Amazon.com: The Hunter: Mary Casanova, Ed Young: Books

From Parents' Choice®
This felicitous retelling of a Chinese folktale is about a young hunter, Hai Li Bu, and the pact he makes with the Dragon King of the Sea, during a time of drought and famine. What give the book its great distinction are the spare ink illustrations with subtle color washes by illustrator Ed Young. The reader/viewer has the sense of having been transported to ancient China and seeing the story unfold through the eyes of a gifted Chinese scroll painter. A rare work of picture-book art. A 2000 Parents' Choice® Gold Award.

Reviewed by Selma G. Lanes, Parents' Choice® 2000

From Booklist
In a Chinese village, a drought scorches the countryside and starves the people. Hai Li Bu, a hunter, tries to find food. One day, he saves a small snake from a crane, and in return the snake brings him to the bottom of the sea, where the snake's father, the Dragon King of the Sea, lives. The Dragon King offers rubies and emeralds as a reward, but Hai Li Bu wants only to understand the language of animals so that he can be a better hunter and feed his village. The Dragon King grants the request on the condition that there will never be a whisper of what has transpired. This agreement works until Hai Li Bu overhears the birds and animals chattering about a huge flood that will destroy the village. The hunter tries to warn the people, but they don't believe. Hai Li Bu finally realizes that to save the villagers he must tell them how he knows about the flood. Heroically, he recounts the whole story--as he slowly turns to stone. Casanova, who lists several sources for the story, tells the tale in a dignified yet moving way that is complemented by the stark artwork. Arid-looking, dun-colored paper is the background for Young's masterful brush strokes, which evoke the spirit of each spread. Fingers of color represent the quixotic climate that can burn or soak. With never a wasted line, Young brings to life the hunter, who in the final spread becomes one with the rocky landscape. And in the corner of each page is a bright red box with Chinese calligraphy that proclaims the essence of the tale: "suffer drought," "downpour," "trust." Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

The Hunter (Hardcover)

Better Together