The Truth About Dragons

This book is a powerful celebration of biracial identities. The primary message is holding both identities simultaneously, without conflict, and that one enriches the other. Using the imagery of the Western and Eastern (Chinese) mythology around dragons and traditional journey settings and characters, a mother teaches her son about who he is.
I am always drawn to Chinese literature because of my short time living in China. And this book was awesome. The use of dragons is a very clever jump-off point to talk about cultural differences and similarities. The illustrations are so detailed, I reread the book 3 times just to dig into the backgrounds and borders.

A mother tells her son about two paths, and two truths about dragons. One path shows a western interpretation, with bat wings and gold hordes, while the other shows the eastern serpent-like creature, master of air, fire, water. The secret is that both are truths, and the boy, having both heritages, can claim and experience them both. Gorgeous illustrations and a lilting and lulling storytelling pace make this a perfect bedtime (or anytime) book. A masterful story of the different truths within each of us, even if this is specifically showing a child with a multiracial heritage.

A mother and son snuggle together at bedtime, as she tells him a story of two heritages, one Eastern and one Western.

Cha's marvelous illustrations, with their decorative borders and frames, show the boy traipsing through the woods, with a red cape and a lantern, to the cottage of a "wise woman" (grandmother #1) who tells "one truth about dragons." But when the boy travels into a different forest and finds an "airy palace" with another wise woman (grandmother #2), she tells him another "truth about dragons." The mother's voice concludes the story, "Most adventurers have only one story to call their own....But my darling, my bao bei, this is the precious secret: Inside your heart is where the two forests meet. Both journeys are yours to show more take. Both worlds are yours to discover." The Western dragon is fire-breathing, red and reptilian; the Eastern dragon is blue and serpentine.

Caldecott honor, APALA picture book winner.

I wish Hanna Cha had illustrated Neil Gaiman's INSTRUCTIONS. This has a little bit of the same feel, with a different narrative voice and double the amount of cultural folklore/mythology. show less

With lyrical storytelling and dreamy illustrations, The Truth About Dragons explores a boy’s dual cultural heritage through a magical journey. It balances Eastern and Western symbolism with a quiet message about identity and self-acceptance. A poetic and enchanting tale that speaks to anyone with more than one home.

This book is best suited for Intermediate students and classrooms.

During a bedtime story, a mother guides her son along a journey to learn the truth about dragons with the help of his two grandmothers. In his first quest, he goes through forests and swamps to learn the first truth about dragons: that they are fire-breathing and live in caves and guard treasure. Then, on his second quest, he goes through bamboo, meets the Asian moon goddess, and goes to a Chinese palace where he learns the second truth about dragons: They are majestic and rule the sky and rivers. When his journey is done, his mother says that his heart is where the two forests meet.

This is a beautifully illustrated book with an endearing message about conjoining the two show more cultures, Western and Asian, of a biracial boy through the legends of dragons. I would recommend this book for any Intermediate classroom. It would be a great read for a unit on dragons or Chinese culture. It would also be a good permanent addition to a classroom library because of kids interest in dragons, and because of the interesting and magnificent ilustrations. show less

2nd-4th grade
This book included some lovely art, but i found the story mesmorizing and so inclusive of two different cultures and their understanding of dragons.
We can use this book to help us understand how two cultures see different images.

I'm currently reading an adult novel that has a dragon (a mean, scary one) as a primary character. This came across my desk, and I thought, "Let's see what their truth is." It was written with such care, so beautifully descriptive.