7. Henry and the Kite Dragon

From the moment I saw the cover of the book and peeked inside at the illustrations, I was drawn in. William Low creates an incredibly realistic world full of rich, detailed, and dramatic paintings. His illustrations look like acrylic paintings on canvas, so intricate that you want to reach out and touch the textured pages. [Upon further research, I found out that he does all of his work digitally, using a stylus and pressure-sensitive screen.]


Starting from the cover (a wraparound, bird's-eye view), I felt immersed in Chinatown, with the hustle and bustle of the streets to the quiet of Mr. Chin's apartment. Low is a master at using light to express emotion-- you can feel the excitement of a new day beginning and the creation of a new kite in the blue sky...and the ominous clouds of an impending confrontation. His realistic artwork reminds me of a cinematographer in film-making-- rather than give us the same perspective on each page, he takes us from down in the streets to the top of a building looking down to a close inspection of the kites being created. I felt like I was whisked from one place to the next which heightened my emotional investment in the story. The bright, vibrant colors of the kites contrast with the muted colors of the town and characters. These colors conveyed the feeling of hope in the midst of tension. Most of the book was filled with double-page bleeds (enhancing the reader's immersion in the setting and story), but there were a few times that Low chose to use white space in the background. It was these times when he wanted the reader's eye to be on the foreground.


Henry and his friends love making and flying kites with Grandfather Chu, but time after time the Italian boys in the neighboring park destroy the kites. Full of anger, Henry and the gang confront Tony and his gang, only to find out the reasoning behind their destructive acts. Bruce Edward Hall does a great job of writing the story from the perspective of a young boy...filled with speech patterns and realistic thoughts and emotions. In the end, the children learn messages of open-mindedness and compromise. The story could be incorporated into a unit on bullying or social justice. It could also be used to explore multicultural texts and portrayal of other cultures (while of course being careful to highlight the fact that not all Chinese or Italian people are like this). 

Because this story has such a realistic feel to it from the get go, its ending (though slightly predictable) has a sense of freshness. The bully is revealed to be human and both sides work out a respectful solution. I am always in favor of a book that teaches children to stop and listen before judging others...especially when it is accompanied by such gorgeous illustrations!