Two of Everything - Hardcover

Hong is an Albert Whitman author.

PreSchool-Grade 4-- A Chinese folktale with a perfect blend of humor and wisdom. One spring morning, Mr. Haktak, a poor farmer, unearths a brass pot in his garden. Placing his coin purse inside for safekeeping, he carries his discovery home to his wife. After she accidently drops her hairpin inside, Mrs. Haktak reaches into the pot and, to her amazement, pulls out two identical hairpins and two matching coin purses. Quickly deducing the magic secret, husband and wife work feverishly to duplicate their few coins, creating enough gold to fill their hut. The happy couple believes their luck has finally changed for the better--until Mrs. Haktak falls head first into the pot. Using lively yet straightforward language, Hong tells this story with an engagingly playful tone. Never ready to despair, the quick-thinking woman takes charge and imaginatively solves each problem, rapidly moving the plot to a fitting resolution. The airbrushed acrylic and gouache illustrations feature a variety of circular shapes; rounded heads, cheeks, and hats reflect the image of the pot. Painted in matte tones and outlined with darker colors, the pictures are set against a simple background appropriate to life in humble surroundings. A whimsical mix of fortune and misfortune with a distinctly Chinese flavor. --Joy Fleishhacker, New York Public Library
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.