The Five Chinese Brothers

Five Chinese brothers who all have supernatural powers that they use to save themselves and the others. This book as taken a lot of over the years for it not being PC, I did not find it offensive in any way and totally enjoyed the characters and what they have gone through.

A story about 5 brothers who all have special powers. They all find a reason to use their powers in one way or another. A great book to keep childrens attention.

A book my husband loved from his childhood, I purchased this for him to relive the moment. The five brothers each have a special gift/power, when used at the right time, it will save one of them from an unjust death.

I guess there is controversy over this title because of the depictions of the Asian characters as all looking alike. There is a problem with the idea of a major plot point being that all the Chinese brothers look alike (considering it's a racist presumption that all Asians look alike, or whatever).

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Also, if I'm correct in assuming it's based off "The Seven Chinese Brothers," in that folk tale (the variations I've read, anyway) all the brothers look different. So to have changed the story so they all look alike is odd. And probably racist.

But anyway, I gather the story is one that a lot of people read as kids, so it's somewhat of a classic. But I hadn't read it and therefore don't have any particular emotional attachment to it. It's got a lot of the violent folklore/fairy tale tropes that make modern readers uncomfortable (i.e. being burned at the stake and other modes of execution attempted). I liked the idea of trying to swallow the ocean in order to catch fish. But other than that, I remain pretty firmly unimpressed. I didn't think it's logical that a judge would allow the various brothers to go home each time a method of execution failed. Also why would they try to suffocate someone with whipped cream? (I've never given any thought to this method of execution but it seems relatively uncommon!)

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This is a chinese fable about five brothers. While teaching a boy to fish one brother accidently loses him in the sea. The town decides to execute the brother for his crime. Each time he is allowed to see his family one more time so instead of returning another btother goes in his place. Each task

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is then solved by each one of the separate brothers because of their special traits. When trying to drown the man one brother could swallow thw sea, another one had an iron neck so as to not hang, one could stretch his legs, another could not be burned and the last could hold his breath indefinitely.

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Weise, K. (1938). The Five chinese brothers. New York: Coward-McCann.
This folktale contains humor to soften the violence associated with the story itself. One brother is charged with a crime, and through the use of his identical brothers, is able to escape punishment. I liked it's simple language

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and illustrations. A similar book written in the 1930s is Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel. While these are two very different stories from the same decade, they are both popular with children.

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Five brothers who look just alike outwit the executioner by using their extraordinary individual qualities.

A story about five identical Chinese brothers. Each brother has a special, extraordinary talent: one swallows the sea, one has an iron neck, one could not be burned, etc. One morning the brother who could swallow the sea allowed a boy to tag along on a fishing trip, and when the sea was empty,

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revealing the variety of fish and uncovered treasures of the sea, the little boy ran out onto the dried land to fill his pockets with treasure. The brother who swallowed the sea did all he could to call the boy back to shore before he burst, and the sea flowed back into the sea bed, drowning the little boy. When the brother was sentenced to execution for the boy’s death, the brother requested permission from the judge to return home to say goodbye to his mother…and exchanged places with the second brother, who survived the beheading due to his iron neck. When the villagers decided he should be drowned instead; when the second brother was granted permission to say goodbye to his mother, the third brother, whose legs allowed him to stretch, returned in his place and could not be drowned because of his ability to stretch and keep his head above water. After all five brothers defeat death in the same fashion, the villagers decide it means the brother is innocent; and it’s happily ever after for the brothers and their mother.

This book reads like folklore. It is a simple yet entertaining story; in the classroom, it could be used as an example in a lesson about creative writing, the literary elements (character and plot development, etc.). I don’t feel there’s any great lesson to be taken from the story, but offered as pure entertainment or as an example of fun, interesting storytelling, I believe this book could be a hit with young children. It would reinforce the positive aspects of reading good stories/books, and could jumpstart a “Why read?” discussion about literature.

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Interested and wanting to know of all the fuss and offensive issues behind The Five Chinese Brothers I read the book in a couple of different ways. First I read the book with the text and pictures (as most people would read a book). Secondly, I read the book with only the text and I also read the

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book with no text by only looking at the pictures.
The story is great, clever, and funny. I can see why a young child would laugh laugh laugh through the story, the notion of getting into trouble and finding a way to get out of trouble and to "out smart" the others.
The pictures do play an important roll in the story, are the brothers all the same looking because they are quintuplets or because they all look the same due to the fact that they are forefingers. The brothers had to look the same to be able to pull of the trickery that they did, to escape death.
The depiction of the brothers yellow skin, traditional Chinese hats with pigtails, and slanted eyes, is that blatant racism or stereotyping to help the reader in 1938.
Not just the depiction of the characters in the story some may take offense to some of the content in the story, death of a child and the repeated tries of the death penalty.
Sure this book is not for everyone, I enjoyed the story, it was clever and funny. The picture of the brother "stretching" to keep his head above the water was my favorite.
Ages 4-5 and up

Bishop, Claire H, and Kurt Wiese. The Five Chinese Brothers. New York: Coward-McCann, 1938.

Travers, P L, and Mary Shepard. Mary Poppins. New York: Harcourt, Brace & Co, 1934.

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The first brother in this story of five, appears to be invincible, unable to die. He had been sent to trial because he brought a young child fishing with him and was unable to hold the water in while the child was running around not listening. Unable to hold it, the first brother had to release the

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sea from his mouth and the little boy was lost. The brother appeared in front of the judge to be killed but he had asked to go see his mother first. In which he had sent his second bother who would not be affected by the punishment that was to be delivered. That pattern was repeated until the fifth brother came through, by that point the village thought that he, the first brother, was unable to die, so they relieved him of his punishment.

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This book brings multicultural aspects into the classroom, but it is very stereotypical. Everything that happens in the story is fantasy because it wouldn't happen in real life. For example, one of the five brothers swallowed the whole ocean. I think that it would be an acceptable book to bring

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into the classroom, but you would need to talk with the students about make believe. I think that this book would need to be read in the higher grade levels.

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Five brothers who look alike, all outwit execution. This book is great for bringing culture into the classroom, but I think it's a little too stereotypical.

Characters: First Chinese brother, Second Chinese brother, Third Chinese brother, Fourth Chinese brother, Fifth Chinese brother, mother, fishing boy. judge, executioner
Setting: Imperial China, a fishing village in the China
Theme: family relationship, brotherhood, superpowers, lack of justice

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system, severe punishment, habeas corpus
Genre: brotherly love, family, folk stories, picture book
Golden quote (optional): “Your honor, will you allow me to go and bid my mother good-bye” “It is only fair”
Summary: Near the sea in a fishing village in China there are five brothers that look alike, that live with their mom. All five brothers have a special power or skill, which makes them seem like ancient heroes. One brother can swallow the sea, Second brother has an iron neck, third brother can stretch his legs pretty far, fourth brother cannot be burned, and the fifth brother can hold his breath indefinitely. The first brother is a good fisherman, that always brings rare and fine fishes to the village’s market, and one day he gets a request from a young boy to allow him to join him during his next fishing trip. The first brother rejects the boy, but the boy insists until the first brother accepts. The first brother has one request, the little boy must obey all commands given to him, and the little boy agrees. They go fishing, the first brother swallows the sea, and the little boy begins to collect sea creatures that are now left in the bare ground, when the first brother gets tired of holding on to the sea in his mouth, he asks the little boy to make his way back to safety, but the little boy ignores the plea. The first brother can no longer hold on and releases the sea and the little boy disappears. The first brother is charged with murder, he is sentenced to decapitation, but before the execution he makes a plea with the judge to let him go home to say good-bye to his mom, and the judge agrees. In return, the second brother comes in to replace his brother, but the executioner is unable to cut through the iron neck of the second brother. The judge offers three more methods of execution, but every time a new brother is put in place to use his special skills to survive the execution. At the end, the judge allows the first brother to walk free, justifying that he must be innocent since he survived all the types of execution.
Audience: children, 3rd graders and up
Curriculum ties: Imperial China
Awards (optional): Lewis Carroll Shelf Award, National Education Association named it “Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children.”
Personal response: This book does a good job of continuing the tradition of telling folk stories to children. The story allows children to capture the imagination of boys and their fascination with superpowers. I have mixed feelings about the book, especially when read to children. On one part I think that the book may send a negative message about using your special powers or skills to escape punishment. On the other hand I feel that it shows that innocence ultimately prevails over everything. The illustrations of this book may display some type of generalization of Chinese, and can be considered by some as offensive.

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Children’s Classic
Bishop, Claire Huchet. The Five Chinese Brothers. illus. by Kurt Wiese. Coward, 1938.
Characters: Five Chinese brother(Identical) ; one that could not be burned , one that had a neck made of steel, one that could swallow the ocean, one that could stretch his legs very long and

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one that could hold his breath indefinitely.
Setting: China in the late early 18th century, near a port.
Theme: family bond and loyalty
Genre: cautionary tale, fairy tale
Golden quote: “Your honor will you allow me to go and bid my mother goodbye?”
Summary: When a little boy fails to listen to the brother that can swallow the ocean, he is tragically drowned as a result a group of brothers band together to manipulate a trial process in order to avoid be unjustly executed.
Audience: Elementary 3rd -6th grade
Curriculum ties: Cultural, entertainment, behavior
Awards: Caldecott Honor Award, Lewis Carroll Shelf Award and National Education Association “Teachers’ Top 100 Books for Children”
Personal response: This book is a fine example of a cautionary tale that may be used to entertain kids in elementary while telling them the importance of listening and following directions. The story was surprisingly dark for the year that it was made but it is that darkness and individuality that could resonate with the contemporary youth audience.

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Each brother has a different talent / superpower. It shares this motif(?) with The Fool of the World and Flying Ship and other folk tales in which a group is able to achieve their goal as each individual does the one thing he can do better than anyone. In this case, the brothers escape execution

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after someone dies because he doesn't listen to them. As an adult, I may be more squeamish than the target audience of children.

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Excellent story with wonderful pictures. A 'storytelling' story that
children will enjoy. I like how you have to turn the book to get the
stretch in.M: What does indefinetly mean? The Chinese brother did nothing wrong why do they want to kill him? I asked Z if she thought that the people would think

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that there is only 1 chinese brother or would they know that there are 5? She said they would know there are 5 of them because they can count them.

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This book too was read to me when I was in elementary school. Our school librarian read it to us and I loved it. It is about a family living in China with five brothers who looked a lot like each other, and each one had their own talent. One can swallow the sea; one has an iron neck; one can

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stretch his legs; one can survive fire; and the last can hold his breath forever. However, one brother is accused of murder and sentenced to death. His four brothers take his place when subjected to execution. They each use their powers and one cannot be beheaded, one cannot be drowned, one cannot be burned, and one cannot be smothered. It is finally decided that the brother must have been innocent because he couldn't be executed. I think this a fun book for most kids to read in elementary school but it has been known to promote ethnic stereotypes about the Chinese. I think most kids would see past that and simply enjoy the plot more than anything!

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In China lived five brothers, each in appearance exactly like the others. Each, too, had a special ability: the first could swallow the sea; the second had an iron neck; the third could stretch his legs very far; the fourth couldn't be burned; and the fifth could hold his breath indefinitely. When

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a young boy is drowned while collecting shells from the sea bed after the first brother had drunk up the sea, the first brother is sentenced to be killed. However, his brothers' special talents may be just what is needed to save him.

The Five Chinese Brothers is a picture book, written by Claire Huchet Bishop and illustrated by Kurt Wiese. I enjoyed it greatly as a child, though, looking back on it as an adult, there are some problems with it.

The problem is with the illustrations. They are lovely and entertaining, but they are also sadly stereotypical of Chinese people. I'd hesitate to call them racist, but they certainly reflect the time the were published, back in 1938. The Chinese people in general, and not merely the identical brothers, are all drawn as being essentially identical, with yellow skin, closed eyes, and hands together in their sleeves. Usual, I suppose, for the time, though such illustrations would be fairly offensive today--the book would probably not be published.

I understand that there's a more recent retelling of the story by Margaret Mahy, with illustrations by Mou-Sien Tseng, called The Seven Chinese Brothers, which may lack these problems and so be preferable, but I've not read it, so I can't comment.

Even with its problems, The Five Chinese Brothers is a great book. If it should, perhaps, be read by parents together with their children, in order to ensure an appropriate understanding that the book doesn't accurately represent Chinese people, well, that's not so bad--children's books are usually best read by parents and children together, anyway.

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Five Chinese brothers all look alike and all have super powers. The trick the people of the town who are trying to execute one of them for drowning a little boy by mistake.

The book is about 1 murder and 4 attempted executions. My child asked me the same question I had in response to the book, "why?"

Summary: There are 5 Chinese brothers who all looked identical and each have a special power, 1) the power to swallow the sea, 2) had an iron neck, 3) could stretch and stretch his legs, 4) could not be burned, 5) could hold his breath indefinitely. The first brother was a great fisherman and a

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little boy asked to go fishing with him, after contemplating he agreed. He made the boy promise he would obey him promptly. He then swallowed the sea and the little boy went out to grab the uncovered treasure and fish needed. The brother began to need to let the sea back out and he waved for the little boy to come back and he refused and continued to pick things up and run further onto the sea floor. The first Chinese brother had to let the sea back and the little boy disappeared. When the brother returned to town unaccompanied, he was arrested and sentenced to death by having his head cut off. The second brother with the iron neck was sent in his place and could not be killed that way so he was then sentenced to death by drowning. The third brother who could stretch his legs forever was sent in his place and was thrown out to sea and just stretched to the bottom. He was then sentenced to death by burning so the fourth brother was sent who could not be burned. Then he was sentenced to death my smothering so the fifth brother who could hold his breath indefinitely was sent and of course could not be killed that way. The people and judge finally decided the man was innocent and all five brother lived happily ever after.

Personal Reaction: This book was very clever in the ways it used the Chinese culture. It is not true that all Chinese look identical however to most people Chinese do resemble each other especially if they are blood related.

Classroom Extension Ideas: 1. Have my students come up with a 6th brother to add to the story and what his power would be.
2. Have them use the 6th brother to rewrite the ending.

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I felt like this book was funny at some parts and had playful events that occurred throughout. These are two of the things that I liked about the book. When the king in the book failed so many times to kill who he thought had caused the little boy's death, it was a way to show comedic slapstick

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humor through a children's book. However, the things I did not like about this book were some of its themes and how this book played on the identical chinese brothers. It almost seems that the author is trying to make a joke about how chinese people look the same, which can be taken very offensively. Also, the theme of death is a little to prevalent for my taste. The author seemed to talk too much about killing. The little boy died in the sea and the king tried to kill who he thought killed the boy 4 seperate times. This just seems a little morbid for me. The big picture of this book was to tell a funny tale of "sticking together."

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Despite being a little insensitive for modern tastes, The Five Chinese Brothers is a slightly non-sensical tale of brothers that try to save their other brother from being put to death. That said, this book is pretty silly, with each of the brothers having a unique ability despite looking extremely

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identical. With a combination of love for their brothers, and a little teamwork, this book shows that you can get a lot done together.

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I liked reading this book. The illustrations were very well done and were more interesting than usual, for example in one part of the story you had to turn the book sideways to view the entire illustration. I thought the illustrations were very helpful in telling the story. The characters were

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obviously not that believable (no one could actually swallow the ocean or have a neck strong enough to stop a sharp blade) but they were silly and funny and very likeable. The plot was very organized and stayed at the same, steady pace that made the story interesting to read. While this book was more silly than most others I have read so far, I would say if I had to pick a main idea from this story it would be that family is important and will always have your back.

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