Illustrated by Jean and Mou-sien Tseng
4 stars
A beautiful reimagining of the Han tale of The Seven Brothers.
This serves as a nice alternative to The Five Chinese Brothers with detailed illustrations and a full color pallet. In this version, the seven brothers learn that Emperor Ch’in Shih Huang is making people work day and night to repair a hole in the Great Wall. When one brother repairs the wall himself, the emperor fears he is too strong and sentences him to death. The others band together to outsmart the emperor.
Witty and fun. The beautiful and engaging artwork really makes this version shine.
The book opens with an Editor’s Note that sets the story in a specific time period with information about the real Ch’in Shih Huang and the building of the Great Wall. Pairs well with The Seven Chinese Sisters in exploring siblings using their special talents to help one another.
An exciting read with narrow escapes and lively visuals. Nice themes of teamwork, helping others, and doing what’s right.