Mulan Books

if i could only buy one book in my whole life, this would be it

If you want to know the poem that inspired the Disney fillm you can't go wrong with this book. You get the entire original poem along with a beautiful presentation. The poem is very short, but what it lacks in length it makes up for in style and mood. From the outset this is a different kind of book. There is no binding, instead it is one long sheet of parer folded back and forth. This give's the reader the sense they are reading an authentic Chinese document. The photos, drawings, sketches, and Chinese writing inside only heighten this impression. It's also a facinating study in how the film was structured. You can see where Disney added to the story or left things out, as well as see the the visual development of Mulan and her world as told by the pre-production art work. Wthout a doubt, this makes for the best book of a Disney film yet!

I love Disney & what they have done with the books they have made into movies and how they added their touch, often changing the ending to fit their ideas.

Having said that it is also nice & very important for us to read or the author's original story. Hans Christian Anderson's was a gifted writer & story teller of many wonderful books. In his book the Little Mermaid it has a much sadder ending than Disney's. But again, it's important to know the original story.

This is one of my favorite Mulan books, simply because it was done not as a traditional book, but as a Chinese folding style book. The book has 2 red covers - red is a very special color for the Chinese. The paper that was chosen looks like it is handmade paper and that just add to the beauty of this book. I also like that the poem is in English and also Chinese Characters. The author put alot of thought into this book, and it really shines!

This is definately one of my most treasured books!

Most of the reasons I get any Disney book is because I want to know how to draw the characters(and because I just like the movie).For Mulan, I heard it was an ancient poem before a movie, so I wanted to read the actual poem. I was browsing around in the Disney store when, low and behold, there was the poem. Inside was also a lot of rough pencil drawigs to help me draw the characters. This is a collectible book for any Disney or Mulan fan.

There's and old quote that says that the greatest perfumes come in small bottles. This applies for this little, but beautiful book about an ancient Chinese poem that serves as the inspiration for Disney's Mulan.

First you get a little red box, inside you find a scroll made in the typical Chinese way. You unfold little by little the pages that reach almost 240 inches long. And while you read the poem, one really get in the mood because it includes the poem in chinese characters as well.

And if you are looking for illustrations, the book includes some in color, some made by pencil and even a couple of what seems original Chinese paintings.

You get that much in a little book! isn't it great?

This is one of the most beautiful books I've seen in a long time. Just a children's story but still told to adults in China today. I loved it.

My favorite of all the Mulan books available because of the illustrations.

This is a simple and clear presentation of the story. I'm not familiar with the original poem, so can't say if it is completely accurate to the original. The illustrations seem very Chinese in style, and I really like them. I plan to get more books in this series.

The English is at a level that my 3rd grader can read it by herself, and it has the story, side by side, in simplified Chinese characters (some easy to read typewriter font, not the original calligraphy). The Chinese story is simple enough that kids who are learning Chinese should be able to make headway with it.

Every culture has their myths, legends and stories which are handed down through the ages with reverence and respect. In this era of commercializing and rewriting every classic that comes along, it is refreshing to find books such as this--that honor the original telling. Not only is the story historically accurate, but the beautiful pictures are as well, and this book is a must for any lover of Chinese history and/or for parents wishing to explain their "roots" to their children. I loved it!

Each piece of artwork should be framed..thestory (authentic, for a change), is compelling, honest and a "must" for all ages. The Chinese writing accompanying the English is intriguing.I bought several books and sent them all over the globe. I suggest others do the same.

I think this book's art is quite nice and that the text is gratifyingly bold, which I like.

Another good book on a Disney classic. Full of wonderfull drawings, sketches and animation concepts and background designs. I always buy the "Art of" books Disney puts out on each of their new films. It's always a treat to see how concepts of characters and backgrounds changed as they went along. Sometimes for the better, and sometimes not. Being an artist myself, I always enjoy seeing the drawings of the rough animation and characters studies. It's nice that they included some photos of the original source material from China in the front of the book. This again shows how far Disney's team goes to research a subject. The information and research shows up on the screen. And besides, the books pretty cheap, so you can't go wrong. My only complaint is that it could have been a slightly bigger book page wise.

This children's storybook is a shortened version of the movie, packed between two hard covers. The wonderful pictures are in full color and relive the movie's magic. A great addition to the disney classic storybook collection that every Mulan fan should have.

This version of the original Mulan poem includes both the English translation and the original Chinese Characters. The artwork is beautiful, with lots of detail to look at on each page. There is also a short history of the poem included. I love this book because it is a great way to really share with your child the true rendition of the poem. Don't get me wrong, my daughter loves the Disney movie "Mulan," but I'm always concerned with historical acuracy, and this book does a beautiful job of showing and telling that story.

In this portrayal of the famous ballad of Mu Lan ,or Fa Mulan as some call her, a story of a young woman who saves China is depicted. She puts her life in danger to protect the life of her father by taking his place in the draft. This very moving and heart warming poem is very well written and a must read if you are interested in the story at all. Its good to see the real work that the movie was based on...

I like this book and i also enjoy the movie of this book, i saw the movie first then i read the book and the book is pretty entresting, Most people well enjoy reading about this book,This book is cool, and i'm going to talk about this book. Once apon a time in china their was a war between the good and evil and Mulan dad was part of the war, he was on the good side who
deffends the great wall of china. When the war stated again everyone in china had to deffend the great empire again, and the ones who deffend china get gold, and most of the worrier of china are old, if they had a son, the son can take their place in the battle field, and Mulan dad was old and handi-cap, so Mulan didn't want to lose her father cause of the war. She pray to the ancester that she promise to come back, and she cut her hair short and look like a man and took her father sword and his amor and her ancester brought a dragon to come along with her to protect her, and she ran off on a horse to the camp where the worriers of china be at. This book is a good book and is base on a true story.

Mulan is a strange young women compared to the other young girls in her town.She doesn't care for beauty and always asks alot of questions. When Mulan learns that her father has been drafted into Khan's army to fight the Tartars, she is shocked-her father is far too old and weak to go to war. She forms a brave plan, which she secretly forms. She asks her familys ancestors to guide her and they send her a small drangon that fits into the size of her palm to help her,and "At dawn she cut her hair short, put on her father's armor, and fastened his weapons to the horse's saddle." Mulan is excited and afraid, She studies the art of war, and becomes skilled with the sword. She passes the training test that no other man is traing camp could do.soon finds herself engaged in fierce combat with the Tartars. In an act of bravery her women hood is revealed... i won't tell you the ending!

Since Disney has appropriated another folk tale, I think that it's important to expose your kids to preDisney tellings. This version of the story is really well done. It has some of the qunt, old fashioned feel of the original chinese (so I am told), only toned down for a young audience. It is well illustrated, and is far more historically accurate than the movie. My 6 year old son has requested it for a bedtime story every night since we bought it.

This story is told in the format of a song. The song is the re-telling of the legend of Mulan. The story is close to disneys version of Mulan, but has several differences. One difference is that Mulan and her family decide together that Mulan shall go in her fathers place. Mulan fights in many battles intead of just one. No mention of her being hurt and then her gender being discovered. She is discovered when she returned home and another soldier who was traveling with her finds out her true gender.

Prior to reading this to my 5 yo, we discussed how this was the original story. It sparked a discussion on how sometimes a book and a movie can be very different. It was a hit with my child. One that I expect to read again and again. A nice addition to any Mulan fans library.

This is actually one of my favorite books. I have owned a copy since it first came out, and keep having to buy new ones because my student's also love it. I am a 4th grade teacher, and when a student leaves my class, I allow the child to pick a favorite book - any book I own - to take as my gift. The kid's usually choose either China's Bravest Girl, or El Chino by Allen Say. That says a lot for a book! The story and illustrations engage the students strongly - they love the images, the poetry, the Chinese character. The story gives them hope that they too can be heroes and change the world. Please get yourself and your children a copy - in fact get two - you will end up giving one away.

The Chinese language text seems to be "politically correct" hack retelling from the People's Republic, filled with jingoistic sentiments. I would not want to read the Chinese version to my kids. The English language version softens and rephrases some of the more irritating parts of the Chinese text, the artwork is OK, and young children actually seem to LIKE the simplistic rhyming, so I'm assigning three stars. If you want a close translation of the original poem with wonderful illustrations, buy Jeanne Lee's book. If you want a good prose retelling of the story with lots of details added (the original poem is somewhat elliptical in phrasing and short in detail) then buy Robert San Souci's book.

Good choice for junior high reading lists, particularly when curriculum includes Ancient China. Students enjoy the graphic novel format (even though is is black and white), and learn about Chinese history/culture at the same time.

It 's interesting because very beautiful picture. I think it 's through to MULAN 's fan club heart.

This book does recount the story of Mulan (disney's) but is a bit of a let down for golden books- The story is written for a bit of an older audience than those who read golden books. I have to adapt quite a bit when reading this one to my 3 yo. I bought it so she could get the strong female protagonist- other than princesses- not sure that is getting across though.

Like other Little Golden Books,this book has great cover and colorful pictures,and the passages are good,too.But some great stories of the film has been cut.But I think this book is still a good book for kids and parents