Review: The Junior Thunder Lord by Laurence Yep

The Junior Thunder Lord by Laurence Yep

1.      BIBLIOGRAPHY

Yep, Laurence. 1994. The Junior Thunder Lord. Ill. by Robert Van Nutt. New York: BridgeWater Books. ISBN 0816734542

2.  PLOT SUMMARY

Yue, a salesman, must travel far away from his home to sell his goods. His village was under a terrible drought and his neighbors could not trade. While in Thunder County, he stumbles upon a crowd drumming to honor the thunder lords who help dragons bring rain to the land. In a noodle house, Yue offers food to Bear Face, a large man whom most villagers either fear or ignore. Bear Face offers to accompany Yue in thanks for his kindness. While on a ship, a storm blows in and the ship breaks apart. Bear Face throws Yue on his back, swims him to shore then saves the other passengers and Yue’s trade goods. Yue and Bear Face have become and Yue brings him home to his village. As Bear Face witnesses the drought in Yue’s village he becomes angry and shouts to his brothers in the sky for help. Bear Face is actually a junior thunder lord who was punished to live on the earth for insulting a dragon king. To repay Yue’s kindness, Bear Face brings him up to the clouds and shows him how to release the rain over his drought-burdened village. After that time, Yue’s village never suffered a drought again and Bear Face became a trusted friend to Yue and his family.

3.    CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Yep’s main purpose in re-telling this ancient Chinese legend is to remind his readers that “Those at the top should help those at the bottom.” The setting is based long ago, in a made up land, as seen in many fables from across the world. Yue is a moral and kind character and Bear Face, while originally made out to be a villain, redeems himself by repaying Yue’s kindness. Yep describes Bear Face as big, scowling, and hairy like a bear. His attitude frightens everyone in Thunder County except Yue, who remembers advice a friend gave him in school, that people should help the less fortunate.

Yep adds few cultural markers in his text to emphasize the Chinese culture. The entire story is based on the Chinese legend of the thunder lords, who “with their stone axes, they make the thunder and help the dragons bring rain.” Yue is introduced to junior thunder lord Bear Face due to food. Yue orders Chinese food: noodles at a restaurant for himself and Bear Face, and an additional meal of pork and dumplings.

According to Yep, The Junior Thunder Lord is based on a 17^th century Chinese fable by Pu Songling. Unfortunately, Yep does not provide any sources or references for further reading in his picture book. The addition of reference sources would have been helpful for readers interested in the sources of the Junior Thunder Lord legend.

The majority of the cultural markers and makers of cultural authenticity are located in the illustrations. Robert Van Nutt’s illustrations are beautiful, with rich glossy colors and traditional Chinese elements. Yue and his family have dark black hair, with Yue’s wife shown as having slightly paler skin than her son and husband and other characters have skin in varied shades. The characters have almond shaped, dark colored eyes. All the children shown in the pictures have shaved heads with a pony tail tied up in the back. The background villages and Chinese ship Yue sails on are extremely detailed and accurate to the time period and location the story is based upon. Some of the most striking images are the Chinese dragons drawn with fierce teeth, golden scales and red bellies. The drums of the villagers and thunder lords are bright red and gold, looking very much like the coloring of the dragons.

The Junior Thunder Lord would be an excellent picture book for young children interested in Chinese myths and legends.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Positive review in Publisher’s Weekly: “Yep (The Man Who Tricked a Ghost) here gracefully wraps a 17th-century Chinese fable in a zestful style that speaks immediately to readers and vivifies its moral-that "those at the top should help those at the bottom."

Positive review in School Library Journal: “The quality of the artwork is undercut, however, by the lack of variation in the basic features of all but the main characters. While this detracts somewhat from the book, the story is well written and will appeal to a wide audience.”

5. CONNECTIONS

* Other Chinese fables and fairy tales from Laurence Yep:

The Dragon Prince: A Chinese Beauty and the Beast Tale. ISBN 9780064435185

The Shell Woman and the King: A Chinese Folktale. ISBN 9780803713949

Tiger Woman. ISBN 9780816734658

The Boy Who Swallowed Snakes. ISBN 9780590461689