"The Tale of the Mandarin Ducks" by Katherine Paterson (Illustrated by Leo & Diane Dillon)


Katherine Paterson's retelling of the classic Japanese folktale, "The Tale of the Mandarin Ducks" (1990), is perfectly encapsulated in the form of a children's picture book, with richly toned traditional illustrations (olive greens, sunflower yellows...) by Leo & Diane Dillon. In it, a masterful story of a stolen drake unfolds. Deep in nature, a beautiful, colorful drake lives with his wife. But when he is taken from his home to the lord's manor (to be on display within a cage), the drake grows weary and utterly depressed, unable to sustain himself, only thinking of his worried wife. Luckily, a sympathetic and wise person intervenes, and from there, the story blossoms into one of magic, divine oversight, and karmic fruition, all stemming from a continuous surging of two people's kindness towards the rest of the world. You'll find out how a little touch of compassion, shared by humans and animals alike, is enough to outweigh those terribly hurtful impositions of strife caused by vanity and power. (A good book to celebrate Asian American & Pacific Islander Month: May.)

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