The Runaway Wok Explained

The Runaway Wok: A Chinese New Year Tale
Author:Ying Chang Compestine
Illustrator:Sebastia Serra
Country:United States
Language:English
Genre:Children's books
Publisher:Dutton Children's Books
Pub Date:January 6, 2011
Isbn:0525420681

The Runaway Wok is a children's picture book written by Ying Chang Compestine and illustrated by Sebastia Serra.[1] Published in 2011 by Dutton Children's Books, the story follows a boy named Ming and his adventures with a magical talking wok who grants wishes.[2] [3] The story portrays the rich family as evil and the poor family as heroic.

Plot summary

In preparation for the Chinese New Year, the poor Zhang family sends Ming to the market to trade eggs for rice. At the market, an old man persuades Ming to trade the eggs for a magical talking wok.[4] When Ming's mother goes to reprimand him, the wok asks her to polish it. When she finishes cleaning the wok, it jumps away and rolls down the road. It returns three times with food, toys, and money taken from the greedy Mr. Li, taking from the rich and giving to the poor of the village.[5] At the end of the story the family shares the gifts of the wok with the community.[6] [7] The story is based on a Danish folktale called The Talking Pot, and also alludes to The Gingerbread Man.[8] [9]

The book concludes with an author's note and a recipe for "Festive Stir-Fried Rice" and also includes information about the symbolism of the wok and Chinese New Year's foods.[10]

Characters

Critical reception

Library Media Connection wrote "The author and the illustrator have created a picture book that provides not only an excellent introduction to the Chinese New Year holiday, but a lesson on sharing."[11] School Library Journal called the illustrations vibrant, and that they "bring a stylized Beijing of once-upon-a-time to life." Booklist praised the illustrations, which were painted by Sebastia Serra, and wrote that the "well-paced repetitive text reads aloud well."[12] Since the story is based on a folk tale about a talking pot, Kirkus Reviews, felt that using a wok instead was very appropriate, especially since a wok is "a traditional symbol of sharing." It has also been reviewed by Horn Book Guide.[13]

Awards

Notes and References

  1. Web site: About Sebastia Serra. sebastiaserra.com. 2017-08-02.
  2. Web site: The Runaway Wok by Ying Chang Compestine Scholastic. www.scholastic.com. 2017-07-24.
  3. Book: The Runaway Wok by Ying Chang Compestine PenguinRandomHouse.com. en-US.
  4. 15 December 2010. The Runaway Wok. Kirkus Reviews. 78. 24. 1265. subscription . EBSCOhost.
  5. Estrin. Heidi R.. December 2011. A Calendar of Holidays. School Library Journal. 57. 12. 48. subscription . EBSCOhost.
  6. News: The Runaway Wok by Ying Chang Compestine, illustrated by Sebastià Serra BookDragon. 2010-12-11. BookDragon. 2017-07-25. en-US.
  7. Web site: A la Carte: 'The Runaway Wok' for kids. 2011-01-28. The Mercury News. 2017-07-25.
  8. News: Children's Book Review: The Runaway Wok: A Chinese New Year Tale by Ying Chang Compestine. Publishers Weekly. 2017-09-07. en.
  9. Hudson. Hannah Trierweiler. Winter 2011. So Much to Celebrate!. Instructor. 120. 4. 26. subscription . EBSCOhost.
  10. Damron. Jayne. February 2011. The Runaway Wok: A Chinese New Year Tale. School Library Journal. 57. 2. 76. subscription . EBSCOhost.
  11. Drudge. Jo. August 2011. The Runaway Wok: A Chinese New Year Tale. Library Media Connection. 30. 1. 85. subscription . EBSCOhost.
  12. Engberg. Gillian. January 2011. The Runaway Wok. Booklist. 107. 9/10. 114. subscription . EBSCOhost.
  13. Web site: The runaway wok . The detailed, vigorous illustrations reflect the mischievous wok's energy. . catalog.wccls.org . September 10, 2017.
  14. Web site: Iowa Book Awards 2013-2014: Goldfinch Awards 2013-2014 . westunion.lib.ia.us . West Union Community Library . September 10, 2017.
  15. Web site: Iowa Goldfinch Awards . johnstonlibrary.com . Johnston Public Library . September 10, 2017.
  16. Web site: Washington Children's Choice Picture Book Award: 2013 Activity Packet . wla.org . Washington Library Association . September 10, 2017.
  17. Web site: Member Awards & Achievements Fall 2012/Winter 2013 . December 21, 2012 . authorsguild.org . Authors Guild . September 10, 2017.
  18. Web site: Ying Chang Compestine Media Praise. yingc.com. en-US. 2017-07-24. 2017-08-05. https://web.archive.org/web/20170805015726/http://yingc.com/wordpress/?page_id=35. dead.

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