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crystal_reading's review
4.0
A young boy learns about tai chi from his Chinese grandfather and participates in the Chinese New Year celebration.
icedcoffeeandbookss's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
This was so cute!
calistareads's review
4.0
A boy’s grandfather comes to visit the family from China. He sees his grandfather doing a slow dance in his yard and goes to investigate. The grandfather is doing Tai Chi and he is a master martial arts teacher. The boy wants to learn, but the grandfather has him doing standing poses that make his arms ache and he feels stupid, so he kinda quits until he sees his grandfather save a woman from getting hit by a board by breaking the board in half.
Having patience as a kid is tough. You just want to do things and not have to go through the process of learning it. I see that with my kids and I remember that as a kid. This boy struggles with that, but eventually he is able to learn something that is disciplined that will help him in life. I sure could use some better discipline and life organization skills right now. I somewhat fall into my niblings category of ‘I do it if I feel like it and not if I don’t want too’ category. It is not helpful. Anyway.
I don’t know that the kids knew what to make of this story. The niece was interested in the ‘slow dance’, but not really. The nephew liked the dragon at the end that was in the parade in Chinatown and he thinks martial arts are cool, but he didn’t really get into this book either. They were somewhat intrigued and somewhat bored. The nephew gave this 3 stars and the niece gave this 2 stars.
Having patience as a kid is tough. You just want to do things and not have to go through the process of learning it. I see that with my kids and I remember that as a kid. This boy struggles with that, but eventually he is able to learn something that is disciplined that will help him in life. I sure could use some better discipline and life organization skills right now. I somewhat fall into my niblings category of ‘I do it if I feel like it and not if I don’t want too’ category. It is not helpful. Anyway.
I don’t know that the kids knew what to make of this story. The niece was interested in the ‘slow dance’, but not really. The nephew liked the dragon at the end that was in the parade in Chinatown and he thinks martial arts are cool, but he didn’t really get into this book either. They were somewhat intrigued and somewhat bored. The nephew gave this 3 stars and the niece gave this 2 stars.
drownedinlight's review
5.0
I liked this book so much. It was a really wonderful story about integrating ones ancestry into your present, as well as not being ashamed of who you are. Especially recommended for Chinese-American readers!
beecheralyson's review
3.0
A young boy learns about martial arts (tai chi) from his grandfather and much more about his heritage. Does refer to Chinese New Year and could be used during this holiday as well.
bethmitcham's review against another edition
4.0
Kid learns tai chi. Static illustrations reflect the story.
tashrow's review against another edition
4.0
Vinson is fascinated when his grandfather arrives from China and practices tai chi in the backyard. When Vinson finds out it’s a martial art, he thinks it might be like kung fu but soon learns it is not. His grandfather begins to teach him the basic movements of tai chi but it is slow and requires a lot of patience. When Vinson is offered a place in the Chinese New Year parade, he’s not sure he wants to even participate. However, when he and his grandfather get to China Town, he discovers that his grandfather has been saying wonderful things about him and that everyone is very pleased to meet him. Even more importantly, the respect everyone shows his gentle, quiet grandfather changes his view of martial arts and the man himself.
Read the rest of my review on my blog, Waking Brain Cells.
Read the rest of my review on my blog, Waking Brain Cells.
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