Beyond the Great Mountains: A Visual Poem about China

by Ed Young

Ed Young's spare prose, as lovely as a rice-paper painting, describes in measured detail the beautiful and mystical land that the author so clearly loves. The unique format and gorgeous paper-collage illustrations, highlighted with Chinese characters, combine to convey the many facets of China to form a poetic picture of the lands grace, depth, and majesty.

Genres: Poetry, Picture Books, Cultural, China, Childrens, Art, Nonfiction

36 pages, Hardcover

First published August 25, 2005

About the author

Ed Young is the illustrator of more than eighty books for children, seventeen of which he has also written. Among his books is the Caldecott Medal winner Lon Po Po, which he both wrote and illustrated. He says that his work is inspired by the philosophy of Chinese painting. He lives in Westchester County, New York.

Reviews

[Shaeley Santiago · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incorporating old Chinese characters within a poem, this book tells a Chinese creation-type story. The pages are layered so that when you first open the book (up and down orientation), you see the entire poem on the stair-step strips at the bottom of the page. Then illustrations reveal the connection between the words of the poem and the Chinese characters represented.

I wish I had come across this book before our World Studies class read about China being the Middle Kingdom because that's exactly what the poem leads up to.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beyond the great mountains/ Ed Young/
Genre: fiction, folktale
Format: picture book
Plot Summary: Lyrical text and illustrations featuring Chinese characters and paper collage introduce the beauty and richness of China.
Considerations: no red flags
Review Citation: School Library Journal; October 2005, Vol. 51 Issue 10, p196-196, 1p
Selection Source: Ed Young bibliography
Recommended age: 7-10

[NS - Cami Houston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Appropriate 3-5th grade-This flip book has pictures that take you right to China. Each one of them, misty, water colored, haunting. They speak to you about what natural resources have come to the world through the birthplace of China, or can be found there now such as jade, hemp, and bamboo. Take a trip to the mountains of China in this fabulous book.

[Kaylee Taunton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was extremely captivating and I love the fun illustrations. It also didn't play the traditional role and turning the page right to left. Instead you had to turn the book sideways in order to get the full effect of the unique illustrations. I would definitely read this book to my students and loved this book!

[Mylinh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous book! great for sharing Chinese cultural aspects, especially Chinese writing. Is a "visual poem" with lovely collage illustrations and great prose. Is a unique format, and would be fun to use to talk about what aspects make a book. Would also be good to use when talking about letters and the origin of Chinese letters.

Chinese American Libraries Association (CALA) Best Illustrated Book Award
Children's Book Sense Pick
IRA Teachers' Choices 2006
PBS Teacher Source, Recommended Books in Social Studies
Best Kids' Books Adults Would Love 2005, Publishers Weekly
Best Children's Books of 2005, Publishers Weekly
NYLA Books of the Season, Fall 2005
Kansas Reading Association, Bill Martin Jr. Picture Book Award nomination
PlanetEsme.com's DON'T MISS LIST 2005


From Booklist:
Grade 3 Up–A stunning and uniquely designed picture book. Described as a visual poem about China, the book is comprised of 14 lines, each of which is accompanied by its own double-page illustration, done in cut- and torn-paper collage. Young also provides the ancient characters for the images he presents. Readers are able to read the entire poem from the title page since the pages are of graduated lengths, from short to longer, with a line of poetry appearing on the bottom of each page, overlapping just enough to allow for the text to show. Designed to be read vertically, each page is flipped up to reveal the accompanying illustration. In this way, the entire book becomes a piece of art, a visual treat of sublime colors and textures that joins with text and characters to describe the vastness and beauty of China. A chart shows the ancient characters that appear in the book, along with their modern-day equivalents. While the poetry, along with the illustrations and Chinese characters, may provide a creative experience that children can appreciate and enjoy, Young's rather abstract concept of visual verse, as explained in the author's note, will challenge most youngsters. Certainly, adults would find the explanation interesting, and would also appreciate the reflective poetry and images. An excellent choice for libraries looking for China-themed picture books.–Carol L. MacKay, Camrose Public Library, Alberta, Canada
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist

[Emily Mateos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grade/interest level: Upper elementary (4th-5th grade)
Reading level: None available
Genre: Poetry, multicultural (Chinese symbols), Picture book, Information book

Main Characters: No real main characters
Setting: Middle empire China
POV: 3rd person narrating the poem

This is a very short poem with great imagery in its pictures and use of Chinese symbols. The poem describes the various features of China including its rice fields, bamboo, hemp, and mountains with an every present mist hiding the valley down below. There is not much to say about this poem except that it definitely has to be seen in order to fully get an image of what the author is trying to descrbe about China.
This text is very simplistic in the amount of words that it contains but it has some challenging vocabulary which is why I would use this for an upper elementary school classroom. This could be a great introduction book to a unit about the far East. It could also be used as an example of a different type of poetry with no rhyme. I really enjoyed the use of Chinese symbols to describe the words being used in the poem. I think students would enjoy being able to create their own poems using these Chinese symbols, using this book as an example.

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

A visual poem about China in which Ed Young describes China in such a way as to make you love it. Each page is slightly longer in length, giving the appearance of stairsteps or deeper knowledge. The illustrations look like rice paper collages with watercolors of Chinese script. According to the last few pages, the script used are actually ancient Chinese characters. But there is also a guide to the modern characters and a little history of how the characters have changed. The texture is so vivid, I found myself touching the pages to try to feel them.

"There are things that words describe that pictures never can, and, likewise, there are images that words can never describe." -Ed Young

[Emily Minott]

I liked the format. The Chinese characters over the words were effective. I also liked how it described what the Chinese characters are and why they are formated in certain ways.

[Amy Layton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book easily gets 5 stars for the design. I mean, we all know that Ed Young is an incredible illustrator, but the design truly is impeccable. Not only is this a visual poem, but each flap–that’s right, flaps, not pages–reveals a new line as well as an illustration based on the line’s Chinese character translation of the most important word. It’s such a beautiful way to interweave languages together, and it truly succeeds in doing so.

Review cross-listed here!

[Mac Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Young's design choices for this book worked beautifully. The brief prose about China's creation was illuminated by not only the gorgeous paper collages but also by the orientation of the pictures and the flap-book style. It was as if with each page I was uncovering a step of the development of the land and the language. It took me a few pages to realize that the illustrations mirrored the ancient characters they were representing, but once I noticed that I was delighted all over again by the thought and care that was put into the creation of this picture book.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the Author's note, Young states that he is trying to create the poetic notion of "visual verse." He certainly achieves this through his simplistic paper collages; he is representing a line of poetry in one picture. The book includes chinese symbols which can represent a whole idea in one character. I also like that you get the entire poem when you open the book, but you must flip the pages to see each image grow.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ed Young with rice paper yields magic, in this case as he crafts each illustration around an ancient Chinese character or two, accompanied by a poem that stretches the length of the book (on pages of increasingly larger size. You have to see and take this one in to appreciate it. The book design adds a nice touch, resulting in another expression of Young's affection for the country of his birth.

[Linh Tong · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a poem that describes China. It talks about the beautiful setting including the mountains and the rivers. One of the good phrases in the book is “In winter’s ice, summer’s fire, more plants flourished." The language is very descriptive and it elicits emotions from the reader. The reader can picture the background while reading the poem. The drawings include a variety of colors which makes the reader more interested in the book. I would use this book when we talk about poetry or China.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

A visual poem honoring the author's homeland of China. The book reads vertically with each page being a little larger than the one before it. The lyrical text appears at the bottom of each page alongside Chinese characters. Paper cut collage illustrations support the essence of the words.

An author's note, and a list of Chinese characters then and now is also included.

In one word: fascinating.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this poem about the Great Mountains of china. I love the beautiful collage illustrations and I love the format where each page is a little longer than the last, so that you can actually read the whole poem as you open the front cover...but you have to flip page by page to see the amazing artwork. What a lovely book!

[Sue Doherty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully done! Each line of the poem is illustrated on a fold-out page, with several ancient Chinese characters for words that appear in the line broken up so the reader can see how the characters relate to the words they represent. The back of the book compares the ancient characters to modern day. A great book for poetry, language, or cultural studies.

[Christopher Obert · Rating 3 out of 5]

A beautiful piece of art! The book speaks to both the mind and the eye. It words speak to you as the images express the texture. An attractive combination of color and printed word, worthy of reading and looking at!

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautiful and unique book. After reading the author's note, it's great to read it again.
I'd be interested in hearing comments from people who have read this to their young children/grandchildren.

[Lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a gorgeous book! I love how Ed Young's illustrations show the meaning of the old Chinese character. A beautiful poem (even if it is a bit on the abstract side), lovely illustrations on rice paper, and I love the use of Chinese characters (both old and new).

[Tessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations are lovely and the text is ok - you wont learn much about China but its an interesting read from a poetic standpoint. The book's format is unique, too, which is fun. It would be a good idea to read the author's note before you read the book.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the way the author described a place he obviously loves--China. The illustrations of cut or torn paper(paper collage) are beautifully done. The poem can be seen as soon as you open the cover. It is a sideways book. The illustrations are seen as you lift up each line.

[Brianna Reeve]

An amazing way to show the different features of China and the beautiful artwork that is from the culture. A great way to show the different tools that can be used when creating a story like rice paper paintings or creating their artwork around a poem.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are really no words but the text itself to describe this poetry. A wonderful way to introduce children to poetic innovation and convention all at once. Took me outside myself.

[Katy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A visual poem indeed! Prolific Ed Young writes about the China he loves, illustrating each line with Chinese characters and collages. Ed Young is such a dynamic writer and illustrator.

[Peacegal · Rating 4 out of 5]

LOVED the format of the book and the lesson in Chinese!

[Michelle Farella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely beautiful!!

[Tiffiny · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 6 yr old wasn't really interested but I thought it was a beautiful book. Illustrations are beautiful, format unique.

[Henessy Tolliver · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was put together in a very creative way which I believe children would find unique and want to read this colorful poem book.

[Lilly · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the coolest poems

[Madelyn Merrill · Rating 5 out of 5]

The layout of this book is very engaging! I love how the author incorporated culture and poetry into one book- very education.