Picture Book Review of The Emperor and the Kite by Jane Yolen

The Emperor and the Kite by Jane Yolen

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Today my fourth graders briefly visited China through Jane Yolen's picture book, The Emperor and the Kite. In classic Yolen style, she tells the tale of a tiny princess who goes unnoticed until she saves the kingdom from disaster.

My students connected on an emotional level with this little princess. They sighed and said, "Ahhh..." and "that's so sad." You see, the tiny princess ate alone, talked to herself, and played by herself. She was beneath her family's notice. The only thing she really wanted was love. Of course the little princess triumphs in the end, and is no longer ignored. This is a sweet folk tale set long ago in China.

Find China on the map before you read the story. Ask students to discuss a leading question, "How does it feel when no one will talk to you or play with you?" Read the story and model making text to self connections. You can revisit the text to teach sequence of events, inference, foreshadowing, and predictions.