Zodiac

A story about how the twelve current animals “registered” themselves to be part of the Zodiac. A long time ago, twelve people had to be elected to represent the twelve small animals of the Lunar New Year. Cat and Rat decided to go for registration. Cat is afraid of being late, so he asks Rat to wake him up the next morning to register together. When the morning comes Rat forgets to wake up Cat and hurries down the road to register. The story continues to tell the tale of each animal and how they won their place on the Zodiac circle.

A Snipe and a Clam Locked In a Fight

A snipe mussel is found out in the sun, and while the mussel isn’t paying attention two hard-shell clams quickly clamp tightly and hold onto the snipe’s mouth. They do not give way to each other, and the fight is at a stalemate when a fisherman arrives. This story is simple, and teaches the lesson of knowing when to let go, the beautify of solidarity, and appreciation for wisdom.

Doll and Puppet
A puppet and a doll, named Niou, spend time in a pleasant place of contradictions. The puppet finds out that Niou is made of mud, limp, and no spirit. The puppet then starts to slowly look down on him and starts to always look for opportunities to ridicule Niou. However, later on a torrential downpour washes away the puppet and he dispears as a result, while Niou is lying peacefully asleep in the arms of mother earth. This story teaches readers no laugh at others and to think about their own shortcomings before judging others.

The Blind Men and the Elephant

"Mangrenmoxiang" is a blind man who touches an elephant in several different locations to identify what an elephant looks like. When the blind man touched the elephant’s ear, he thought he was touching dustpan; when he touched the elephant’s legs, he thought he was touching a pillar... This book shows readers a greater perspective on how to view different thing. It is important to not only to see one part of something, but to look at the full picture in order to understand the true meaning of things.

Lord Ye Loves Dragon

A man named Ye likes dragons a lot. So much that he fills his entire house with dragon pictures. Because of his love for dragons the heavens send down to Ye a real dragon. But when Ye sees the dragon he gets scared and runs away. This story taches what the true meaning of love for something really is vs. what people commonly confuse it for.

Monkey King Fights a Monster
This story tells the story of four apprentices’. Tang Monk is on his way to the Buddhist sutras, where he meets a witch. Monkey and Pig can not tell that the witch is actually a monster because she is decieving and didguised. Monkey sees through the witch and ultimately destroys the monster. The story teaches reader to be aware of strangers, and to prevent fraud.

Legend of Love
"Legend of Love" is a traditional Chinese folk tale that tells the story about an old legend. Vega and Altair love each other, but Queen Mother does not allow them to fall in love. Find out the ending to this forbidden love and how things aren’t always satisfactory.

Waiting For a Rabbit to Turn Up
A farmer working in the fields, hears a flock of wildlife fleeing the woods as a hunter tries to capture one. One rabit hits a tree right next to the famer’s field and dies. The farmer picks up the rabbit, and thinks that the rabit represents good luck. After that day, he waits at the side of the same tree, and looks forward to encountering yet another rabbit he may feast on. He waits for a long time to find no rabbit and to realize his crops are dying because he hadn’t worked the fields. This story tells readers that not everything is based soley on luck. Hard work and dedication is what will give us real joy and happiness.

The Nian Monster Is Coming
This book is about the Chinese New Year. During this time of year, the “village of evil” looms the closest to our demension. Demons live in an alternate demension and New Years is a time to scare these demons away. It teaches readers about the cultural tranditions the Chinese practice every year in celebration of this holiday. People paste red ancestral papers on their door, light candels in their hall ways and set off fireworks to protect the country and its people for yet another year.

Dong Guo and the Wolf
"Dong Guo and the Wolf" is about a man named Dong Guo who encounters a wounded wolf on the trail he was orginally taking to go hunting. The Wolf pleads with Dong Guo to spare him, so Dong Guo saves the life of the wolf and carries the wolf with him. The wolf however turns against Dong Guo. This story tells readers an important lesson to never trust wolves, and to always seek caution.