I probably should have chosen another of his books to read and will if I have the chance to before this class is over because I have heard good things about Laurence Yep, but wouldn't necessarily believe them based on this book. This book began as a take off of Little Red Riding Hood set in China with sibling rivalry thrown in the mix. The illustrations are bright and colorful, but as mom mom goes into town for food, the girls are left at home with the instructions that "Big Sisters should take care of Little Sisters. And Little Sisters should listen to Big Sisters." When Auntie Tiger comes to the door Big Sister, doesn't want to let her in, but Little Sister is enticed by the promise of a treat. Many fairy tales are somewhat gruesome, but this one, I feel, went a little far. Little Sister gets eaten by Auntie Tiger, and Big Sister goes and hides in a tree while crying for the death of her sister. She asks for a pale of water with the promise that she will drown little baby birds for Auntie Tiger, but instead poors the water down a hollow bamboo reed and drowns Auntie Tiger, then cuts out Little Sister, now dripping in goo. Somehow when the first two little pigs got eaten up by the big bad wolf in The Three Little Pigs, it didn't seem so bad. I recommend trying another of his books before reading this one.
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