Bibliography
Louie, Ai-Ling, Trans. 1982, Yeh Shen: A Cinderella Story from China. Ill. by Ed Young. New York: Philomel Books. ISBN 0698113888
Plot Summary
Yeh-Shen is a beautiful orphan who lives with her wicked stepmother and half sister in a cave. Her stepmother is very jealous of Yeh-Shen and gives her all the worst jobs. Her only friend is a fish in the pond. Yeh-Shen has very little food to eat but is still willing to share her meals with the fish. The stepmother soon finds out about the fish and plots to kill it and eat it for dinner. Yeh-Shen is so distraught to find her only friend gone that she weeps. Her tears fall in to the water. A mysterious old man appears to her and explains what has happened to her fish friend. He tells her that her stepmother has killed her friend but that the bones have magical powers to help her when she is in need. Yeh-Shen goes to the dung heap to collect the bones and hides them in a safe place. Time passes and she talks to her magical fish and only asks for food to keep her hunger away. As spring approaches, all the young people prepared to attend the festival to find mates. The stepmother takes her daughter but leaves Yeh-Shen behind to guard the fruit trees. Yeh-Shen wants to attend the festival but has nothing to wear. She approaches the magical fish and asks for help. He provides her with a beautiful dress and cape along with tiny shoes made of gold. The fish makes her promise not to lose the shoes. That night, Yeh-Shen dances with many suitors. Soon, she overhears her stepsister say, “That girl looks a little like Yeh-Shen”. She becomes frightened and runs home, losing a shoe along the way. Her clothing turns back in to rags and her magical fish longer talks to her. Soon, the lost slipper is found and ends up in the hands of the king. He places the shoe in the center of the village and secretly watches while all the eager young women try it on. Yeh-Shen waits until the darkest part of the night to try on the shoe. When she is sure that it is the correct shoe, she takes it home hoping that her fish friend will speak to her again. The king follows her home and asks her to try on the golden slipper. When she does, her clothing transforms into the beautiful gown she wore to the festival. The king immediately falls in love and marries her. The stepmother and sister are not allowed in the palace because of the way they had treated Yeh-Shen.
Yeh-Shen is a beautiful orphan who lives with her wicked stepmother and half sister in a cave. Her stepmother is very jealous of Yeh-Shen and gives her all the worst jobs. Her only friend is a fish in the pond. Yeh-Shen has very little food to eat but is still willing to share her meals with the fish. The stepmother soon finds out about the fish and plots to kill it and eat it for dinner. Yeh-Shen is so distraught to find her only friend gone that she weeps. Her tears fall in to the water. A mysterious old man appears to her and explains what has happened to her fish friend. He tells her that her stepmother has killed her friend but that the bones have magical powers to help her when she is in need. Yeh-Shen goes to the dung heap to collect the bones and hides them in a safe place. Time passes and she talks to her magical fish and only asks for food to keep her hunger away. As spring approaches, all the young people prepared to attend the festival to find mates. The stepmother takes her daughter but leaves Yeh-Shen behind to guard the fruit trees. Yeh-Shen wants to attend the festival but has nothing to wear. She approaches the magical fish and asks for help. He provides her with a beautiful dress and cape along with tiny shoes made of gold. The fish makes her promise not to lose the shoes. That night, Yeh-Shen dances with many suitors. Soon, she overhears her stepsister say, “That girl looks a little like Yeh-Shen”. She becomes frightened and runs home, losing a shoe along the way. Her clothing turns back in to rags and her magical fish longer talks to her. Soon, the lost slipper is found and ends up in the hands of the king. He places the shoe in the center of the village and secretly watches while all the eager young women try it on. Yeh-Shen waits until the darkest part of the night to try on the shoe. When she is sure that it is the correct shoe, she takes it home hoping that her fish friend will speak to her again. The king follows her home and asks her to try on the golden slipper. When she does, her clothing transforms into the beautiful gown she wore to the festival. The king immediately falls in love and marries her. The stepmother and sister are not allowed in the palace because of the way they had treated Yeh-Shen.
Critical Analysis
According to the author’s note, the story of Yeh-Shen is from the T’ang dynasty (618-907AD). The earliest European version of Cinderella was found to be an Italian version from 1634. It seems that the tale of Yeh-Shen predates any other version by at least 1,000 years. The story contains all the elements of a Cinderella tale, the evil stepmother and sister, the hard work, the party, and the magical friend who provides the right gown and shoes. The main difference in this version is that the fairy godmother is her magical fish. Throughout the story, the fish takes three forms-a fish friend in the pond, an old man who comforts and guides her and finally a set of bones that Yeh-Shen keeps hidden. Yeh-Shen is a modest girl who asks for very little of her magical bones-only food to help her survive. Her final request changes her life forever. Like other versions of Cinderella, the character, Yeh-Shen, is kind, works hard and is generous even when she has nothing. These character traits are highly regarded in all cultures. It is for this reason that the story is found in so many cultures.
According to the author’s note, the story of Yeh-Shen is from the T’ang dynasty (618-907AD). The earliest European version of Cinderella was found to be an Italian version from 1634. It seems that the tale of Yeh-Shen predates any other version by at least 1,000 years. The story contains all the elements of a Cinderella tale, the evil stepmother and sister, the hard work, the party, and the magical friend who provides the right gown and shoes. The main difference in this version is that the fairy godmother is her magical fish. Throughout the story, the fish takes three forms-a fish friend in the pond, an old man who comforts and guides her and finally a set of bones that Yeh-Shen keeps hidden. Yeh-Shen is a modest girl who asks for very little of her magical bones-only food to help her survive. Her final request changes her life forever. Like other versions of Cinderella, the character, Yeh-Shen, is kind, works hard and is generous even when she has nothing. These character traits are highly regarded in all cultures. It is for this reason that the story is found in so many cultures.
Ed Young’s stunning illustrations complement the story perfectly. Young incorporates the fish into every illustration. At first glance, you only see the human characters but as you continue to search the illustration, the giant fish seems to pop out. The background is white but the pages are divided into frames outlined in red. The illustrations are not limited to one frame but are spread out throughout the page. The colors are both vibrant and muted which adds to the mystical quality of the book
Connections:
This website is an excellent source of information on sharing different versions of Cinderella. http://www.webenglishteacher.com/cinderella.html
There are many words that students, especially ESL students might not understand. Here is a list of words to discuss when using this book: pavilion, dung, transformation, tattered, corse (corsest), undaunted, vigil, dynasty (dynasties) "heavy heart" and "dwell on things that are past".
Prior to reading Yeh-Shen, use a KWL chart to determine what students know about Cinderella stories. You can find an example of a chart here: http://www.teach-nology.com/worksheets/graphic/kwl/
Yeh-Shen is the perfect book to use along with another version of Cinderella to teach comparing and contrasting. Even very young students will be able to tell you what is the same and different in each story. You can actually create a venn diagram at this website.
I would recommend using a large piece of butcher paper or chart paper to create a venn diagram with younger students.
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