A Monkey King
A Classic Chinese Tale for Children
Age range 3 to 9
A timeless and inspiring Chinese tale brought to life for Western children!
The Monkey King: A Classic Chinese Tale for Children retells the story of the Buddhist monk Tripitaka who is dispatched by the Jade Emperor of Heaven on a magical quest to bring the Sacred Scriptures of the Buddha to China in order to save the nation from chaos. It describes in turn how the monk meets three brave traveling companions — Monkey, Pigsy and Sandy — each of whom has a very odd appearance but special powers and a strong personality. Along the way they face frequent battles with enemies and often quarrel amongst themselves like children. But in the end their loyalty to each other and to their common goal ultimately wins the day.
The most beloved character in the story is of course the hilarious Monkey — mischievous and full of energy, constantly on the move and constantly creating problems for the others. But Monkey has amazing magical powers that enable him to transform himself into other living beings and to summon an army of monkeys to his side at a moment's notice. Much to the consternation of his comrades, however, he is continually boasting about his abilities. But in the end he is the one who saves the others and allows them to overcome their ordeals.
Children of all ages will be entertained and inspired by this heartwarming tale of adversity and survival.
David Seow was born and raised in Singapore. He studied at Anglo-Chinese School, Oregon Episcopal School, and subsequently the University of Portland, Oregon. After a stint as a sitcom writer with an award-winning television series, he embarked on a career in children's literature. David is the author of twenty-three well-received children's books, including The Littlest Emperor.
Lak-Khee Tay-Audouard, continues her quest, after Singapore Children's Favourite Stories, to recapture the sense of wonder and naivete that most of us lose in the process of growing up. The genuine desire to engage the reader remains the driving force of her inspiration. To portray the mythological characters of this popular legend, these whimsical illustrations have been given an antique look. Lak-Khee is the author of Adventures of the Treasure Fleet.
