(2) 4-6 Monkey King and the World of Myths series. Worlds collide when brazen Chinese Monkey King Sun Wukong sneaks into the heavenly kingdom and strikes a deal to become a monster hunter and the first beast to earn his godhood. Seeking the Yao-Qi, a monster transformed by an evil energy, Wukong travels to the far west, meeting gods, humans, and creatures from Greek mythology. Although considered a lowly beast by gods and humans, energetic and curious Wukong is instrumental to challenging the prejudices of those around him. Lam intertwines lessons in employing critical thinking skills to understand others with fast-paced writing and appealing panel illustrations. With plenty of humor, adventure, and heart, this first book in a projected graphic novel series makes for a rousing read. A character glossary provides additional information and an invitation to explore their original stories. In a note, Lam discusses how the "mixed-cultural experience" of growing up in Hong Kong and Los Angeles inspired her story.

Reviewer: Kristine Techavanich | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2024

(2) 4-6 Ma offers a fresh take on the local fundraiser story by weaving in themes of community, identity, and gentrification. Nerdy, mythology-obsessed Lily Hong, twelve, leads a split life in the Seattle exurbs. At school, Lily competes academically with Max Zhang, the other Chinese American student in her seventh-grade class. After school, Lily reluctantly attends her parents' Mandarin academy at the local community center. She yearns to make a Buffy-style vampire film for the local talent competition, but problems arise when Max's rich parents want to buy the building and replace the community center with a new office building. The Hongs organize a last-minute Chinese dance fundraising show; suddenly Lily is taking fan- and lion-dance lessons alongside her archnemesis and discovers there is more behind his snobby facade. Ma empathetically portrays Lily's conflict between making the film with friends and her family obligations. A little-known phoenix myth is cleverly used as a symbol to show Lily's slow realization of how important the Chinese school and community center are to her and her small town. An enjoyable read, especially for arts-obsessed or community-focused tweens.

Reviewer: Michelle Lee | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2024

(2) K-3 This story (inspired by the Chinese myth of Nüwa, who crafted humankind) takes readers and listeners on a journey back to a time "when the world was still young," with Nüwa as the sole inhabitant yearning for a simple yet profound thing: someone to say "hello" to. After reaching out to the creatures around her with no response, she felt sad and "cried for three whole days," creating a gigantic puddle around her. She then molds a new friend from the mud, and they greet each other with a heartfelt "hello." Nüwa continues, creating more friends who spread across the world, building "homes and farms and cities" and raising their own families. This leads to a double-page spread with people saying "hello," each in a different language. The concise narrative beautifully conveys Nüwa's longing for companionship. The illustrations, rendered in bold neon colors, particularly a vibrant pink, bring this world playfully to life. This heartwarming and visually captivating book emphasizes the significance of reaching out and forging connections and underscores the enduring importance of communication and community.

Reviewer: Weileen Wang | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2024

(1) YA Illustrated by LeUyen Pham. In this unique and engaging graphic novel, Vietnamese American high schooler Valentina Tran has always loved giving handmade cards to her widower father and classmates on her namesake holiday. She is assisted by her "best imaginary friend," Saint V (for Valentine), initially shown in the illustrations as a classic winged baby surrounded by cartoon hearts. This year her spirits are crushed when her dad storms off, and a classmate, Jae, trashes her card. Worse, Grandma reveals that Valentina's father lied about her mother's supposed death and, later, that their entire family is romantically cursed. Valentina despairs until she meets two cute lion dancers at a Tt (Lunar New Year) celebration and dates one of them (who happens to be Jae's cousin). Is the relationship real? Or will Valentina give her heart to Saint Valentine to be safe from the pain of love? Yang (Dragon Hoops, rev. 5/20) and Pham (Friends Forever, rev. 9/21) do a wonderful job of weaving fractured families and romantic yearning with fantasy elements that show emotional states and growth as well as plenty of humor throughout. Pham's digital illustrations adeptly mix realistic scenes with celestial animals and ghosts. Her gorgeous, kinetic depictions of Chinese and Korean lion dancers are joyful, and the section in which Valentina first learns about Tt and meets her love interest is especially vibrant.

Reviewer: Michelle Lee | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2024

(1) 4-6 Food, folklore, and history combine for a mouthwatering and enlightening read in Lin's collection of stories about more than twenty dishes, drinks, and staples of Chinese and Chinese American cuisine. The table of contents is organized like an American-style Chinese restaurant menu, with appetizers, soups, "chef's specials," and desserts; chapters on tea and chopsticks (along with origin stories) are also included. Lin opens each section with a brief introduction, sharing her own food memories and culinary or symbolistic details. While most of the tales involve mythical creatures or magical events, a few historical figures make appearances, including Ming Dynasty explorer Zheng He, Italian explorer Marco Polo, and Emperor Kublai Khan. Lin's vivid illustrations round out the experience with digitally colored drawings in the style of traditional ink paintings for the folktales, and realistic renderings in gouache of the actual dishes. An illustrated timeline and map of China are included in the introduction. An author's note, extensive end notes, a bibliography, and a scallion pancake recipe are appended.

Reviewer: Michelle Lee | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2023

(2) 4-6 Theo Tan is more into gaming than studying his Chinese heritage and learning to access his qi--that's his older brother Jamie's thing. But after Jamie pulls Theo aside one morning for a mystifying conversation about computer game quests, and then dies in a car accident, leaving Theo his fox spirit companion, Kai, and a coded notebook full of clues, Theo determines to find out what his brother was trying to tell him. His search leads him to the "Know Your Roots" summer youth ­program conducted by Jamie's former employer, Reapling ­Corporation, purveyor of the "cirth" that everyone uses to power their magic, but Theo can't pass the stringent entry exam. Clever Kai helps him cheat to get in, but doing so tilts Kai away from spirit and toward demon, and now the two guards of the underworld, Ox Head and Horse Face, are eager to drag her down to Diyu. Chinese cosmology (and to a lesser extent, Indian cosmology, since Know Your Roots features both) star in this Riordan-esque adventure set in an alternate San Francisco, where magic is prevalent but so is prejudice (Theo refuses to speak Mandarin after being teased in kindergarten; his reconnection with his heritage is one of the story's strengths). Readers dependent on their own technological devices might take a lesson from the book's message about finding resources within--or perhaps they'll just enjoy this engrossing mystery set among ancient Chinese spirit grudges and modern-day corporate malfeasance.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2022

(4) YA In this reimagining of Disney's Mulan, Li Shang is mortally wounded defending China. Mulan must bring him back from Diyu, the Chinese underworld. Populated with characters from Chinese mythology, this action-packed but lengthy adventure reads like a Rick Riordan book. Lim layers culturally authentic additions onto the original (inauthentic) plot; hardcore Disney fans should appreciate the movie references, even if others find them corny.

Reviewer: Amy Seto Forrester

(4) 4-6 Mythology Rocks! series. Each of these volumes (revised and with slightly different titles--without "Rocks!") begins with a brief introduction to the title culture. Several myths important to that culture follow; a short question-and-answer section, along with "expert commentary," appears after each story. Stippled illustrations break up the dense texts but otherwise don't add much. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Mythology Rocks! titles: African Mythology Rocks!, Celtic Mythology Rocks!, Chinese Mythology Rocks!, Gods and Goddesses in Greek Mythology Rock!, Maya and Aztec Mythology Rocks!, and Heroes in Greek Mythology Rock!

Reviewer: Antonio Trujillo

(4) 4-6 World of Mythology series. Each book provides an overview of mythology from the title region. Folktales and legends, rituals and beliefs, creation stories, and deities are all very briefly covered. Well-placed images (some, oddly, sourced through Wikipedia) enhance the texts. There is occasional redundancy across volumes, and readers may be frustrated by the spotty glossaries and lack of pronunciations. Otherwise, they're acceptable introductions. Ind. Review covers these World of Mythology titles: African Mythology, Chinese Mythology, Egyptian Mythology, and European Mythology.

Reviewer: Corrie Ball