The Great Race (ISBN 1-55192-090-5)

"Tonight as they had done on many nights before, the old woman and her grand-daughter took out paper cutouts of the twelve that had taken part in the Great Race."

So begins the fable told in this charming re-creation of the origins of the Chinese zodiac. Beautifully illustrated by Chinese-Canadian artist Zhong-Yang Huang and masterfully written by bestselling Canadian author David Bouchard, The Great Race sets in motion a contest that pits creatures such as the ox, rat, horse, and dragon against one another to see who will reach the Jade City first. But, as the story unfolds, it becomes poignantly clear that there are more important things than being the fastest or the craftiest. A Canadian Children's Book Center 1998-99 Our Choice starred selection.

AWARDS:

* Winner of the 2000 Red Cedar Award (picture of author accepting the award...)

* shortlisted for the Governor General Award.

* Ottawa Citizen's Best Book of the Year in the children's category

* shortlisted for the Mr. Christie's Book Award

* shortlisted for the Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Award

* OLA Best Bet for 1997... the Ontario Library Association Canadian

REVIEWS:.

The story of how the animals' natures determine the outcome of the race is told to a child by her grandmother. With his poet's flair, the best-selling David Bouchard has infused the text with a subtlety and nuance befitting his subject. Zhong-Yang Huang's lavish illustrations are stunning. They and the elegant text are bound to leave young readers asking questions and older readers pondering the answers as the layered meanings of this tale linger and resonate. Evening News (New Glasgow, N.S.)

Although the true origins of the Chinese zodiac remain a mystery, this lovely book presents one of the fables associated with its creation. Here, a grandmother teaches her young granddaughter the importance of the order of the animals in the zodiac and how the order came to be determined--through a great race. As the story unfolds, it is clear that there are more important qualities and personal attributes than speed or cleverness as the animals compete for place. Lavishly and beautifully illustrated, the picture-book format serves the story well, giving visual form to the sometimes difficult concepts of friendship, loyalty, and ethical behavior. This well-told fable is not only an interesting story but also a fine introduction to the Chinese zodiac; included are explanation of the zodiac and each of the 12 animals' characteristics and symbolism. Shelle Rosenfeld - From Booklist

AUTHOR'S COMMENT:

This is the first of what I hope will be many books with the great artist Yang. This fine man and incredible artist inspires me to no end. When he first asked me to write a story based on a Chinese theme, I had to go looking, as my experience with oriental subject matter was limited. I heard of a race from a grade twelve ESL student in the high school at which I was the Vice-Principal. After considerable research turning up little to nothing, I wrote the Great Race.

Readers might be interested to know that I try to collect one or two originals from each of my books. From the Great Race, I own the cover and the first image of Buddha and the twelve contestants. This is just another example of my ongoing good fortune...as I AM a Dragon!