Celebrating 25 Books Over 25 Years: Summoning the Phoenix

LEE & LOW BOOKS celebrates its 25^th anniversary this year and to recognize how far the company has come, we are featuring one title a week to see how it is being used in classrooms today as well, as hear from the authors and illustrators.

Today we are highlighting Summoning the Phoenix: Poems and Prose About Chinese Musical Instruments, an award-winning title from our Shen’s Books imprint, written by Emily Jiang and illustrated by April Chu. In 2013, we acquired the California-based Shen’s Books, which emphasizes cultural diversity and tolerance, with a focus on introducing children to the cultures of Asia.

Featured title: Summoning the Phoenix: Poems and Prose About Chinese Musical Instruments

Author: Emily Jiang

Illustrator: April Chu

Synopsis: Every musician knows that learning to play an instrument has its challenges and its rewards. There’s the embarrassing first day of rehearsal, but also the joy of making friends in the orchestra. There’s dealing with slippery concert dress, or simply getting swept up in the music. The twelve children in this book are just like any other musicians practicing their instruments and preparing for a concert. But what sets these music lovers apart is that they all play traditional Chinese musical instruments in a Chinese orchestra.

Including both flights of fancy and practical considerations, lively poems capture each child’s musical experience with a different Chinese instrument, while sidebars provide more information about each one.

Awards and honors: