(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Lesley Liu. Chang, the mute fisherman's son introduced in Bird Boy, expresses himself by communing with cormorants and playing his flute. When a flood nearly destroys his family's houseboat, Chang's flute-playing helps them recover. Accessible to early readers, this story of village life on China's Li River is accompanied by tender illustrations of a loving modern family following ancient ways.

Reviewer: Margaret A. Chang

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Lesley Liu. Young Chang, who can make sounds but cannot form words, lives on a houseboat on a river, where his father uses trained cormorants to fish. Chang learns about friendship and trust when he is given the chance to raise a cormorant chick. Both text and illustrations in this chapter book provide clear pictures of the characters and the setting in southern China.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander

(4) K-3 This old-fashioned account of a young American girl growing up in China "a very long time ago" is rich in detail, and the incidents described have child-appeal: Mei Fuh raises silkworms while recuperating from a burn; she visits other families at mealtimes to be fed the Chinese food her parents forbid. The anecdotes are appealing, but there is too little narrative to pull them together.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.