The Weasel

by Ma Ruifang, Wang Zumin, Wang Ying

Description

This special, original picture book tells a true and meaningful story. The weasel is called “黄鼬子Huang Youzi” in the middle area of Shandong. One night, a weasel sneaked into the house and killed the hero’s brother’s beloved little rabbit. The brother was angry and anxious and decided to punish it severely. When punishing it, the mother found that it was a lactating weasel, so the mother decided to let it go home. After that day, the chickens and rabbits in the family are safe and sound. As a representative of extremely charming animals in traditional Chinese culture, the weasel is renowned in folk culture. This story, coming from folk culture, which is full of vigorous vitality and touching power, talks about topics concerning humans, animals, maternity, arousing children’s respect for life.

Author Biography

Ma Ruifang is a professor and doctoral supervisor at the School of Literature of Shandong University and an academic leader in the area of Ancient Chinese Literature at Shandong University. She is an honorary member of the National Committee of the Chinese Writers Association and a member of the Chinese Association for the Study of a Dream of the Red Mansions. Professor Ma has authored a number of novels, including Blue Eyes, Black Eyes, Heaven’s Eye, and Feeling the Four Seasons, and around forty kinds of academic monographs. She has served as the principal speaker for the program “Speaking of Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio” in the CCTV (China Central Television) series “The Forum for a Hundred Schools of Thought”, and the programs “Ma Ruifang Reading A Dream of the Red Mansions” and “Ma Ruifang Speaking of Strange Tales From a Chinese Studio” on the online audio platform Ximalaya. All of her books and programs have long been popular with audiences and readers. Wang Zumin, born in Suzhou, is currently the Art Director of Oriental Doll and the Editor-in-Chief of the former Children's Story Pictorial, a children’s picture book illustrator and a senior editor. He has published The Egg That Can Fly, Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, The Newcome Leopard, Pigsy Eating Watermelon, Tiger Hill, I’m the Tiger So I Fear No One, and 66 Oxen. Tiger Hill won the UNESCO’s Noma Award; I’m the Tiger So I Fear No One was selected for the 2016 Bologna International Illustrator Exhibition; and 66 Oxen received the silver prize in the second Picture Book Award, which is primarily given out by APG Time. Wang Ying, who graduated from the School of Fine Arts of Nanjing Normal University, is currently an art teacher in the Department of Art at the Jiangsu Vocational Institute of Commerce. She went to the University of California as a visiting scholar in 2013. She is one of the painters of the book I’m the Tiger So I Fear No One, and has won Jiangsu Province “Best Works Award” with her picture book The Little Cat Look for Friends.

Bibliographic Information