Stefan Czernecki

When Emperor Yongle decides that his new imperial palace must have four magnificent towers guarding its four corners, none of the plans brought to him by his minister, Wu Zhong, meet with his approval. In fear for his life, after it is threatened by the emperor, that minister passes along the threat to architect Cai Xin, who in turns threatens builder Kuai Xiang. That worthy man, unable to come up with a plan, is comforted by his pet cricket, given to him by a friend. It falls to the cricket, wishing he had a more spacious home, to come up with a design that satisfies both his own heart, and the need for four majestic towers...

The Cricket's Cage: A Chinese Folktale is only the second book I have read from author/illustrator Stefan Czernecki, following upon For Sure! For Sure!, a picture book retelling of a Hans Christian Andersen tale that he illustrated. I found this one engaging, enjoying the story, which highlights the lucky quality of crickets in Chinese folk belief, as well as the historical tale of how the towers on the Forbidden City in Beijing came to be built; and appreciating the artwork, which uses vivid colors, and is placed on a bright yellow embroidered background. The story itself can be found in the 1957 Beijing Legends, compiled by the scholar Jin Shoushan and translated for Czernecki by his friend, Cimon Ching. Recommended to young folklore enthusiasts, and for any readers seeking Chinese folktales in particular.… (more)

Those time-tested attributes of a good student—listen quietly, watch carefully, practice persistently—get unforced cultivation in this tale, but it’s the lanterns that steal the show. Old Chen is coming to the end of his working days, but as yet he has no one to whom he can pass on his cut-paper lantern-making shop. His apprentices simply don’t have the magic in their fingers the way Old Chen has. When a young boy, Little Mouse, starts to visit the shop, enthralled by the lanterns, Old Chen sees the fire in his eyes as they rest upon the fine lanterns. Little Mouse follows the rules: he listens, he watches, he practices at home each night with scraps from the shop, where he has been taken on as a broom boy. Then comes the day when his skills are tested—a snowy day when Old Chen’s hands are too cold and brittle to work, but a big dragon lantern is due for the annual festival. The apprentices don’t have the right stuff, so Little Mouse pulls it off with flair, and the shop has found a new master. The low-key patter of the text supports some highly stylized, candy-bright artwork, with each of the text pages graced with a painted example of handmade cut-paper lanternwork. Enlightening. (Picture book. 3-8)

-Kirkus Review… (more)