Product Description

Business returns to a once prosperous restaurant when a mysterious stranger pays for his meal with a magical paper crane that comes alive and dances. "A delight to the eye and imagination."--Horn Book. "An enchanting book."--School Library Journal

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #303632 in Books
• Published on: 1987-07-15
• Released on: 1987-07-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 32 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780688073336
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Publishers Weekly
Collaborating with her distinguished mother Betsy Bang and working on her own, Molly Bang has received awards including two Caldecott Honors for Ten, Nine, Eight and The Grey Lady and the Strawberry Snatcher. She has another front contender in this amazingly ingenious book. A restaurant owner and his son lose their clientele when a new superhighway bypasses their street. When a poor man comes to them one evening, they gladly serve him a fine meal for pay. Before leaving, he gives his hosts a paper crane which will be a living, dancing bird when they clap their hands. The dancing crane brings crowds to the restaurant and prosperity to the kind owners as well as a joyful surprise to readers at the story's end. In the color pictures, one sees everything in three-dimensions, an artistic effect created by lovely collages and paintings. A sandwich on a plate, roses in a vase, etc., seem real enough to pick up.
Copyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
"A delight to the eye and imagination." -- -- The Horn Book(starred review)

"Many of the scenes have great delicacy and are masterfully evocative of mood and place....visually fresh and very effective...." -- -- ALA Booklist(starred review)

About the Author
Molly Bang lives in Falmouth, Massachusetts.

Customer Reviews

The story of a magical gift
In "The Paper Crane," author/illustrator Molly Bang tells the story of a restaurant owner whose business suffers when a new highway diverts possible patrons away from his place. But his fortunes change when a mysterious visitor leaves the owner a magical gift.

Bang's illustrations appear to be photographs of multi-media collages, and have a wonderful 3-dimensional quality. There are lots of warm earth tones complemented by flashes of bright color. Here is another interesting (and, in my opinion, admirable) element of this book: the book jacket notes that the story is based on "an ancient Japanese folktale," but Bangs features a multi-ethnic assortment of people in her illustrations. An entertaining, visually rich book.

Beautiful illustrations complement timeless text
This book's unique illustrations--three dimensional paper--are very effective as a complement to the traditional Japanese story of a mysterious man who pays for his dinner with a paper crane. This story is an excellent introduction to the Japanese art of origami and the significance of the paper crane in Japanese culture. The pictures are detailed and captivating and the text is engaging.

Simply Lovely
This was my favorite book to read to my children when they were growing up. It has a serene, Zen-like quality. A timeless tale, this will particularly appeal to families who hold art and music as sacred facets of their lives.