-Hui’s rubbed engravings almost make the reader hear this song about the quiet feeling of pure joy on a magical day. The childhood memories conjured up in this book are shared by generations of Taiwanese. [LO]
Where are the migrants going? : Yi min qu na li? 移民去哪裏?, text and illustrations by Lam, Kinchoi (Lin, Jiancai) 林建才 (Shatin, Hong Kong: Mu mian shu chu ban she 木棉樹出版社 Cotton Tree Publ.), 2021. 32 pp. Age 6+. ISBN 978-988-79458-5-7.
Summary: Laika, the first dog to orbit Earth, was sent to her certain death by humans. From a dog’s point of view, that means Earth is too dangerous, and so Kaka and turtle An decide to leave on their own terms. Aboard their spaceship, surrounded by Hong Kong movie posters and street signs, they revel in memories. Even the star constellations outside remind them of their old home. When the spacecraft is hit by meteorites, they must abandon most of their treasured memorabilia, but with less ballast they land safely on Mars, their new home. Here the wind is better for kite flying and their children can jump higher. Still, they sometimes gaze fondly upon the distant blue planet Earth. When Lam Kinchoi, winner of several awards for his picture books and prints, returned to Hong Kong in 2020 from the Cambridge School of Art’s Master’s Program, he reworked the first draft of his adventure story “Journey to Mars“ into a story of contemporary Hong Kong, the title of which could also be translated as: ”Where should we emigrate to?“ [LO]
The life of a lotus seed : Yi ke lian zi de sheng ming lü cheng 一顆蓮子的生命旅程, text by Chen, Yingting 陈莹婷, illus by Huaqing 花青 (i.e. Wang Huajing) . Beijing: Beijing lian he chu ban gong si 北京联合出版公司 (Beijing United Publ.), 2021. 34 pp. Age 4+. (Series: Lang hua duo duo 浪花朵朵) ISBN 978-7-5596-4989-8.
Summary: A lotus seed falls into the mud and lies dormant until it begins to sprout the next spring. Readers can follow how it grows into a full plant, blooms, and withers away, replaced by a pod with new seeds inside. These will fall into the mud eventually, and the never-ending cycle of life will start again. Huaqing’s illustrations in the style of traditional Chinese ink paintings perfectly match the topic of this exquisite book, the life cycle of a lotus and of life itself. Emerging from the mud but forever appearing clean and elegant, the lotus has long been a spiritual symbol of life in traditional Chinese art and literature. After graduating from the Institute of Botany at the Chinese Academy of Science, Chen Yingting has devoted herself for years to popularising science. Huaqing is pursuing her doctoral degree at the School of Fine Arts within the Chinese National Academy of Arts. “The life of a lotus seed” is an excellent example of the rising number of non-fiction picture books for children in China. [FW, ZX]
Swimming : You yong 游泳, text by Liu, Haiqi 刘海栖, illus by Yang, Bo (Qingdao: Qingdao chu ban she 青岛出版社 (Qingdao Publ. Group), 2022. 274 pp. Age 8+. (Series: Xiao tong shu) ISBN 978-7-5736-0039-4
Summary: This novel is about a childhood in Jinan City about half a century ago. It was an era when children were neither given many toys nor able to spend much time with adults. However, nothing could stop their passion for playing and roaming their surroundings to learn all about everything they could. From the perspective of the first-person narrator, a young boy, readers find out how skilled children were in creating something from nothing. Liu Haiqi, one of the pre-eminent Chinese novelists for children today and recognizable by his colloquial style, is a master in capturing the aesthetic dimensions of a child’s voice and perspective. He is the author of You ge zi de xia tian 有鸽子的夏天 (The summer of pigeons), Wu wei xiao shu li xian ji 无尾小鼠历险记 (Adventures of a tailless mouse), Ba ba shu 爸爸树 (The father tree), and Dou zi di li de tong hua 豆子地理的童话 (Fairy tales from the bean field). Liu has won the Chinese National Award for Outstanding Children’s Literature and other prizes. He is also a children’s book publisher and former CBBY deputy chairman. [FW, ZX]
The Time of Bread : Mian bao sui yue 面包岁月, text by Tie, Ning 铁凝, illus by Yu, Rong 郁蓉. Hangzhou: Zhe jiang shao nian er tong chu ban she 杭州：浙江少年儿童出版社 (Zhejiang Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House), 2021. 138 pp. Age 10+. (Series: Dang dai ming jia shao nian xuan ben – Tie Ning zuo pin 当代名家少年选本: 铁凝作品) ISBN 978-7-5597-1531-9.
Summary: This book contains a selection of stories by the renowned novelist Tie Ning. Most are based on memories of her early years – when a little girl first tasted the bitterness of being deceived by an adult, when a father developed a strange enthusiasm for baking during the hardest years of his family’s life, when a cat came to the house unexpectedly and was cast out after four years. Those old days are brought back to life in nostalgic flashbacks so that readers get a sense of the smells and flavours, as well as the sentiments and wisdom that grew over time. Tie Ning is the author of Mei gui men 玫瑰们 (The rose door), Da yu nü 大浴女 (The large bathers), “Oh, Xiang xue” 哦,香雪 (O, Xiangxue) and many other prose works. Her books have won, among others, the prestigious Luxun Literature Prize and the Chinese National Award for Outstanding ShortLength Novels, and have been adapted for films and TV series. Tie Ning is the current chairwoman of the China Writers Association and the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles. [FW, ZX]
Little Goat walks over the field : Xiao shan yang zou guo tian ye 小山羊走过田野, text by Xue, Tao 薛涛, illus by Wang, Xiaoxiao 王笑笑. Hefei: Anhui shao nian er tong chu ban she 合肥：安徽少年儿童出版社 (Anhui Juvenile and Children’s Publ. House), 2021. 116 p怕Age 6+. ISBN 978-7-5707-1225-0.
Summary: A boy and a little goat meet and never separate again. They build a house and live together in what seems to be a very small world. However, it grows bigger as one follows the boy’s story, told in first-person narration: How many goats are there on earth? They are all here in my house when I have my little goat with me. How many names does a little goat have? As many as the numerous places it has been in my imagination. Time slows down as readers begin to see this world in a new way: the tender green of grass in early spring, so fresh for one to discover; a rainbow in the sunset, so beautiful it makes one cry. Xue Tao wrote this book in memory of the goat he had in his childhood. He is renowned for his children’s novels and fairy tales, including Jiu yue de bing he 九月的冰河 (The ice river of September), Xiao cheng chi 小城池 (The small castle), Da fu weng 大富翁 (The wealthy men), and “”Shan hai jing xin chuan shuo” 山海经新传说 (The new classic of mountains and seas). Among others, he won the National Award for Outstanding Children’s Literature. [FW, ZX]
Practicing goodbye : Zai jian de lian xi 再见的联系, text and illus by Lin, Xiaobei 林小杯. Taibei: Shi lu gu shi you xian gong si (SiLoo Story), 2021. 148 pp. Age 12+. ISBN 978-626-953-470-8.
Summary: Bibi, a dog, has disappeared suddenly. While her owner, a young illustrator, hoards memorabilia in her cramped apartment and dwells on her grieving and worrying, the narrative moves over to the stray dog’s universe. It is full of happiness, timelessness, and freedom. When Bibi eventually returns home, tired and weak, the woman realizes that the dog has just come back to give her a chance to say goodbye, and that she must accept the inescapable reality of his imminent death. Lin Xiaobei uses space, smudging and partial erasure of pencil strokes, light and colour, to create the artist’s and the dog’s different spheres. When sadness fades and the woman ventures out to discover the world anew, colours from the dog’s world trickle into the black-and-white portrayal of the woman’s confined life. Lin Xiaobei, who is published internationally under the pen name Bei Lynn, is an award-winning illustrator of picture books. This graphic novel in the style of a personal notebook is her first work for an older audience. [LO]
[Ed: See also “The Art of Saying Farewell” by Bei Lynn, tr. Sarah-Jane Carver, Books from Taiwan, 27 Dec 2022. More information about this book and English sample translation by Helen Wang on Books from Taiwan website.]
Four seasons ： Si ji 四季, text and illus by Xu, Zhiwei 許智偉. Taibei: Qing lin guo ji chu ban gu fen you xian gong si 臺北：青林國際出版股份有限公司 (Children’s Publ. Co., Ltd.), 2022. 34 pp. Age 6+. ISBN 978-986-274-568-7
Summary: At first glance, the cover and each double spread of this nearly wordless picture book seem to be identical depictions of an alley with its typical homes of the Taiwanese post-war generation. Subtle differences in the pictures create the main story, while other substory lines are hidden in this almost static theatrical backdrop. The picture is anchored by the big tree on the left, a silent witness to the course of the seasons and a boy’s growing up. When he leaves home, his aging parents stay behind, neighbours move away, houses are demolished, and skyscrapers begin to loom in the background. Itinerant traders, puppet theatre performances and Tai chi exercises disappear, the alley becomes deserted. Only upon the death of his father does the protagonist return, accompanied by his own family. Remembering his roots and spending time with his loved ones is his way to cope with his regrets. Life is impermanent, but spring has come again. Xu Zhiwei has won, among others, the Xinyi Children’s Literature Award. [LO]
Chinese books for young readers 