9th March Seven Chinese Sisters

This week I'm continuing to look at picture books that empower girls to see themselves as very capable.  The Seven Chinese Sisters  by Kathy Tucker and Grace Lin is a favourite from my library. While this is an update or innovation on the Chinese folktale, The Seven Chinese Brothers that Margaret Mahy retells so eloquently, it is welcome, as it gives girls the chance to shine, solve problems, be proactive and to have the special powers. Each of the sisters has a special talent that they use cooperatively to thwart a dragon which has snatched baby Seventh Sister.

The sisters'  talents are ones that the girls I teach all would like to have and we have great debates over which sister they would choose to be. Unlike the brother's talents which really are unlikely, these girls have skills children relate to. The First Sister can ride a scooter as fast as the wind, the Second Sister is good at karate, the Third Sister can count beyond five hundred, the Fifth Sister is good at catching balls and the Sixth Sister cooks delicious noodle soup. Read and enjoy.