Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China (Multicultural)

Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China

Translated and illustrated by Ed Young

 (Multicultural/Folklore/Primary-Intermediate reader)

Lon Po Po tells the story of three sisters, Shang, Tao and Paotze who are left home alone when their mother goes out to visit their grandmother for her birthday. A wolf comes to their house, disguised as their grandmother and the children must try and outwit the wolf to stay alive.

Multicultural literature can take many forms. Lon Po Po is an example of “culturally rich” literature (Galda, 2010, p. 24) in that it is an example of a story embedded in a particular culture. This story comes from the Chinese folklore tradition. Elements of the story naturally root it in its cultural heritage. For example, the title, Lon Po Po comes from the Chinese for Granny Wolf. Additionally, the sisters climb a gingko tree, native to China, to get away from the wolf under the pretense of picking nuts for their Granny.

While the story is rooted in its culture of origin, readers will be able to recognize universal elements of other Red Riding Hood folklore such as the wolf disguising itself as the children’s grandmother and the children slowly discovering the wolf is not what it seems, “Po Po, Po Po, your hand has thorns on it” (Young, 1989). Readers will also be able to identify the clear traits present in the characters as is typical of folkore as well as universal themes. The wolf is deceptive. Two of the sisters are more naïve and initially believe the wolf’s charade, but one sister is older and wiser and leads her other sisters to safety as they outsmart the wolf. Good triumphs over evil.

This book does contain pictures and the illustrations further add to the story telling. The author/illustrator has chosen to illustrate the book in a way that blends the old and the new, using techniques from “ancient Chinese panel art with a powerful contemporary palette of watercolors and pastels” (Young, 2010). This approach serves the book’s sense of cultural diversity and fits the subject matter very well. The cover features a darkly colored wolf whose form wraps around the back of the dust jacket. The figure is placed on an orange-red background. This design gives the reader a clear sense of the subject matter and the danger within the story. The illustrations inside the book tend to be of a dark color palatte and impressionistic style. Landscapes especially are less sharply defined, focusing instead on capturing a “fleeting impression of reality” (Galda, 2010, p. 83). Rough texture created through intentional line marks further builds this impressionistic style. Young uses elements of design to his advantage in his images, casting the wolf as a large, powerful presence both in terms of size and location on the page as in the picture below.

ACTIVITIES:

1.     Read another version of the Red Riding Hood story and have students compare and contrast between the two tales. Pay attention to the settings, perhaps both are set in the country, but the representations of the plants are different. Consider the cultural meaning of these similarities and differences.

2.     Create a lesson on Chinese panel art to give students greater context to the illustrations in Lon Po Po. Have students create their own illustrations inspired by this ancient form.

READER RESPONSE QUESTIONS:

1.     Why does the wolf keep blowing out the candles? What does light represent in this story?

2.     What do you make of the ending of the story where the wolf’s heart is broken into pieces by his fall?

I love this book as a way to introduce children to another culture through a familiar tale. Being exposed to similarities in structure and characters across cultures as well as differences in plot and setting will broaden students’ views of the world. Even though the subject matter may be a little frightening for younger readers, Young’s illustrations have a beauty and appeal even in their more intimidating moments.

References

Galda, L., Cullinan, B. E., & Sipe, L. R. (2010). Literature and the child (7th ed.). Belmont, CA:
            Wadsworths, Inc.

Young, E. (1989). Lang Po Po. New York: Philomel Books.

Both images from: https://gatheringbooks.org/2011/02/01/lon-po-po-a-red-riding-hood-story-from-china-by-ed-young/