I think this book is very,very good. It was a great book about China also a good book for childrens around the world. This book is about a girl named Yeh-Shen that was a orpahan. She had to work for her stepmother and her stepsister. Yeh-Shen had a fish that she did not know that it was magic fish. The fish's name is goldeyes. Yeh-Shen stepsister found out that Yeh-Shen had a friend that was a fish. The stepsister want and told her mother. The stepmother told Yeh-Shen to get some wood from the far side of the land. At the end of the story Yeh-Shen married the king.

In almost every culture, parents tell children a story that resembles the European Cinderella. Scholars have collected more than 500 versions of the story. In the past couple of decades a lot of these multicultural variations on Cinderella have been turned into children's picture books. The familiar story gives kids a great introduction to people of the world. Several of these books are very good, but two are exceptional. One is John Steptoe's "Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters," an African version of the story. The other is this one.

"Yeh-Shen," a Chinese version of the tale almost a thousand years older than the earliest known European version, contains many familiar details - a poor over-worked girl, a wicked stepmother and stepsister, a magical helper, a king in search of a wife, and a lost shoe. But while Cinderella is simply handed gifts from her fairy godmother, Yeh-Shen earns her wishes through kindness to a magic fish. This one change makes a big difference in the ethical tone of the book. It also makes the reader feel much more sympathetic toward Yeh-Shen, who seems to deserve every bit of good fortune she gets.

The illustrations greatly add to the book's charm. Ed Young's style is striking and unique. There's a misty, ethereal quality to his art that makes everything look as if it were taking place in a dream - which is just perfect for the book.

This is the oldest known version of Cinderella. It dates back to 9BC China. Having taught a unit on the history of Cinderella to my class every year around Holiday time, I'm pleased to finally have a copy of the book -- the copy from the Minneapolis Public Library is missing -- because it teaches children that not every version is about pumpkin coaches and glass slippers. Beautifully illustrated by Ed Young, the theme of the fish/fairy godmother character plays throughout the book.

Enjoy this version, along with Shirley Chimo's Egyptian and Korean Cinderellas, The Turkey Girl, The Rough Face Girl, Sootface, and of course, the old classic versions.

This book is an excellent addition to your multicultural children's collection!

I would just like to say that from the cover of the book, it is misleading from the Brothers Grimm version of Cinderella. There isn't a pumpkin, mice, a glass slipper, and there is only one horse. I think that the illustrator needs to check the actual Grimm story.

It saddens me to see the review (above or below) which clearly has nothing to do with this audiotape but which may discourage people from trying these cassettes. This is an EXCELLENT version of the Cinderella story--as are all of the Monterey Soundworks versions that I have heard so far.

My daughter and I listen to these tapes during her 40 minute drive home from school each day, or on her way to skating, karate, etc., since we live in the New Jersey suburbs and spend a lot of time in the car. All of the Monterey Soundworks tapes are faithful to the original stories, and facilitate listening because there are different voices for each role. That means even very young children can distinguish points of view and get access to stories otherwise reserved for older listeners.

In the case of learning disabled children, this feature is even more pertinent, and has led us to collect all of the Monterey soundworks tapes available.

I highly recommend in particular this version of Cinderella, as it is universally enjoyable and comprehensible and makes the monotony of driving in even rush hour traffic a more pleasant experience.

Yeh Shen is a Chinese version of Cinderella. The sweet and gentle girl has a fish for a pet. The sister and mother are still the villian in this story, but goodness wins out. The unique twist to this version make it a wonderful addition to any collection.