THE RIVER DRAGON
by Darcy Pattison & illustrated by Jean Tseng & Mou-sien Tseng
An original tale designed to display the characteristics of Chinese (as opposed to European) dragons. In classic fashion, a young man wins a bride by surviving three challenges set by his prospective father-in-law, who slyly serves him swallows (the dragon's favorite food) at the three prenuptial banquets—with the result that, when Ying Shao crosses the river on the way home, the dragon tries to eat him. Ying Shao is twice able to equip himself with the dragon's special aversions, a centipede and a five-color scarf; the third time, he tricks it by suggesting that the moon's reflection is a magnificent pearl. Illustrated in dramatic watercolors that capture both the subtleties of the human interaction and the dragon's overwhelming presence; a satisfying, well-told debut. (Picture book. 5-9)