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The Magic Boat
When a boy named Chang rescues an old man from a river, he is rewarded with a small dragon boat that can magically change from a pocket-size toy to a full-size ship.
A folktale from China.
A folktale from China.
- GenresPicture BooksChildrens
32 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 1990
About the author
Demi
184 books179 followersDemi (September 2, 1942) born Charlotte Dumaresq Hunt, is an award-winning children’s book author and illustrator. During her career she has published over 300 titles.
Demi was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She is the great-grand daughter of the American painter William Morris Hunt, and the great-grand niece of architect Richard Morris Hunt. Demi earned her nickname as a young child when her father started calling her demi because she was half the size of her sister.
She studied art at Instituto Allende, Mexico, and with Sister Corita at the Immaculate Heart College in Los Angeles. She was a Fulbright scholar at the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, India where she received her Master’s degree.
Demi is known for her biographies for spiritual figures including Buddha, Krishna, Lao Tzu, Jesus, Mary (mother of Jesus), Muhammad, Rumi, Francis of Assisi, Gandhi, and the Dalai Lama.
In 1990, Demi and her husband Tze-si “Jesse” Huang represented the United States at the First Children’s International Book Conference in Beijing.
Source: Wikipedia
Demi was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She is the great-grand daughter of the American painter William Morris Hunt, and the great-grand niece of architect Richard Morris Hunt. Demi earned her nickname as a young child when her father started calling her demi because she was half the size of her sister.
She studied art at Instituto Allende, Mexico, and with Sister Corita at the Immaculate Heart College in Los Angeles. She was a Fulbright scholar at the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, India where she received her Master’s degree.
Demi is known for her biographies for spiritual figures including Buddha, Krishna, Lao Tzu, Jesus, Mary (mother of Jesus), Muhammad, Rumi, Francis of Assisi, Gandhi, and the Dalai Lama.
In 1990, Demi and her husband Tze-si “Jesse” Huang represented the United States at the First Children’s International Book Conference in Beijing.
Source: Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 13, 2025
An honest and kindhearted boy named Chang is gifted with a magical boat after saving an old man from drowning in this picture book retelling of a Chinese folktale. Normally toy-sized, the boat can grow life-sized when its owners whispers the correct words to it, something that comes in handy when a flood inundates Chang's farm and he, his mother, and a variety of creatures need saving. But when they also rescue the dishonest Ying, who then steals the boat, Chang must set out to regain his property, heading to the emperor's palace, where he finds that ruler is no more honest than the thief. What is Chang to do? Will he ever regain his magic boat...?
Like so many other Chinese folktales retold by prolific author/illustrator Demi— Liang and the Magic Paintbrush , The Stonecutter , The Magic Tapestry —I found The Magic Boat immensely appealing, appreciating both the story and the artwork. In so many of the tales Demi has chosen to retell from this part of the world, the hero gains some magical object or ability through his own virtue, and must then contend with the reaction of less-than-virtuous fellow humans to his good fortune. That is certainly the case here, and watching Chang triumph in the end is (as always in such stories) quite satisfying. The accompanying artwork, done in Demi's trademark intricate style in ink and paint, is charming. Recommended to young folklore enthusiasts, to those looking for picture book retellings of Chinese tales, and to fans of the artist.
Like so many other Chinese folktales retold by prolific author/illustrator Demi— Liang and the Magic Paintbrush , The Stonecutter , The Magic Tapestry —I found The Magic Boat immensely appealing, appreciating both the story and the artwork. In so many of the tales Demi has chosen to retell from this part of the world, the hero gains some magical object or ability through his own virtue, and must then contend with the reaction of less-than-virtuous fellow humans to his good fortune. That is certainly the case here, and watching Chang triumph in the end is (as always in such stories) quite satisfying. The accompanying artwork, done in Demi's trademark intricate style in ink and paint, is charming. Recommended to young folklore enthusiasts, to those looking for picture book retellings of Chinese tales, and to fans of the artist.
November 13, 2023
A beautifully illustrated picture book which demonstrates how greed and selfishness are no match for kindness and joy.
March 17, 2011
Another truly memorable book from well-known folklorist author, Demi, “The Magic Boat” is a true masterpiece in its own right as it details the story of a young boy named Chang who receives a magic boat from an old man he rescued. “The Magic Boat” is a truly wonderful experience for the whole family!
All I can say is…wow! This book was so amazing that words truly cannot express how much raw emotion I have felt from this book! Demi has done an excellent job at both writing and illustrating this story about magic and the power of kindness! I just loved how Demi illustrated Chinese inspired images of all the characters and the environment and I loved how all the characters are dressed up in magnificent robes, especially the image of Chang himself as he is mainly wearing white lavish pants and a white robe which makes him look extremely innocent throughout the book. I also loved the way that Demi illustrated the background images, especially of the images of the rivers having blue lines drawn through them and I loved how the trees are so luscious and green, which truly brings out the beauty of the environment around the characters. Demi has also done an excellent job at writing this story, as the story is both exciting and heartwarming at the same time. I loved the way that Demi made the character Chang into such a likeable character by making him caring and trustworthy towards others and I loved how those traits are shown in a positive light. I also loved the way that Demi translated the Chinese names for each character by stating the characters’ names and then explaining what the words mean like for example, “Chang” means “honesty” in Chinese and “Ying” means “tricky” in Chinese.
Parents should know that there is a brief violent scene of a character being beaten up by sticks and although this scene is not particularly graphic, this might upset smaller children. Parents should tell their children that it is not right to beat up other people because of a disagreement and that you should always talk about the problem firsthand.
All in all, “The Magic Boat” is a truly magnificent book to read for children who are fans of Chinese folklore and Demi’s works! I would recommend this book to children ages five and up due to the violent scene.
All I can say is…wow! This book was so amazing that words truly cannot express how much raw emotion I have felt from this book! Demi has done an excellent job at both writing and illustrating this story about magic and the power of kindness! I just loved how Demi illustrated Chinese inspired images of all the characters and the environment and I loved how all the characters are dressed up in magnificent robes, especially the image of Chang himself as he is mainly wearing white lavish pants and a white robe which makes him look extremely innocent throughout the book. I also loved the way that Demi illustrated the background images, especially of the images of the rivers having blue lines drawn through them and I loved how the trees are so luscious and green, which truly brings out the beauty of the environment around the characters. Demi has also done an excellent job at writing this story, as the story is both exciting and heartwarming at the same time. I loved the way that Demi made the character Chang into such a likeable character by making him caring and trustworthy towards others and I loved how those traits are shown in a positive light. I also loved the way that Demi translated the Chinese names for each character by stating the characters’ names and then explaining what the words mean like for example, “Chang” means “honesty” in Chinese and “Ying” means “tricky” in Chinese.
Parents should know that there is a brief violent scene of a character being beaten up by sticks and although this scene is not particularly graphic, this might upset smaller children. Parents should tell their children that it is not right to beat up other people because of a disagreement and that you should always talk about the problem firsthand.
All in all, “The Magic Boat” is a truly magnificent book to read for children who are fans of Chinese folklore and Demi’s works! I would recommend this book to children ages five and up due to the violent scene.
June 21, 2013
Once upon a time there was a kind Chinese boy named Chang who saw an old man fall into the river. Chang jumped in and rescued the old man, who rewarded him with a magic boat. Chang continued doing good deeds until one day a greedy man named Ying stole the boat. With help from those he had been kind to, Chang accomplished several difficult tasks to get his boat back. In the end there is a lot of magic and some serious retribution.
Demi's fine-lined, delicate illustrations bring the story to life with amazing detail. Ages 5-7.
Demi's fine-lined, delicate illustrations bring the story to life with amazing detail. Ages 5-7.
June 3, 2016
The art is so wonderfully done that it takes as long to study the pictures as it does to read the words. The tale itself is very similar to many familiar fairy tales.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews