The Magic Brush: A Story of Love, Family, and Chinese Characters

by Kat Yeh, Huy Voun Lee (Illustrator)

Combining a heartwarming family story, a magical adventure, and a
multilingual primer on Chinese language, The Magic
Brush tells the story of Jasmine, a young girl who learns
Chinese calligraphy from her Agong, or grandfather. As Jasmine learns
how to paint the characters for dragon, fish, horse, friend, and more,
she and Agong are magically transported to the wondrous world they are
creating. But when Agong passes away, Jasmine must find a way for their
special paintings to live on. Could her baby brother Tai-Tai be the
key? The Magic Brush , beautifully rendered in
traditional cut-paper, is perfect for young readers and their parents
to share, steeped in Chinese traditions and full of magical adventure.

Genres: Picture Books, China, Childrens, Asia, Fantasy, Death, Love

40 pages, Hardcover

First published January 4, 2011

Reviews

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know when a children's book has affected me so much. This book has beautiful pictures, a sweet story and deals with grief and loss in the simplest, loveliest way. The story is simple. A young girl, too old for naps, starts learning Chinese calligraphy from her grandfather. It is magic. She helps tell the story they will draw, and the Chinese character is incorporated into the drawing, making it a great hide-and-seek book. Every day, all summer long, at naptime, her little brother goes to sleep and she creates magic with her grandfather.

[Christine Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Combining a heartwarming family story, a magical adventure, and a multilingual primer on Chinese language, The Magic Brush tells the story of Jasmine, a young girl who learns Chinese calligraphy from her Agong, or grandfather. As Jasmine learns how to paint the characters for dragon, fish, horse, friend, and more, she and Agong are magically transported to the wondrous world they are creating. But when Agong passes away, Jasmine must find a way for their special paintings to live on. Could her baby brother Tai-Tai be the key? The Magic Brush , beautifully rendered in traditional cut-paper, is perfect for young readers and their parents to share, steeped in Chinese traditions.


Subjects

Grandfathers -- Juvenile fiction

Grandparent and child -- Juvenile fiction

Chinese language -- Writing -- Juvenile literature.

Calligraphy, Chinese -- Juvenile literature.

Storytelling -- Juvenile fiction

Chinese Americans -- Juvenile fiction

[Mary Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story of a Chinese grandfather teaching his young Chinese American granddaughter how to write in Chinese. Huy Voun Lee's cut paper artwork incorporates the Chinese characters without having them dominate the illustrations. The information in the back of the book about the characters and the cut paper artwork was especially nice. This picture balances the family relations, the appealing fantasy and the cultural information nicely - no one element dominates, and they all work together well.

[Niki Marion · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not crying, YOU'RE crying.

This book does so much without ever feeling like it's too much. It's a. multilingual, b. about the death of a grandparent, c. about tradition in its many forms, d. also kinda a folk tale, e. THE ILLUSTRATIONS INCLUDE ARTISTIC INTERPRETATIONS OF THE FORMAL ELEMENTS OF THE CHINESE CHARACTERS THAT APPEAR ON EACH PAGE, f. a story about sibling/familial bonds.

The back matter informs about Chinese character pronunciation, a brief history of Chinese paper-cut art (the style in which Huy Voun Lee illustrates), and a glossary of Chinese treats.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jasmine’s grandfather comes to live in their house, and teaches Jasmine to create magical worlds with calligraphy while her little brother Tai-Tai is napping. Agong, or Grandfather, encourages Jasmine to let her imagination take off from the Chinese characters he teaches her each day. Soon they are whiling away the afternoons pretending to fly as high as the moon and stars, play with monkeys on a distant mountaintop, and feast on mooncakes and bubble tea.

Throughout the spring and summer they construct scenarios in which they climb mountains together and fly past the moon. But in the fall, her grandfather becomes ill, and then, he is gone. Jasmine is sad and lonely until one day, Tai-Tai grows too old for his naps, and Jasmine teaches him to make magic just like their grandfather had taught her. And the first Chinese character she teaches him is “agong” - the one that means grandfather.

Discussion: Readers will enjoy the Chinese folk-art illustrations by Huy Voun Lee that depict Jasmine and her grandfather acting out Jasmine’s fantasies. The Mandarin Chinese characters shown on each page to match the pictures are fascinating, and the author includes a pronunciation key at the back of the book. There is also information about the cut-paper collages used for the book, and an explanation of the Chinese treats that are Jasmine’s favorites.

Evaluation: I think children will love this heartwarming book, and adults might shed a tear or two, as I did. The information about Chinese culture and folk art at the end of the story is not only enlightening, but unlike much back matter in picture books, is presented at a level that will make it understandable even to children.

Rating: 4/5

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

When her grandfather comes to stay with Jasmine's family, he introduces her to a world of magic as they draw Chinese characters and create a magical world where fish, dragons, and even humans can fly. As Jasmine learns the characters, she is becoming immersed in her cultural heritage, and after her grandfather dies, she still has the gifts he has given her, gifts that she will pass on to her younger brother. The Chinese characters for some of the words she learns to write such as "mountain," "river," and "grandfather" appear at the bottom of the pages. Backmatter includes a Pronunciation Key, History of Chinese Art, and a description of the Chinese treats mentioned in the story. The cut-paper collage, rubber stamp, and ink illustrations are filled with vivid colors and show the affection Jasmine has for her imaginative grandfather and the world to which he introduces her.

[Dianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Magic Brush was written by Kat Yeh and illustrated by Huy Voun Lee. I knew when I saw the book, I would love it. When I was growing up, I never was able to read books like this one, that represented my culture. It was so beautiful how they wrote words from my actual language and the characters on the pages. In addition to that, the beautiful cut out collage illustrations had definitely grasped my emotions. The story was so greatly paced, that it definitely moved my emotions as I continued through the story. To be honest, towards the end of the book, I had actual tears coming out of my eyes. I guess all books that talk about families always get to me. As mentioned before this book was so beautiful, and I hope others will read this book. I will always remember this book, even when I am older.

[Lisa Carroll · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a lovely picture book that was steeped in Chinese traditions of calligraphy and story telling. The book had a charming story, beautiful pictures, and it included a glossary of what some of the symbols mean. This would be an excellent book to incorporate in a classroom library because it stresses the importance of love and family and it is also culturally diverse. The pictures were visually appealing. They were full of color, but the pictures were simple and the illustrator did not get caught up in extravegent details.

[Beth Kakuma-Depew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a story of a girl and her grandfather, and how their special bond stays alive even after he's gone. Lovely cut paper illustrations.

Like the Pet Dragon, this book incorporates Chinese characters into the illustrations. But the Chinese characters are really more hidden in the illustrations, and are less clear to see than in the Pet Dragon. Unlike the Pet Dragon, the Magic Brush gives readers a Mandarin Chinese prononciation guide at the end, with a short explanation of the four tones - very thorough! There's also a short history of Chinese arts and sweet treats.

[Angie Quantrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book! A young girl is too old for a nap, but feels at lost ends without her younger brother (who must still take a nap). Grandfather moves to their house and he begins to use the time to teach her about the magic brush - Chinese characters and imagination. Sadly, grandfather gets very ill and passes away. Again the girl is lost without nap time interaction and her grandfather. But then - her brother is too old for naps. She takes him under her wings and begins to teach him about the magic brush. Lovely tale of family.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jasmine and her grandfather go on a magic journey by drawing Chinese characters on paper. Sadly, her grandfather gets sick and eventually passes away. Jasmine finally is able to find joy again when she invites her younger brother to discover the magic she originally discovered with her grandfather. A story of imagination, love, loss, and enjoying life again. The kids did fairly well with this at storytime.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd love to share this with children, not because it's a sad story about loss and grief, but because of its clever incorporation of Chinese characters into the illustrations. The story is well told, and not too heavy, but the illustrations are what fascinated me more than anything else, that and the endnotes that include a pronunciation guide for saying things in Mandarin. Tremendous resource that any library should be sure to have.

[Powers Family · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun introduction to Chinese characters - seeing them in images helps you understand how they were created. Sweet story of a Grandfather carrying on a tradition. Also, the book shows torn paper art - fun idea to try at home.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Appealing family story.

[Nance · Rating 3 out of 5]

good story. Good illustrations. There is a lot to talk about with the Chinese language in this book.

[Yoo Kyung Sung · Rating 2 out of 5]

typical exoticism.. exoticized daily ritual and typical grandfather..ugh!

[Mary Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

The magic of writing.

[The Styling Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed reading, great symbol integration into the pictures. Cute story, tough w/grandfather dying.

[Janette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very nice story- good for a study of China.

[Khawlah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. The art was amazing, it was a fast read, and the last two pages of info were a great help in understanding chinese art and some basics of the language.

[Leslie Fisher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good explanation of the four tones in Mandarin Chinese, and I could see how the the book was trying to explain the different symbols for words, but I had a hard time with some of the words.

[Aolund · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simultaneously about learning to write, the magic of words, family connections, and loss and grief, this is a rich book with deceptively simple words and pictures.

[The Book Maven · Rating 3 out of 5]

This sweet story with simple illustrations shows a grandfather teaching his granddaughter Chinese calligraphy. This is a swell book to introduce children to elements of Chinese culture, as well as a lovely story about family and imagination.

Trigger warning/spoiler alert: the grandfather dies, off-scene, in the book.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phenomenal! The Mandarin Chinese characters are integrated into the illustrations, showing us how they represent the object they are showing. A girl and her grandfather share stories throughout the book. The pronunciation key and description of jian zhi is super interesting!

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sad but sweet.

[Issa · Rating 5 out of 5]

i picked this book up to get inspiration not to start crying in the library

[Donalyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little girl learns how to write in Chinese while her grandfather spins fanciful stories for her.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful story & illustrations!