Mulan: The Legend of the Woman Warrior

Translated by Faye-Lynn Wu

Illustrated by Joy Ang

Harper (An imprint of HarperCollins)

978-0-06-280341-2

32 pp.

Ages 4-8

2019

Mulan is a legend and versions of that legend have already hit the page and screen, with the newest, a live-action drama, hitting movie theatres in about two weeks. Though Mulan's story, that of a young woman who disguises herself as a male warrior in Ancient China, is an empowering one, it may not always be presented in a format for children. This translation of the legend by Taiwanese-born American Faye-Lynn Wu and stunningly illustrated by Canadian-born Joy Ang is perfect for conveying Mulan's story in a powerful but accessible way.

From Mulan: The Legend of the Woman Warrior, illus. by Joy Ang

The story begins with Mulan who lived with her family in a small village in northern China. When a decree comes from the emperor that all families must send their males to defend the country, Mulan goes in the stead of her sickly father and far-too-young brother. Dressing in her father's clothes, she joins the army, camping and travelling and battling their enemies. Always Mulan hears her family calling her name and knows she must serve to make them proud.

For twelve years, Mulan endures the hardships of a soldier, from battles to physical exhaustion and cold. She becomes a commander and receives accolades and treasures for her courage and service, all without her comrades or leaders ever knowing she was a woman.

From Mulan: The Legend of the Woman Warrior, illus. by Joy Ang

When the emperor chooses to honour her with an appointment to the high court, she declines, asking instead to be able to return home. It is at the celebration upon her return home when she reveals her gender to her fellow soldiers, reminding them that "One should not judge another by their appearance alone. When a pair of rabbits run side by side, can you tell the female from the male?"

From Mulan: The Legend of the Woman Warrior, illus. by Joy Ang

While Faye-Lynn Wu, the translator of Mulan's story, is not Canadian, the illustrator Joy Ang is Canadian born and an artist whose versatile work has graced picture books, animated TV shows, comics and video games. For Mulan, she relies on the earthy tones of woven fabrics, leather and aspects of natural world, with occasional reds and mauves to add a richness and an emotional element to her illustrations. Because the story of Mulan is so organic and palpable–a girl who becomes a warrior in Ancient China–Joy Ang's digital artwork reflects that reality. Still Joy Ang's shapes and lines are strong and authoritative, forceful and dynamic, and reflect the legendary warrior completely.

Consider introducing your young readers to the legend of Mulan via Faye-Lynn Wu and Joy Ang's picture book for a story that is perfect for them and honourable to a woman who did not let her gender stop her from doing what she chose to do for family and country.

Stealth of the Ninja

Written by Philip Roy
Ronsdale Press
978-1-55380-490-0
225 pp.
Ages 10+
March 2017

When Alfred Pynsent set out in his twenty-foot, diesel-electric submarine three years ago, he was an explorer. He's navigated the Maritimes near his home in Newfoundland, the St. Lawrence River, the Atlantic, Arctic, Indian and Pacific Oceans, South Africa, India and saw more in a few short years, both travel-wise and experientially, than most people do in their whole lives.  And he's just on the cusp of turning seventeen.  But, Al has turned from explorer to eco-warrior having seen the desecration of the oceans first hand.

I know that the sea is dying.  I mean, the water will always be there, of course, but the life in it won't.  And even though there are still days when whales breach in front of my sub, and dolphins race playfully past, and flying fish soar over my head with the funny whispering of their fins, there are much longer stretches  when I see nothing on the water but garbage and torn nets with rotting sea animals, as if the sea were nothing but one humongous human garbage patch. (pg. 2)

Heading to Japan, Al is apprehensive, as months earlier (Eco Warrior, 2015) he had helped the Sea Shepherd Society prevent a tanker from refuelling Japanese whaling ships and he was accused of sabotaging a Japanese tanker in Australia (he didn't).  But, when he discovers an old barnacle-laden freighter, seemingly abandoned, six hundred miles southeast of Japan, it's the beginning of a new adventure for Al that has him learning the ways of ninjutsu, being tossed around in his sub by a tsunami, robbing a new acquaintance's home, and saving a life.

Aboard the rusty freighter, Alfred meets Sensei, a 100-year-old Japanese man, a ninja, who has made the ship his home, growing a garden and collecting the plastic detritus of the oceans within the holds.

His face was gentle, kind and wise.  It was cut with laugh wrinkles, which meant he had probably spent most of his life laughing.  And yet there was something about him that was sad, as if he carried happiness on the outside, but sadness on the inside. (pg. 11)

Sensei teaches Alfred the ways of the ninja– jumping, stealth, stick fighting–and instills in him the disciplines of meditation and exercise, though the perseverance and determination Alfred demonstrates are all his.  When they witness a tsunami encroaching, Alfred and his canine first-mate, Hollie, seek the shelter of the sub but cannot convince Sensei to join them.  Except for a few cuts and bumps on the sub explorers, the submarine survives but the old freighter has flipped and is sitting between 130 and 140 feet below the surface.  Alfred is convinced the plastics have buoyed the ship and that Sensei is still alive.  Heading to the port of Choshi for help, Alfred finds the streets almost deserted because, he soon learns, of the tsunami's impact, most notably on the Fukushima nuclear reactor.  How will he get the help he needs to save Sensei without putting his own life in jeopardy, without getting caught by the authorities looking for him, and without breaking an agreement he made with Ziegfried, his friend and engineer of the submarine?

Stealth of the Ninja is the eighth book (!) in the Submarine Outlaw series and it is as riveting and fresh as any book in the series.  Still amazing is that, although I encourage you to read the whole series because it is so engrossing, Stealth of the Ninja and all its predecessors can stand alone as adventure novels, rife with action and extraordinary characters.  And those characters are truly extraordinary.  From Alfred and his first-mates Hollie and Seaweed to Sensei (whose name we never learn or even need to know) and the Japanese men Yoshi and Hitoshi whom he meets, the characters are so real that I could imagine finding photos of them online and recognizing them instantly.  Moreover, Philip Roy always bathes his stories in such distinctive settings that they are virtual characters.  From the submarine and Sensei's ship to the ocean and the streets of Choshi and Okinawa, Philip Roy creates worlds to which readers can travel in their minds to experience Alfred's  ventures and vicariously face dangers beyond the norm.  Still, though they are wonderful adventure stories, Philip Roy has much to tell us about the oceans and the world and the impact we have on them.  Alfred may seem disheartened at times–though he finds some hope at the conclusion of Stealth of the Ninja–but I think Alfred himself is a source of hope that there are amazing young people out there who care about this world and, recognizing its problems, see themselves as part of the solution. They may not all do it as stealthily as Sensei and Alfred but there's still hope that it's getting done.  By telling the stories of the Submarine Outlaw, Philip Roy gives us all hope as well.

Submarine Outlaw series by Philip Roy