The Dragon Tribe

by Kim Xiong, Lei Xiong, Clarissa Yu Shen (Translator)

In a mystical, ancient China, as a rite of passage, children must slay a dragon to become a true member of the Dragon Slayer Tribe. With more and more members proving their courage, the number of dragons become fewer and fewer. What will they do when there are no more dragons left in the world? How did the Chinese perception of dragons change over time and become what it is today? In contrast to Western fairy tales, dragons are benevolent creatures in Chinese folklore and symbolize imperial power, prosperity and good fortune. The Chinese even refer to themselves as the descendants of dragons at times. This tale takes an interesting spin on how the Chinese came to view dragons. With whimsical illustrations, this simple story also prompts children to think about the consequences of our actions in the world and the legacy we leave behind. Hardcover 40 pages English with Simplified Chinese translation in the back of the book

Genres: Picture Books

1 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was distracted from the legend by wondering about the biology of the dragon tribe. They all appear to be sexless. Perhaps the children arrive from budding?

[Josianne Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Translator Clarissa Yu Shen once again retells a story by Chinese illustrators Lei Xiong and Kim Xiong. In this book, they tell the story of the Dragon Tribe, a tribe who started out as the Dragon Slayers but who all but drove dragons to extinction. Faced with a dearth of dragons, they must teach their children about dragons by creating paintings, sculptures and poems. In this way, the Dragon Slayers become protectors of dragons.

The story moves along beautifully until the end when the resolution rather fizzles out. The illustrations are as beautiful as any the Xiong brothers have done. The Dragon Slayers rounded bodies contrast with the scaly detail of the dragons. The watercolor backgrounds give the whole a dreamy feeling. My favorite spread is where the children of the Dragon Slayers are looking for dragons in the depths of the earth. They tunnel through soil and miss the dragon skeletons buried in the earth.

Could tie in with an endangered animal unit, or spark discussions on how knowing something or someone can help us not fear it.

[Jingqiu Chen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read the Chinese version.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tells the story of how the Dragon Slayers in ancient China became known simply as the Dragon Tribe.