The Five Chinese Brothers

The Five Chinese Brothers

Author: Claire Huchet Bishop

Illustrator: Kurt Wiese

 

This book was first published in 1938 by an American author and is based on a well-known Chinese folk-tale. The illustrations have a cartoon like quality to them and a simplicity that reinforces the moral of the story. The story is vividly told and the narrative is enhanced by the illustations which effectively tell the story in pictures. This is an unusual book which was out of print for a number of years and may be too much for sensitive readers but the story is compelling and stays in the imagination.  

It tells the story of five identical brothers, each of whom has a specific and unusual ability. One can hold the sea in his mouth, one has an iron neck, one can stretch his legs, one can survive fire and one can hold his breath forever. These abilities are all put to the test when one of the brothers is sentenced to death for the accidental drowning of a small boy who died because he failed to keep a promise he made. Each of the brothers survives a different form of execution and are eventually pardoned. 

The illustrations have been considered controversial in contributing to a stereotyped view of the Chinese. Similarly, the story has been criticised for being macabre - the forms of execution include beheading, suffocation, drowning and being burned alive! However, the story has a clear moral to it and is fundamentally concerned with loyalty, trust and keeping one's word. It would be suitable for children aged from four upwards.

Sample Questions:

• What special talents did the brothers have?
• Who did the brothers live with?
• Why could one of the brothers easily catch fish?

Activities and Discussions:

• List out on paper the brothers special talents and how it helped them.
• Describe the different characteristics of the main characters in the book.
• Develop an activity for the children to work as team to accomplish a task. This will help them identify with the main idea and moral of the story.

About the Author

Claire Huchet Bishop

Illustrator

Kurt Wiese

Other Books Written by Author Claire Huchet Bishop

Twenty-Two Bears

Pancake-Paris

All Alone

Reference

Bishop, C. H., & Wiese, K. (1938). The five Chinese brothers,. New York: Coward-McCann.