The Jade Stone : A Chinese Folktale (Hardcover)

Named a Best Picture Book by San Francisco Chronicle and Book Links
Selected for California Collections by California Readers, 2000
ACCELERATED READER PROGRAM SELECTION

"A tale of artistic integrity told with artful simplicity."--Kirkus Reviews starred review

"Visually it advances like the unrolling of an oriental scroll . . . A satisfying tale, whether read aloud or pored over alone to pick up the whimsical humor of the illustrations." --School Library Journal

"The author masterfully retells the story . . . Combined with Chen's delightful ink and watercolor paintings, it makes reading the book like watching a well-done play." -The San Francisco Times

Chan Lo is a humble stone carver who is given a perfect piece of green and white jade to carve by the Great Emperor of All China. Is there a dragon in the stone, as the emperor demands? What does Chan Lo hear the stone say? What does it want to be? When Chan Lo finally succumbs to the stone's true wishes, the emperor is furious and throws him in prison. Can the spirit of the jade stone save the stone carver's life?

Warmly illustrated by painter Ju-Hong Chen, this Chinese folktale offers a clear and gentle message of artistic truth and a lesson in staying true to one's self.