Bronze and Sunflower

By Cao Wenxuan

Illustrated by Meilo So

A classic, heartwarming tale set to the backdrop of the Chinese cultural revolution, with the timeless feels of Eva Ibbotson's Journey to the River Sea.

A beautifully written, timeless tale by bestselling Chinese author Cao Wenxuan, winner of the Hans Christian Andersen Award. When Sunflower, a young city girl, moves to the countryside, she grows to love the reed marsh lands – the endlessly flowing river, the friendly buffalo with their strong backs and shiny round heads, the sky that stretches on and on in its vastness. However, the days are long, and the little girl is lonely. Then she meets Bronze, who, unable to speak, is ostracized by the other village boys. Soon the pair are inseparable, and when Bronze’s family agree to take Sunflower in, it seems that fate has brought him the sister he has always longed for. But life in Damaidi is hard, and Bronze’s family can barely afford to feed themselves. Will the city girl be able to stay in this place where she has finally found happiness?

Categories: Fiction

For readers aged: 9+

  • Publication details:
  • Format: Paperback
  • ISBN: 9781406348460
  • Published: 02 Apr 2015
  • Price: £8.99
  •  
  • Size: 198 x 129 mm
  • Pages: 400

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Customer reviews

Reviews

'This quiet and gentle story woven through with thoughtfulness and bright love will stay with me a long time.' Playing By the Book

'The story successfully crosses the cultural divide and young readers will find it engrossing.' The Tribune

'However old you are, this book will expand your horizons.' A Year of Reading the World

'The perilous life of rural China is meticulously documented in this stunning, slow novel set in the shadow of the Cultural Revolution.' Inis Reading Guide

'It is a rare treat to come across a book that you want to keep with you for days after reading, to dip into again at leisure, be it for the beauty of the writing, the resonance of the story, or the luminosity of the imagery. Such a book is Bronze and Sunflower.' Children's Books Ireland

'…Sticking with international books, but in an entirely different vein (though likewise pretty special), there’s the heart-warming Chinese novel Bronze and Sunflower by Cao Wenxuan, in a translation by Helen Wang. It’s a lyrical, engaging story […] set during the Cultural Revolution, which began in China in 1966, but the story feels somehow timeless, too.' The Independent

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