Additional Book Information
Series: NYRB Kids
ISBN: 9781681372945
Pages: 40
Publication Date: October 23, 2018
The Tiger Prince
by Chen Jiang Hong, translated from the French by Alyson Waters
Deep in the Great Forest, a tigress is mourning the death of her tiger babies who have been killed by hunters. Seeking revenge, she attacks the villages, destroying houses and prompting the king to gather his army. But a seer named Lao Lao warns the king that if he angers the tigress further she will destroy the kingdom. Lao Lao counsels the king to give his own son to the tigress and promises that no harm will come to the boy. The next morning, the king brings the prince to the edge of the Great Forest and tells him, “Now you must go on alone.” To end the war between man and animal, the prince must forget his human ways and begin to learn what tigers know. The Tiger Prince was inspired by The Tigress, a late Shang dynasty bronze vessel in the Cernuschi Museum in Paris depicting a scene from the Chinese folktale of a baby raised by a tigress.
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Praise
Chen's expressive brush paintings shift deftly between fearsome and warm, conveying the tigress's inner conflict using body language and expressions without anthropomorphizing her. Readers will recognize these characteristics and conflicts within themselves and realize that only bridges of compassion will truly build lasting peace. This richly illustrated tale is both emotionally compelling and thought-provoking, and its timely message of understanding and compassion will resonate with readers of all ages.
—Kirkus Reviews
Two worlds collide in this epic Chinese folktale … [the] relationship that is built between man and beast over time will not only break the circle of violence but also teach us a thing or two about forgiveness, motherly love, trust, and friendship.
—Fei Wu Huang, International Examiner