Red Butterfly: How a Princess Smuggled the Secret of Silk Out of China
by Deborah Noyes (Author) Sophie Blackall (Illustrator)
An enchanting tale of hidden beauty and fierce courage, retold in the style of T'ang Dynasty poetry and illustrated with charm and grace. A young Chinese princess is sent from her father's kingdom to marry the king of a far-off land.
She must leave behind her home of splendors: sour plums and pink peach petals and -- most precious and secret of all -- the small silkworm. She begs her father to let her stay, but he insists that she go and fulfill her destiny as the queen of Khotan.
Beautifully told and arrestingly illustrated, here is a coming-of-age tale of a brave young princess whose clever plan will go on to live in legend -- and will ensure that her cherished home is with her always.
Locate at a Library Near You WorldCat is the world's largest library catalog, helping you find library materials online.
Find books about:
ALA/Booklist
Adult readers will want to prepare in advance for questions about occasional references to the Chinese court (for example, “What is a consort?”), but the princess’ sorrow over leaving the people and things that tie her to home will speak straight to kids—as will the beautiful, ink-and-watercolor illustrations in rich, jewel colors.
Kirkus
Written in the style of ancient Chinese poets, the text dwells lovingly on the pleasures of imperial life while splendid ink-and-watercolor illustrations poignantly capture the princess's leave-taking as well as details of palace life in images evocative of Chinese screen paintings.
Publisher's Weekly
Ancient sources say silkworms and mulberry seeds left China hidden in the elaborately coiffed hair of a princess. Imagining what might have prompted the princess to reveal the secret of silk production, a crime punishable by death, Noyes (Hana in the Time of the Tulips) writes with exquisite delicacy of Princess Red Butterfly's truncated girlhood: "I am a child with my hair/ yet cut across my forehead,/ but soon I will marry/ the king of far Khotan." Blackall (Ruby's Wish) composes sumptuous portraits of the imperial Chinese court: ladies whisper behind fans, consorts bathe in hot springs, a dressmaker fits the princess for a robe. Her ink-and-wash spreads swirl with flourishes (fluttering silk sashes, curving garden paths and tumbling locks of black hair). Red Butterfly must leave her parents, her little brother-whose grief Blackall paints in quiet brushstrokes-and all the beauty around her: "Good-bye,/ red-crowned crane. / Good-bye,/ sour plums." Noyes understands Red Butterfly's theft as a small but powerful rebellion against loss: "If you must go.... from all you know,/ take with you/ some small piece/ of brightness,/ some shining memory..." The story ends as Red Butterfly leaves for Khotan, but Blackall gives readers visual clues (the princess's smile, flying silk moths) to suggest that the girl's resilience creates a hopeful future. Ages 6-10.
Copyright 2007 Publisher’s Weekly, LLC Used with permission.
JUV034000 - Juvenile Fiction | Royalty (kings queens princes princesses knights etc.)
JUV012060 - Juvenile Fiction | Legends, Myths, Fables | Asian
Picture books
Picture books for children
Princesses
Juvenile works
Children's stories
China
Silkworms
