by Laurence Yep
illustrated by Jean and Mou-Sien Tseng
New York: Scholastic Inc., 1995
29 pp
Ages: 4 +
Interests: China, dragons, folktales, fairy tales, magic, giants, difference, loneliness
Also by this author: The Dragon Prince
An original story, informed by the folklore of southern China.
The boy with the saddest face in the world is shunned (however politely) by the people in his village, so he runs away. When he meets up with twenty giants, his peculiar skills are put to great use in the underwater city of dragons.
A fairy tale totally devoid of violence! Well, except for the clams, crabs and sharks that must be evaded as the giants’ caravan makes its way to the city of dragons, but these hazards are only a small part of the story. Once in the city the boy – unnamed throughout, his face never shown – is able to turn his biggest handicap into his greatest gift.
When the boy ran off the villagers were sad and ashamed. “We should have judged the boy by what he did and not by the way he looked.” When he returns with prestige and riches, the villagers give him the place of honor and delight in listening to his adventures.
Rarest Kind of Best 