China's Bravest Girl: The Legend of Hua Mu Lan

by Charlie Chin, Tomie Arai (Illustrator), Xing Chu Wang (Translator)

Hua Mu Lan convinces her father that she must go to war to protect the family's honor--because there is no eldest son.

In this adaptation of the beloved Chinese legend of the maiden warrior, poet Charlie Chin shows us a heroine who is courageous and wise, respectful and loving, and able to meet men on equal terms.

Genres: Childrens, Picture Books, History, China

32 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1993

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of three bilingual adaptations of the classic Chinese folk poem about Mu Lan that I have read - the other two being Jeanne M. Lee's The Song of Mu Lan and Song Nan Zhang's The Ballad of Mulan - China's Bravest Girl presents an English adaptation, in rhyming verse, of the tale, with a Chinese translation of that adaptation, done by Wang Xing Chu. This seems to set it apart from the other two retellings, which present translations of the original ballad/poem, which also appears (in two different styles) on the page. All told, I think I prefer this latter approach, although Chin's version is not without appeal.

The text itself reads well enough, and will be particularly appealing for younger readers, I think, while the bright, colorful illustrations, done by Tomie Arai, will hold their attention. Other than the information, presented at the rear, that the story is based on a Soong Dynasty poem, little historical background is given, which (again) is in contrast to the other two books. Still, while I cannot rate this one as highly as the Lee and Zhang retellings, I think it is worth seeking out, particularly for those readers who may have had the misfortune only to have encountered this story through the Disney film.

[Inoli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very nice. Told in verse. Nice watercolor art. I had never known anything about the legend of Hua Mu Lan and this wasn't what I was looking for but it added to my growing familiarity with children's picture books so it served a good purpose anyway.

Oh, and there's a running Chinese translation, the most interesting thing of which, to me, was the fact that with a brief perusal I couldn't find any duplicate characters nor relate it in any way to the English text. I learned that there are tens of thousands of Chinese characters and that functional literacy requires the knowledge of between 3,000 and 4,000 characters.

[Alma Loredo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hua Mu Lan sees a notice on her father’s door to report for battle. She is afraid because her father is ill and he does not have a son that can report for him. She decides to honor her father by going to battle for him. She disguises herself as a boy and reports instead of her father. She tries her best to not let the others know she is really a girl. Toward the end of the battle she is discovered. At the others but her down and do not what to deal with her. She bravely defeats their opponents. She is praised by her entire town. This is a great book that can be used to share different cultures to our students. It can also be used to show students that gender roles are not always the way they are pictured.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a single thing wrong with it, and in fact I do recommend to interested readers. But for some reason it just didn't come alive for me enough to give it four stars.

Author, illustrator, and translator all have Chinese heritage.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This translation has the verses in Chinese in the side bar and the English translation is in verse as well.

[Margaret Kerr]

Chin, Charlie. China’s Bravest Girl (1993). This is a bilingual book (Chinese and English) that retells the legend of the Chinese maiden warrior, Hua Mu Lan. It is told in verse which makes it an engaging read aloud. Mu Lan’s father receives a notice to report for battle. Mu Lan is fearful because her father is getting older, is not in good health, and he doesn’t have a son to send in his place. Mu Lan decides to honor her father by disguising herself as a young man and going to battle in his place. In this version of the story, she is not discovered until the war is over, she’s home, and she purposely reveals herself to her comrade, whom she later marries. The detailed watercolor illustrations are lovely and show Chinese culture, which enhances the story. I also like having the Chinese writing next to the English, which brought in more culture to the story. This version could be used with the Disney version for a good compare and contrast lesson to teach students how there can be different versions of the same story. Target audience: ages 7-10 (much of the vocabulary is somewhat sophisticated).

[Guo Hui · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like most people who grew up as watching Disney, I have yet to read something that I've watched all my life. The Legend of Mulan, is of a girl named Mulan who cross dresses in order to join the army to replace one of her family members' call of duty. During this journey, Mulan continued to sustain against other male army members, even though biologically the tasks would probably have been too difficult to be performed by women at her time. However, her perseverance led her to become one of the country's biggest heroes, and for once a Chinese story bestowed glory upon a woman, the lower class during dynastic China. My favorite part was when Mulan encouraged her members that they can't give up. To me, encouragement means everything in the world during one's darkest times.

[Christine Levinge · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is awesome! It is the story of Mulan and can be used not only for a read-aloud, but it can also be used for the students to act out the events. At my 3rd grade placement, a volunteer from the Alliance Theater comes in to do activities with the kids, and they have been working on this story. Last week the kids divided up into groups and decided their own endings for the story. They were then able to act out their different interpretations.

[Lyndsey Hurm · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is the story of the legend of Mulan, A disney movie that many of us grew up watching. This is an even text that has Chinese and English translations in it. This would be a great book to use to teach about Chinese culture and also to have in the classroom for a Chinese student. This book rhymes throughout so I would also use it to teach about rhyming words.

The illustrations are great! :)

[Kira Richardson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story of Mulan is very very different from the Disney version of the story, so I was biased. I thought it was an interesting rendition with nice illustrations. This was an excellent addition to our Mulan unit, to show students that stories can have various versions. It could be used as a good compare and contrast.

[Lexy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is respectfully written in regards to the culture and feminism.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the Chinese characters that were on each page and the illustrations were well done with bright colors and familiar chinese symbols.

[Parva Chhantyal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book I will give to my daughters <3

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely rebelling--in poetry--of Mu Lan. I was moved by these lines:

The ocean hides the oyster.
The oyster hides a pearl.
Bright armor and heavy helmet
Hid China's bravest girl.

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hua Mu Lan goes to war in place of her father. The book is an adaption of a Chinese legend and the legend inspired Disney's Mulan movie.

[Alfajirikali · Rating 4 out of 5]

The cadence was quite good.