Northern Lights Book Awards
The Ying-Yang Sisters and the Dragon Frightful
Winner of the Picture Book-All Ages category
Author: Nancy Tupper Ling
Illustrator: Andrea Offermann
G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
Told with rich poetic language, The Ying-Yang Sisters and the Dragon Frightful is a BAME book, with powerful female heroes who stay true to the Asian tradition of family and village. Besides, who doesn’t love a story with a dragon antagonist?
We love everything about this picture book, from its unique dimensions, which makes it extra huggable, to its endearing cover art where the dragon envelopes the title. And what a title it is—conveying setting, the conflict and the sister’s opposing personalities, all rolled into one! That’s just for starters; we haven’t even told you about the inside yet!
On the day twin sisters Wei and Mei were born, the Dragon Frightful had stretched his body across the Dan-tat bridge, forcing the villagers to trudge over two high hills and an even longer bridge just to get to market.
Looking at her newborn nieces, wise auntie knows they are destined to conquer the dragon, saying, “Just like Yin and Yang, two are stronger than one.” As they grow, headstrong Wei, who climbs trees and studies Kung Fu, is determined to scare the dragon away. However, thoughtful Mei, who likes to fold paper into lilies and read books in Madam Liu’s library, isn’t so sure. What makes this story so exquisite is that nether sister could have completed their quest without the other.
A wonderful tale with a sweet ending and outstanding artwork that is reminiscent of traditional Chinese art. Not to be missed.
You can view the full list of Northern Lights Book Award winners here: http://northerndawnawards.com/2019-northern-lights-book-awards-winners/