What's Everybuggy Reading: Sonya
The Emperor and the Kite
by Jane Yolen (World Publishing Company, 1967)
Just like the girl in “Basant Birthday,” Djeow Seow loves flying her very own kite. Djeow Seow is a Chinese princess so tiny that her emperor father, her four brothers, and her three sisters all ignore her. She has to play alone, and spends her days flying a beautiful paper kite that looks like a flower in the sky.
One day, evil men kidnap her father and lock him in a tower. The four brothers and three sisters flee the country. But nobody notices Djeow Seow, because she’s so tiny! She builds herself a tiny hut on the edge of a field, and uses her kite to fly baskets of food up to her father in his tower. Finally, she realizes that she can use her kite for much more than food—and ends up getting everyone’s attention.
The beautiful illustrations of kites made me want to go flying myself. If you can’t fly, don’t worry—March is a windy month, perfect for flying kites!
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