Debby ChenRezensionen

This is the first of four short volumes of Kraus and Chen’s adaption of the Chinese classic epic A Journey to the West (Xi you ji). It is filled with characters out of folklore. The original is traditionally ascribed to the 16th century author Wu Cheng'en. This beautifully illustrated volume introduces the mischievous Sun Wukong, or Monkey King to young readers. Most children will readily empathize with Monkey’s sincere and earnest desire to gain competence while struggling to restrain his impetuous behavior.

In The Making of Monkey King,(a mythical being of China) the fantastic beginnings of this unforgettable hero are told. Magically born from a rock, he is crowned Monkey King by his fellow monkeys after finding a sanctuary for them. Anxious to make the enjoyment of his life and his rule last forever, he sets off on a journey to find the secret of immortality. The humor and action of this first book in the Adventures of Monkey King series will surely delight readers of all ages.

I enjoy this telling of the Monkey King, one of the most known mythical beings of China. The illustrations are beautiful and keep younger readers captivated while the story is being read to them. This particular book in the series is about Monkey King's origins and his learning from Immortal Master Subodhi.

Highly recommended for a multicultural library or any library for those who love myth and magic.

Chen, Debby. Monkey King Wreaks Havoc in Heaven. (2001). Union City, California: Pan Asian Publications.

Monkey King lived hundreds of years ago on Flower Fruit Mountain in a kingdom of monkeys. What wants to help his monkey subjects form an army to defend themselves. This leads him to a series of encounters with kings and generals and the Jade Emperor of Heaven himself in which in his boldness, some might call it arrogance, he ends up wreaking havoc in heaven. Even though he is given much by a fellow king and by the Emperor, he always wants more. Hw takes what he wants and doesn’t thing about how his actions affect others or about the consequences for himself. The Emperor calls on Buddha, and he points out to King Monkey how unsatisfied he is has been even with what he has been given in Heaven. He sends King Monkey back to earth to stay trapped beneath a mountain that looks like Buddha’s hand for 500 years. Buddha hopes that King Monkey will learn to be satisfied with what he has.

Both young and older elementary students will enjoy this humorous and charming story with a clearly defined lesson. The illustrations are colorful and help the reader see what is happening in the story. The characterization of King Monkey is what makes this story unique. He is charmingly oblivious to the consequences of his actions and how they affect others. He just keeps doing inappropriate things in Heaven that always seem perfectly justified to him, from protecting his subjects to protecting himself from ever feeling pain and dying.

I read it when I was a child and I realized that I do not like it anymore...

As the Tang Monk journeys west with his three disciples, they enter a mountainous region where they are briefly engulfed in a monstrous red cloud which disappears as suddenly as it came. Traveling on they discover a small boy hanging from the branch of a tree. Monkey King suspects him to be a demon in disguise, nevertheless the monk orders the boy rescued. While Brother Boar rescues the child, he chides Monkey King for his foolish imaginary fears. Alas, the monkey was right. The child transforms into a super powered fire breathing horror and kidnaps the monk. Now the disciples must fight this superhuman menace to free their master.

Although they succeed with aid from allies, and continue their journey, this 2008 volume is the last book published in the series. While the final words in the English text are, “Stay tuned!” I hope the author, illustration and publisher will continue with this delightful adaptation of Wu Cheng'en’s Journey to the West.

After 500 years of penance Monkey King is visited by the fairy Guanyin, whom he addresses as “Goddess of Mercy,” and, promising to be good from now on, begs to be set free. Moved by his plea, she presents his petition to the Great Buddha, who agrees on condition that Monkey King accompany Tang Monk as a bodyguard on his journey to the West to obtain sacred Buddhist scriptures. Monkey King saves the monk from a charging tiger and then from bandits, but impulsively returns to his old ways of behaving, again requiring intervention from the Buddha and Guanyin who entrust the monk with some restraints for the monkey. Monk and monkey travel on, along the way rescuing, reforming, and recruiting a new mount for the monk and two new disciples, Brother Boar and Friar Sand.

Swollen by pride and self-confidence, Monkey King dives into the sea to wrest a powerful magic weapon from Dragon King. Returning to Flower Fruit Mountain with the weapon, an immensely heavy golden rod named Ruyi that can shrink and swell at the command of its wielder, Monkey King now feels that he and his kingdom are invincible. His arrogance annoys the residents of the heavenly realm who try to teach him some modesty. Unfortunately, when Monkey King is invited to heaven and realizes the heavenly beings’ plan, he trashes the whole place. Then the Buddha arrives first teaching Monkey humility and then imposing on him a half century penance.

Debby Chen’s adaptation of this sublime tale from the Journey to the West is beautifully illustrated by Wenhai Ma.