The Water Lotus: The journey of a lotus seed by Yingting Chen illustrated by Huaqing translated by Adam Casciaro and Liu Yinan

Last week it was International Flower Day - who knew? I saw this post from my friend at Kinderbookswitheverything. She shared some terrific picture books and last week we set up a display of her books which feature flowers. This one about the lotus flower caught my eye.

The cover of The Water Flower is so appealing with pastel tones of pink and pale green and gold lettering. This is one of those 'newish' style nonfiction books that combines a simple narrative and small text which goes into more scientific details so this is a book you could share with a young child aged 5+ or with a high school botany or biology student. There are also two double spreads in this book with no words - just glorious art. My only comment would be that I would have loved a glossary - but along the way I discovered words like corolla, pistil, stamen, node, and I now know a little about how lotus plants get oxygen even though they are growing under water. Teacher-Librarians might take a closer look at the books in their library collection to see just how many are about flowers and their life cycles - examples perhaps beyond the usual one of the sunflower. 

Publisher blurb: From its beginnings in a peaceful pond, The Water Flower chronicles the journey of a sleepy seed that awakens in spring, pushing through its shell to grow leaves reaching for the sunlight. As summer arrives, it blooms into a stunning flower, opening and closing its petals each day, attracting passing insects. After completing its beautiful display, the flower fades, revealing new seeds inside a pod, ready to begin the cycle again. This story offers a glimpse into the lotus seed's remarkable transformation across seasons.

See inside this book here

Lyrical language and artful illustrations present the life of a lotus and the resilience it represents. A lotus seed falls into the soil and drifts into a deep sleep. It awakens, unfurling tender buds and wide green leaves. Then, the flower blooms, its brilliant petals opening to the sun. And soon enough, another lotus seed falls, starting the cycle all over again… This is a book to share with children of different ages. Reading Rockets

Follow the lotus through the seasons, see each step of its journey, and discover the endless life cycle of this beautiful flower. Beautiful artwork highlighted with foil on the jacket brings the science of a lotus flower’s life cycle to vivid life. The fascinating facts about the beauty and resilience of a lotus seed’s transformation will help inspire a lifelong love of the natural world. YA Books Central

The main narrative in larger print tells the story of the flower, with botanical terms relating to the functions and anatomy of the plant being in a smaller print. Particularly lovely are the wordless double spreads, one showing leaves soaking up the sunlight with a bird sheltering beneath, the second shows several stages in the cycle- bud, flowers and seed head – in one scene. Books for Keeps

The life cycle of the lotus begins with its seeds. Lotus seeds are small and black and come from the lotus plant’s flower. The lotus plant is adapted to grow in many different types of habitats, from murky ponds to sunny riverbanks. As a result, it has developed a method for ensuring that its seeds have the best chance of germination. The method used by the lotus is to produce many seeds. By releasing large quantities of seeds into the environment, the plant increases its chances that at least a few of them will find the ideal conditions for growth and avoid consumption by aquatic life. In addition, lotus seeds are very durable and can remain viable for many years. This allows the plant to survive even harsh conditions that would kill most other plants. 

As a result of these adaptations, the lotus is one of the most successful plants in the world. Lotus seeds germinate in the mud usually at the bottom of bodies of water. Once the seeds are released, some will begin to germinate in wet soil or water beds. It can take anywhere from two weeks to two months for the seeds to germinate. After germination, they begin to sprout. A tiny seedling will emerge from the seed coat, and roots will start to grow down into the mud. The seedlings will then start producing leaves, which will rise to the water’s surface. The lotus plant will continue to grow, growing more leaves and flowers, until it eventually reaches the surface of the water. The lotus flower typically blooms for only a few days for pollination to occur. Each day the flowers bloom, at nightfall they will close up and sink back into the water or mud only to re-emerge beautifully intact the following day. Source Earth.com

A Prince and his Porcelain Cup illustrated by Li Jian Translated by Yijin Wert

"The little prince was very lonely without any friends in the palace. He looked at all the porcelain pieces in the palace and loved them. Every day he carefully wiped his mother's favourite porcelain cup."  The cup he loves is called The Chicken Cup. In a fit of rage the little boy breaks this precious cup.

Image Source: Commons Wikimedia

The Prince takes the cup to a porcelain craftsman and over time the wise old man shows the boy how his cup was made from clay on the potters wheel, the care that need to be taken with painting on the design, and finally the placement in the very hot kiln. The little prince comes to realise this is a complex process and his broken cup cannot be repaired. In later years when he became the Emperor, the little prince is still thinking about his mother's cup. He summons the best craftsmen and finally "The Emperor's wish can true. It was like his mother's favourite cup had returned to him."

You can see some art from this book here.

The chicken cup is from the Ming Dynasty. The word chicken in Chinese is similar to the word luck and so chickens symbolise fortune and happiness. Read more here.

About the Chicken cup: "In the world there are ... less than 20 pieces real Chenghua doucai chicken cups  still in existence, and most of then are collections of famous museums ... The cup has a flared mouth, with shallow curvature of its sides, and shallow ring foot. It is decorated with two pairs of chickens and their young, a rooster and a hen leading their young to feed. The illustration is full of life."

About Li Jian: Li Jian graduated from Hebei Normal University in 2001, majoring in Chinese Painting. Formerly a middle school art teacher, children's book editor and a partner in an illustration studio, Li now owns his own illustration studio focusing on illustrations for children's fairy tales. He has many bilingual books about Chinese culture and stories, such as his Chinese Zodiac Series and the stories of Mulan and Zheng He. Source - Shiny Lantern

A Prince and his Porcelain Cup is a dual language text in English and Chinese. Here are some other books illustrated by Li Jian. He has an excellent series which feature the animals of the Chinese zodiac. Tiger Brother will be published in 2022 (The Year of the Tiger). 

I suggest you also look for A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park as a companion text to share with an older reader. This is a story set in Korea which also focuses on the skills involved with pottery.

Lemon Butterfly by Cao Wenxuan illustrated by Roger Mello

The lemon butterfly searches for a field of flowers. The journey is long and dangerous but the lemon butterfly is determined to find the field. After what feels like weeks of flying the lemon butterfly sees the beautiful flowers but:

"The fragrance grows stronger once again. According to the white horse, the field of flowers lies just beyond the low hills. The hills appear before the lemon butterfly. But when it flies over them, what it sees makes it scream. The field is flooded ... the flowers float crystal clear under the water."

How will the fragile butterfly ever reach the flowers? The ending is certain to astonish you.

In 2017 I was able to attend the USBBY National conference held in Seattle at the University of Washington. At this amazing event Cao Wenxuan told us the story of Lemon Butterfly. He spoke in Chinese and his words were translated as he told the story. Then the wonderful Roger Mello showed us all the book. The organisers held an auction of this copy and it was sold for over US$1700.  Of course the real book is no where near as expensive as this. When I came home to Australia I asked the nephew of a friend to try to find the Chinese edition of Lemon Buttterfly for me on his visit to China. I think it cost around AUS$15. At that time this book was not yet translated into English. Last week my English edition arrived. It will be available from 28th February, 2021 here in Australia.  So now I have two, very different copies, of Lemon Butterfly.

More about the story written just after the 2017 USBBY conference (Chinese books for Young Readers Blog)

The second picture book by Cao and Mello is called Lemon Butterfly 柠檬蝶, currently in the original Chinese version only. A lemon butterfly goes on an arduous journey to search for a field of flowers, crossing rivers and mountains and getting lost before it finally reaches the field, only to find that flowers have been submerged under water. The surprise ending gives a philosophical spin to the story, which also presents environmental concerns. Cao told the audience that he studied philosophy for fifteen years, and has found the format of the picture book perfect for expressing philosophical issues.

In the story, the butterfly takes an accidental detour by following the scent of flowers wafting from hoof prints in the mud. Cao revealed the cultural reference behind the scene as a line from Chinese poetry, “Returning from treading on fallen flowers, even horse hooves are scented” (踏花归来马蹄香). The poem famously inspired Chinese brush paintings that depict butterflies dancing around hoof prints.

One of a kind—an intriguing, sophisticated study in contrasts that reimagines the potential of picture-book art. Kirkus Star review

I talked to Roger Mello in Austin, Texas at the next USBBY Conference. He was kind enough to send me the text of the story as sent to him by Cao Wenxuan. This means I have this book in three different formats - the Chinese book which as you can see here spreads right out, the new English edition, and a word document of the original translated text sent to Roger Mello.

Mello made the picture book accordion style, and cut out the shape of butterflies, rather than illustrate them. As he explained, instead of showing butterflies, he decided to portray the absence of them.

About the author:

Cao Wenxuan 曹文轩 is an award winning novelist from Jiangsu Province, China. He is the Vice President of the Beijing Writers’ Association and a professor at Peking University. His works include The Straw House, Dragonfly Eye, and Bronze and Sunflower. He was the first Chinese writer to be awarded the Hans Christian Andersen Award. His novels have been translated into eight languages.

About the illustrator:

Roger Mello is an award winning illustrator and author. He has illustrated over 100 titles, 22 of which he also wrote. His unique style and sense of color continues to push the boundaries of children’s book illustration. He was the first Latin American artist to be awarded the Hans Christian Andersen Award.

The new English edition does not list the translator.  Here are a few samples of the text:

To a butterfly, a field of flowers is the most beautiful thing in the world. And as it moves, the vision of a flower field flashes before its eyes. Scintillating!

Wind whips over the water, nearly crushing the butterfly against the spray, but it perseveres. Perhaps there is a field of flowers ahead. It hears the rumbling of the waters. But the murmuring of its heart is louder. "I must find that field of flowers!"

In Australia the paperback edition of Lemon Butterfly is fairly inexpensive. This book would make a good addition to a Primary or High School library. I also found this alternate Chinese edition. I am not sure of the illustrator: