Your child just learned about the Chinese New Year and the Year of the Snake in school, and wants to know more about the animals that represent each year.
With “No Year of the Cat” by Mary Dodson Wade and Nicole Wong, he and she can.
The book tells the story of an emperor and his empire who knew the seasons, but could not remember the years, which meant no one could recall when floods or storms happened. So the emperor, who was very wise, devised a plan.
“We will have a race!” he said. “The first 12 animals to cross the great river will each have a year named for them.”
On the big day, all the animals gathered on the shores of the river. Cat and Rat were there, and they were scheming. They decided to ask Ox to carry them across on his wide, strong back.
Ox agreed, and Cat and Rat scrambled up. They all plunged into the river and Ox began to swim hard and fast. He was way ahead of all the other animals, so when he stumbled up on the other side of the water, the emperor declared that Rat was first and Ox was second.
Tiger arrived with a droopy tail. Rabbit took the easy way across. Dragon stopped to help some farmers, so he was fifth. Snake slithered in, then Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, and Dog. Pig trotted up and took last place, telling the emperor that he was late because he was hungry.
The emperor smiled. His empire now had a way to remember the years (especially the auspicious ones!). All the animals were very happy — except for Cat. She had totally missed being counted. Where had she been all that time?
Kids will giggle when they find out the answer and what happens, because “No Year of the Cat” is a very likeable book. Author Wade offers children an explanation for the 12-animal cycle in the Chinese calendar and why those specific animals were chosen, basing her story loosely on an ancient traditional Chinese folktale that’s familiar in the Chinese culture.
I loved the different personalities that each animal gets here, and I loved the way the story is woven in with Wong’s Asian-inspired illustrations. I think that if your 3- to 6 year old enjoys a good animal story (and what kid doesn’t?), or if he loves folktales, this is a book to grab. “No Year of the Cat” is one you’ll be reading aloud all year round.
“No Year of the Cat” by Mary Dodson Wade and Nicole Wong [32 pages, 2013, $16.95].
Terri Schlichenmeyer has been reading since she was 3 years old, and she never goes anywhere without a book. She lives on a hill with two dogs and 12,000 books.
