The Tale of the Mandarin Ducks

The Tale of the Mandarin Ducks - by Katherine Paterson, illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon
ELIB 530A – LibraryThing Part C – Book 4 of 5 – motif: magical birds
This book is a retelling of a popular Japanese folktale. A beautiful wild mandarin duck is captured by a cruel lord and put in a cage

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for his enjoyment. The bird deteriorates thinking of its mate but the lord will not release it, instead the bird is placed out of his sight. A kitchen maid takes pity on it and lets it go free. Soon she and her love are sentenced to death by drowning and they begin the dark trip to the pond that night. They are rescued by a kind couple and then taken to a cottage in the woods and fed and cared for. The couple that took the doomed pair in are the shape-shifting mandarin duck pair that were grateful to them for having released them. The illustrations in the book are done in the style of ukiyo-e, a water colored woodblock print technique.

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When a cruel and greedy lord imprisons a colorful drake, intent on displaying his gorgeous plumage to the neighbors, he cares nothing for the fact that he has separated a devoted pair of mandarin ducks, and that his captive is slowly losing his will to live. It falls to Yasuko the kitchen maid to

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do what is right, and return the drake to his mate, thereby bringing down the wrath of her master, not just upon her own head, but also upon that of Shozo, the lord's one-eyed samurai. All seems lost when the pair are sentenced to death, until two most unexpected messengers arrive...

This engaging Japanese folktale, retold by two-time Newbery Laureate Katherine Paterson, and illustrated by two-time Caldecott Laureates Leo and Diane Dillon, is one that will appeal to folklore lovers of all kinds. The classic themes of cruelty, compassion, and the human relationship to the natural world, are ably explored in the narrative; while the watercolor and pastel artwork - inspired by traditional Japanese ukiyo-e prints and paintings - is simply breathtaking. I thank my friend Chandra for pointing this one out to me - it really is a gem!

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The Tale of the Mandarin Ducks is a feel good book about maid and a King's soldier that take the time to think about others. The King, seeing a beautiful duck, takes it as its own. The duck, heartbroken to be away from his expecting mate, becomes sad and losses his appeal. The maid decides to save

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the duck, and sets it free. The king, blaming it on he soldier, de-ranks him to a serving boy. The soldier and the maid become close. When they need help, the Mandarin Ducks help them out. I would recommend this book to 2nd-6th grade students.

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