The Runaway Wok

Last updated
The Runaway Wok: A Chinese New Year Tale
Runaway Wok Cover.jpg
Author Ying Chang Compestine
IllustratorSebastia Serra
Country United States
Language English
Genre Children's books
PublisherDutton Children's Books
Publication date
January 6, 2011
ISBN 0525420681

The Runaway Wok is a children's picture book written by Ying Chang Compestine and illustrated by Sebastia Serra. [1] Published in 2011 by Dutton Children's Books, the story follows a boy named Ming and his adventures with a magical talking wok who grants wishes. [2] [3] The story portrays the rich family as evil and the poor family as heroic.

Contents

Plot summary

In preparation for the Chinese New Year, the poor Zhang family sends Ming to the market to trade eggs for rice. At the market, an old man persuades Ming to trade the eggs for a magical talking wok. [4] When Ming's mother goes to reprimand him, the wok asks her to polish it. When she finishes cleaning the wok, it jumps away and rolls down the road. It returns three times with food, toys, and money taken from the greedy Mr. Li, taking from the rich and giving to the poor of the village. [5] At the end of the story the family shares the gifts of the wok with the community. [6] [7] The story is based on a Danish folktale called The Talking Pot, and also alludes to The Gingerbread Man . [8] [9]

The book concludes with an author's note and a recipe for "Festive Stir-Fried Rice" and also includes information about the symbolism of the wok and Chinese New Year's foods. [10]

Characters

Critical reception

Library Media Connection wrote "The author and the illustrator have created a picture book that provides not only an excellent introduction to the Chinese New Year holiday, but a lesson on sharing." [11] School Library Journal called the illustrations vibrant, and that they "bring a stylized Beijing of once-upon-a-time to life." [10] Booklist praised the illustrations, which were painted by Sebastia Serra, and wrote that the "well-paced repetitive text reads aloud well." [12] Since the story is based on a folk tale about a talking pot, Kirkus Reviews , felt that using a wok instead was very appropriate, especially since a wok is "a traditional symbol of sharing." [4] It has also been reviewed by Horn Book Guide . [13]

Awards

Related Research Articles

<i>The Emperor in Han Dynasty</i> 2005 Chinese television series

The Emperor in Han Dynasty, also released under the title The Emperor Han Wu in some countries, is a 2005 Chinese historical drama television series based on the life of Emperor Wu of the Han dynasty. It uses the historical texts Records of the Grand Historian and Book of Han as its source material.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">China men's national basketball team</span> Mens national basketball team representing China

The China men's national basketball team represents the People's Republic of China in international basketball tournaments. The national team is governed by the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). Based on the number of tournament titles, China is considered a major basketball powerhouse in Asia and has by far the most successful basketball program on the continent.

Paul Yee is a Chinese-Canadian historian and writer. He is the author of many books for children, including Teach Me to Fly, Skyfighter, The Curses of Third Uncle, Dead Man's Gold, and Ghost Train—winner of the 1996 Governor General's Award for English language children's literature. In 2012, the Writers' Trust of Canada awarded Paul Yee the Vicky Metcalf Award for Literature for Young People in recognition of having "contributed uniquely and powerfully to our literary landscape over a writing career that spans almost 30 years".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jackson Pearce</span> American author (born 1984)

Jackson Pearce is an American author. She writes young adult fiction and also publishes as J. Nelle Patrick.

Book and Sword Chronicles is a Taiwanese television series adapted from Louis Cha's novel The Book and the Sword. It was first broadcast on TTV in Taiwan in 1984.

<i>Letter 1949</i> Taiwanese TV series or program

Letter 1949 is a 2008 Taiwanese drama starring Queenie Tai, Lin Yo-wei, Alien Huang, Hawick Lau. It was produced by Eastern Shine Production. The series was broadcast on free-to-air Chinese Television System (CTS) from 9 to 26 November 2008, Monday to Thursday at 20:00.

<i>Revolution Is Not a Dinner Party</i> (novel)

Revolution Is Not a Dinner Party is a work of historical fiction written by Ying Chang Compestine and published in 2007. The story is set at the end of the Cultural Revolution in Wuhan, China. The novel is about a young girl from an upper-class family facing persecution and other challenges brought upon the upper class living in communist China.

<i>I Love You So Much</i> Taiwanese TV series or program

I Love You So Much is a 2012 Taiwanese romantic-comedy television series. The television drama was produced by Meng Tian Chong Production Company, starring Lan Cheng-lung, Nick Chou and Li Jia Ying. It was first aired on January 29, 2012 on CTS.

<i>If I Were for Real</i> (film) 1981 film

If I Were for Real is a 1981 Taiwanese drama film directed by Wang Toon. It is an adaptation of the 1979 play of the same name by Sha Yexin, Li Shoucheng and Yao Mingde, set in mainland China. The film made some changes to the story to turn "the satirical comedy into political propaganda which condemns Chinese communism". The film was banned not only in mainland China, but also in British Hong Kong until 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ying Chang Compestine</span> American writer

Ying Chang Compestine is a Chinese American author, speaker, television host and chef. She has written over twenty books including Revolution Is Not a Dinner Party (novel), based on her life growing up during the Chinese Cultural Revolution., and a middle grade novel, Morning Sun in Wuhan, set in Wuhan, China.

<i>A Banquet for Hungry Ghosts</i>

A Banquet for Hungry Ghosts: A collection of Deliciously Frightening Tales is a young adult fiction book written by Ying Chang Compestine. Set in China, the book blends Chinese culture, cuisine, and modern customs into eight horror stories.[1][2]

<i>The Runaway Rice Cake</i> 2001 childrens picture book

The Runaway Rice Cake is a picture book written by Ying Chang Compestine and illustrated by Tungwai Chau. The book tells the story of the Chang family and the sense of community that can be born from a simple act of kindness.

<i>The Real Story of Stone Soup</i>

The Real Story of Stone Soup is a picture book written by Ying Chang Compestine and illustrated by Stéphane Jorisch. The stone soup folk story is often associated with European folklore, but Compestine retells it set in China.

<i>Crouching Tiger</i> (book)

Crouching Tiger is a children's picture book written by award-winning author, Ying Chang Compestine, and illustrated by Yan Nascimbene. Published in 2011 by Candlewick Press, the book tells the story of a young, Chinese-American boy who comes to appreciate his Chinese heritage thanks to his grandfather's tai chi lessons.

<i>D Is for Dragon Dance</i>

D Is For Dragon Dance is a 2007 children's picture book written by Ying Chang Compestine and illustrated by Yongsheng Xuan. The book explores the Chinese New Years traditions through a rhyming acrostic format using the English alphabet. The book concludes with an author's note, an artist's note, and a recipe for "New Year's Dumpling Delight".

Ying Da is a Chinese actor and director, best known in film for portraying Louie Wang in Big Shot's Funeral (2001), Ni Zhengyu in The Tokyo Trial (2006) and Jin Shenghuo in The Message (2009), and has received critical acclaim for his television work, particularly as Zhao Xinmei in Fortress Besieged (1990) and Leng Zixing in The Dream of Red Mansions (2008). As a director, Ying Da is best known for bringing the multi-camera format to several comedy television shows, such as I Love My Family (1993), We Are A Family (2013), Idler: Sister Ma (1999), and Sister Ma and Her Neighborhoods (2000).

Laurie Ann Thompson is an American writer. She is known for her children's books and books for young adults. Thompson is a winner of one of the 2016 Schneider Family Book Awards for her book, Emmanuel's Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah, which was illustrated by Sean Qualls.

<i>Nowhere Man</i> (Taiwanese TV series) 2019 Taiwanese streaming television miniseries

Nowhere Man is a 2019 Taiwanese streaming television miniseries written, directed, and edited by Chen Yin-jung. It stars Joseph Chang, Alyssa Chia, Mavis Fan, Wang Po-chieh, Jeremiah Zhang, Zhou Ming-fu, Greg Hsu, Kuo Tzu-chien, and Lu Yi-lung. The miniseries follows a death row inmate who must break out of prison to save his kidnapped son and protect his family.

Falun Gong: The End of Days is a book by Maria Hsia Chang about the Falun Gong.

References

  1. ↑ "About Sebastia Serra". sebastiaserra.com. Retrieved 2017-08-02.
  2. ↑ "The Runaway Wok by Ying Chang Compestine | Scholastic". www.scholastic.com. Retrieved 2017-07-24.
  3. ↑ The Runaway Wok by Ying Chang Compestine | PenguinRandomHouse.com.
  4. 1 2 "The Runaway Wok" . Kirkus Reviews. 78 (24): 1265. 15 December 2010 – via EBSCOhost.
  5. ↑ Estrin, Heidi R. (December 2011). "A Calendar of Holidays" . School Library Journal. 57 (12): 48 – via EBSCOhost.
  6. ↑ "The Runaway Wok by Ying Chang Compestine, illustrated by Sebastià Serra | BookDragon". BookDragon. 2010-12-11. Retrieved 2017-07-25.
  7. ↑ "A la Carte: 'The Runaway Wok' for kids". The Mercury News. 2011-01-28. Retrieved 2017-07-25.
  8. ↑ "Children's Book Review: The Runaway Wok: A Chinese New Year Tale by Ying Chang Compestine". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2017-09-07.
  9. ↑ Hudson, Hannah Trierweiler (Winter 2011). "So Much to Celebrate!" . Instructor. 120 (4): 26 – via EBSCOhost.
  10. 1 2 Damron, Jayne (February 2011). "The Runaway Wok: A Chinese New Year Tale" . School Library Journal. 57 (2): 76 – via EBSCOhost.
  11. ↑ Drudge, Jo (August 2011). "The Runaway Wok: A Chinese New Year Tale" . Library Media Connection. 30 (1): 85 – via EBSCOhost.
  12. ↑ Engberg, Gillian (January 2011). "The Runaway Wok" . Booklist. 107 (9/10): 114 – via EBSCOhost.
  13. ↑ "The runaway wok". catalog.wccls.org. Retrieved September 10, 2017. The detailed, vigorous illustrations reflect the mischievous wok's energy.
  14. ↑ "Iowa Book Awards 2013-2014: Goldfinch Awards 2013-2014". westunion.lib.ia.us. West Union Community Library. Retrieved September 10, 2017.
  15. ↑ "Iowa Goldfinch Awards". johnstonlibrary.com. Johnston Public Library. Retrieved September 10, 2017.
  16. ↑ "Washington Children's Choice Picture Book Award: 2013 Activity Packet" (PDF). wla.org. Washington Library Association. Retrieved September 10, 2017.
  17. ↑ "Member Awards & Achievements Fall 2012/Winter 2013". authorsguild.org. Authors Guild. December 21, 2012. Retrieved September 10, 2017.
  18. ↑ "Ying Chang Compestine | Media Praise". yingc.com. Archived from the original on 2017-08-05. Retrieved 2017-07-24.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.