The Great Race Review & Giveaway

The Great Race:  The Story of the Chinese Zodiac by Dawn Casey, illustrated by Anne Wilson, is a story about the origin of the Chinese lunar calendar and how the order in which the animals appear was determined.  Asianmommy received a free copy of this book from Barefoot Books for review.

The story begins with the Jade Emperor deciding to start a calendar in order to measure time.  He determines that the animals will have a swimming race across the river to see which order the animals should be placed in the calendar.  Rat, Cat, Dragon, Tiger, Monkey, Snake, Ox, Pig, Dog, Hare, Sheep, Cockerel, and Horse all participated in the race.  Somehow, the clever Rat betrayed the Cat, and they have since become forever enemies.

What I liked:   This old folk tale is nicely retold and illustrated with brightly-colored characters.  There's an explanation of the Chinese Calendar and Important Days in the Chinese Calendar at the end of the book.  The Characters of the Twelve Animals are also presented, and you can find the year you were born in to find your animal sign.

What could be improved:  I would love to see more books such as this, retelling old folk tales and providing cultural lessons.

Enter for a chance to win The Great Race.

Simply visit www.barefootbooks.com/shop and leave a comment on this post naming your favorite title.

Extra entry for following Barefoot Books on Twitter.

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Please enter a separate comment for each extra entry.  This giveaway is only open to US or Canadian residents (no P.O. Boxes).  One entry per person.  Contest ends at midnight CST on February 6, 2013.  A random winner will be selected.  Please be sure to enter an email address so I can contact the winner.  The winner has 3 days to claim their prize.  Thanks for entering!

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Congratulations to Tracey Black, the winner of our giveaway for The Great Race!

Thanks to everyone for your participation.