Lon Po Po

Author: Ed Young
Publisher: Philomel Books
Copyright: 1989
Genre: Traditional Literature/Folktale
Pages: 32
Reading Level: Ages 4 to 8 (Barnes and Noble)
Summary: A mother with three young children leaves them to go visit their grandmother (po po). As she is leaving she tells them to lock the door while she is gone and not to let anyone in. The wolf hears what is going on and goes to the house that night and knocks on the door and tells the children that he is their grandmother. When the children say that their mother just went to visit her the wolf just comments that he hadn't seen her on the way their. The children go through a couple other things including asking why her voice is so low to which the wolf makes more excuses such as I've had a cold. The children let the wolf in thinking it is their po po and he blows out the candle immediately and they all climb into bed. One of the children feels the wolfs tail and says tells po po she has a bush stuck to her leg. The second child feels his claws and tells po po she has thorns on her hands. To this she replies that they are hemp strings and awls to make them baskets and shoes. The third child, being the most clever lights the candle and sees the wolf's face but quickly blows it out and pretends not to know it's the wolf. Then she says that their are gingko nuts out on the tree that will let you live forever. The wolf, pretending to be po po says she is too old to climb the tree and get them. The children climb the tree saying they will get them for her but then they say they have to be just barely picked for the magic to work. The children convince the wolf to tie a rope to a basket so they can pull him up he does this and three times the children lift him high and then drop him until he dies then they go inside and lock the door until their mother returns home the next morning and they tell her all about the po po who came.
Who would you recommend this book to? I would recommend this story to anyone. I think it's especially fun, though, for those who know our own version of Little Red Riding Hood. It would make for a great comparison for kids.
Potential problems or conflicts: I don't see any potential problems or conflicts with this book.
My reaction: This is an interesting twist on a traditional folktale and a fun cultural story. I really liked the story and I like the way it plays out in this version. I like how clever the oldest child is and I think that the story in general is a really good one. The pictures are really cool too! I like the style. It's almost impressionistic. I really like the illustrations a lot because I think they add a lot to the feeling of the story.