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Maya and the Turtle: A Korean Fairy Tale
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This multicultural children's book presents a heartwarming Korean fairy tale about a little girl and a fortunate encounter.
Poverty is all Maya has ever known, but she doesn't allow it to stop her from caring for her father, and others, as best she can. Kind and gentle, she is a lovely young girl who always puts others first. One day, she finds a little turtle and takes him ...more
Poverty is all Maya has ever known, but she doesn't allow it to stop her from caring for her father, and others, as best she can. Kind and gentle, she is a lovely young girl who always puts others first. One day, she finds a little turtle and takes him ...more
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Start your review of Maya and the Turtle: A Korean Fairy Tale
When I spotted that this was a Korean children’s fairytale passed down from mother to daughter, I was delighted to pick it up and listen in.
The short ‘picture’ story was tender and had a blend of courage, generosity, adversity, and magic which made for a good fairytale. I didn’t have the illustrations of the picture book before me, but I was able to see brave, sweet Maya in my mind’s eye cling to the promise her mother made before she died and then do everything she could to save her father.
The ...more
The short ‘picture’ story was tender and had a blend of courage, generosity, adversity, and magic which made for a good fairytale. I didn’t have the illustrations of the picture book before me, but I was able to see brave, sweet Maya in my mind’s eye cling to the promise her mother made before she died and then do everything she could to save her father.
The ...more
I listened to the audio book version of this fairy tale and it was adorable! The narrator, Talulah Shadrick is young so she gave the story the right spin. It wouldn't have had the same effect if an adult woman had told the story, so the choice of the narrator was great.
Maya and the Turtle is a story Soma Han's mother used to tell her and her sister. I liked this bit, because I think fairy tales are what makes us dream despite reality is not glitter and gold. Fairy tales make us believe that ther ...more
Maya and the Turtle is a story Soma Han's mother used to tell her and her sister. I liked this bit, because I think fairy tales are what makes us dream despite reality is not glitter and gold. Fairy tales make us believe that ther ...more
Maya's mother died when she was a young girl. Before her death, she told Maya that Maya would one day become a princess and that her mother would always watch over her. Maya and her father were poor and when her father became ill, Maya determined that she would offer herself as a sacrifice to the monstrous centipede that attacked the village on the other side of the mountain. The village paid a large sum to anyone brave enough to face the centipede, so Maya was able to buy her father medicine to
...more
This is a beautiful story about the value of compassion, bravery and selflessness! I also love that it won a "Morning Calm" Medal which is a Korean student voted award! The story is written in a simplistic, folklore fashion and features beautiful illustrations of the characters and scenery on every page. The illustrator's use of bright colors and sharp, ink angles definitely salute authentic Asian artwork and further engage the reader in Korean culture. The book also uses culturally relevant lan
...more
Great little tale of a poor girl that cares for others and puts others first. A great story for children.
| Review on Reader Fox Blog |
This is perhaps the first time that I've read a children's book and I cannot say that I have a lot of input on the artwork. In fact, all I can honestly say is that the cover is quite beautiful and the few illustrations I saw in the audiobook trailer were lovely. A blend of watercolor depictions, I just love how it all comes together. For Maya and the Turtle: A Korean Fairy Tale by John Stickler and illustrated by Soma Han, I actually just listened to the audiobo ...more
This is perhaps the first time that I've read a children's book and I cannot say that I have a lot of input on the artwork. In fact, all I can honestly say is that the cover is quite beautiful and the few illustrations I saw in the audiobook trailer were lovely. A blend of watercolor depictions, I just love how it all comes together. For Maya and the Turtle: A Korean Fairy Tale by John Stickler and illustrated by Soma Han, I actually just listened to the audiobo ...more
My review is for the audiobook edition that I received for review from one of the authors.
Rating: 3 stars for the story, 2 stars for the audiobook → averaged up to 3 stars
Maya and the Turtle bears a strong resemblance to the traditional Cinderella stories, particularly the Eastern ones with their themes of filial piety, and it is written like a fairy tale.
The premise: Maya is born to a poor but proud family. When Maya is young, her mother dies. On her deathbed, the mother tells Maya to take car ...more
Rating: 3 stars for the story, 2 stars for the audiobook → averaged up to 3 stars
Maya and the Turtle bears a strong resemblance to the traditional Cinderella stories, particularly the Eastern ones with their themes of filial piety, and it is written like a fairy tale.
The premise: Maya is born to a poor but proud family. When Maya is young, her mother dies. On her deathbed, the mother tells Maya to take car ...more
I really wanted to like this book, but it was too full of mysticism (prophetic dreams, totems, emperor of heaven, magic) and scary things (child sacrifices, a flying centipede that terrorizes a town). I skipped much of the dialogue due to these issues.
The story is quite sad but it does offer a lesson in sacrificing one's own needs for family.
...more
It was an interesting tale. I liked the Korean words that were interspersed and explained in the book.
Maya is left and the Turtle is no more
Old tale was too rushed, people pass away quickly, then get married fast, although see where people believe Emperor(s) as God's. ...more
Old tale was too rushed, people pass away quickly, then get married fast, although see where people believe Emperor(s) as God's. ...more
This Korean Folk Tale tells the story of Maya. She and her father are poor, but live a comfortable life. Her mother is dead, but foresaw Maya's destiny of becoming a princess. One day Maya finds a little turtle. She takes him home, raising, caring for him and never knowing that he will play a part in her destiny. Beautifully illustrated and filled with fascinating nuggets of information about Korean culture, this book offers a poignant tale of the rewards of kindness, patience, courage, a loving
...more
I received this book as part of a first reads giveaway. Here is my honest review.
My favorite part of this book was the footnotes that explained different aspect of Korean culture mentioned in the book. The actual story was not my favorite fairy tale but these footnotes really added to the story. I could see using this book to teach a child a bit about Korean culture.
The illustrations were fantastic!
My favorite part of this book was the footnotes that explained different aspect of Korean culture mentioned in the book. The actual story was not my favorite fairy tale but these footnotes really added to the story. I could see using this book to teach a child a bit about Korean culture.
The illustrations were fantastic!
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
[I received a free copy of this book through Goodreads' First Reads.]
The illustrations are gorgeous. I especially enjoyed the footnotes about Korean culture throughout. The footnotes were sometimes also humorous little asides from the story, which I enjoyed!
I wish there were more to the story, and would second other reviewers that the ending seemed really abrupt. ...more
The illustrations are gorgeous. I especially enjoyed the footnotes about Korean culture throughout. The footnotes were sometimes also humorous little asides from the story, which I enjoyed!
I wish there were more to the story, and would second other reviewers that the ending seemed really abrupt. ...more
I won this book from Goodreads, and I'm so glad I did! The illustrations are beautiful, warm, and engaging, and the footnotes are a wonderful touch. The text is a bit lengthy for a traditional picturebook, but overall I'm proud to add it to my library.
...more
It's hard not to enjoy a book that features an enormous flying killer centipede and a prince who rides a stegosaurus.
...more
Kind and caring Maya looks after her father, and others, even though she is poor. One day, she finds a turtle and takes him home. She raises and loves him, and becomes a big part of her life. This book teaches children that the road to greatness lies in the selflessness, kindness, and love of a pure heart. This book has beautiful illustrations, and a great moral that will help students become more loving and kind towards others. It also contains bits of information about the Korean culture and r
...more
Genre: Fictional Picture Book
Target Audience: 2nd - 4th grade
Text-to-Self: While reading this Korean fairy tale, it reminded me of when I would go to camping by the Missouri river and find turtles, frogs, so many bugs. Although they weren't magical like Maya's turtle, there were still special!
Text-to-Text: This book reminded me of the fairy tale we have in America of Cinderella. While the turtle helps Maya with her destiny, all of the birds that help Cinderella throughout the story help her reac ...more
Target Audience: 2nd - 4th grade
Text-to-Self: While reading this Korean fairy tale, it reminded me of when I would go to camping by the Missouri river and find turtles, frogs, so many bugs. Although they weren't magical like Maya's turtle, there were still special!
Text-to-Text: This book reminded me of the fairy tale we have in America of Cinderella. While the turtle helps Maya with her destiny, all of the birds that help Cinderella throughout the story help her reac ...more
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Soma Han was born in the agricultural southwestern part of the Korean peninsula. She was the ninth child of the village elder, a Tao master and teacher of Buddhism, a descendant of the aristocratic Han family.
Soma Han has a BA in literature and a BFA degree from the California College of the Arts. Her works have been shown in galleries in Arizona, California, New York, Washington, D.C., Mexico, H ...more
Soma Han has a BA in literature and a BFA degree from the California College of the Arts. Her works have been shown in galleries in Arizona, California, New York, Washington, D.C., Mexico, H ...more
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