THE SILK PRINCESS

Santore reworks an ancient Chinese legend about the discovery of silk into a sumptuously illustrated tale featuring an Emperor’s daughter, a dragon (can’t have a Chinese story without a dragon, after all) and an old, probably divine weaver who plays an important role until suddenly disappearing, along with the lustrous fabric he’s been creating. The stuff of dreams, perhaps? Filled with flowing robes, delicately drawn faces and rugged landscapes, the art displays great technical virtuosity—but also carelessness with details; not only do servants wear gowns that are Korean in style, not Chinese, but children’s footwear looks like modern Rockports, and the weaver seems to be wearing a woman’s slip under his jacket. Beautiful work—but Lily Toy Hong’s The Empress and the Silkworm (1995) sticks closer to the original story and culture. (Picture book/folktale. 6-9)