Myths of China

I was very intrigued and even reading to my littles, they were entertained. This is a great source for anyone who has an interest in learning about China's mythology. The illustrations add to the lore of these myths and help visualize everything. It is so important that we learn about other cultures so that we can better understand each other and this is an amazing place to start.

The only critique I would give this is that I would LOVE to have pronunciations next to the names. I am 100% sure I am not pronouncing them correctly and feel that it is very important to get that right when educating. My kids are learning from this book but if they were to ever talk to someone about what they learned, there is no way they can relay the name correctly.

Thank you NetGalley, Xiaobing Wang, and DK Children for allowing me to review.

I was interested in this book in-part because I often try to give books as gifts to children of friends and partly because I have been reading a bit of fiction based on myths recently and though Greco-Roman mythology was covered fairly well in my schooling, and Norse, Celtic, and even Egyptian myths were touch on, sadly Asian myths were not. I wanted to fill in the gaps in my own knowledge in a gentle way, and see how much myth was laced into the novels that I've been reading. I found the information was presented nicely with clear succinct stories, and nice summaries of legends, and although it was definitely written for young readers to digest, even as an adult, I enjoyed the reading as a solid introduction. There is a neat breakdown of topics into chapters: A brief on the land that is China, Beginnings that covers creation and origin myths, Magical Creatures, Journey and Adventure tales, Myths of Love and Friendships, a section about the myths, a pronunciation guide and even a nice section on the Chinese zodiac. Nearly every page is beautifully illustrated in full color to bring an added dimension to the stories and engage kids. Although I read an electronic copy, I would probably look at a physical copy for kids. There is something about a tactile connection and seeing these illustrations on glossy pages that I think will be more engaging for younger readers. I'm looking forward to picking up this volume for a few young readers for the holidays.
I received access to this eARC thru NetGalley (for which I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher, DK Children) for an honest review. The opinion expressed here is my own.