Life of a Genius: Su Dongpo

Demi's new picture book, "Su Dongpo," is an entrancing work of art. "Su Dongpo" is a biography of "China's greatest genius." Su Dongpo (1036-1101) was "a statesman, philosopher, poet, painter, engineer, architect, and humanitarian who approached everything with joy and grace." Demi tells the story of Su Dongpo's life, illustrated with poetry about and by Su Dongpo. It's a fascinating tale in and of itself, but the poetry and the pictures are what really make this book. Here, for example, is one of Su Dongpo's poems he wrote as a schoolboy: "To what can human life be likened? Perhaps to a wild goose's footprint on snow; The foot imprint is accidentally left, But carefree, the bird flies east and west." Demi's illustrations are stylized, accented with gold ink, and truly breathtaking in their beauty. I had to stop myself from cutting them out and tacking them up above my desk. "Su Dongpo" is out this month from Lee & Low Books and would be an excellent addition to any school (or homeschool) unit on China and Chinese history.

Written and illustrated by Demi, "Su Dongpu: Chinese Genius" is the picturebook story of a man named Su Shih in ancient China who as a boy began to write stories and versus expressing an admiration of the natural world. When Su Shih grew up to become an important scholar and influential statesman, he changed his name to Su Dongpo and risked his life by promoting justice and condemning corruption. The celebration story of a life of hardship and success lived with grace, ;humility and compassion that is designed to inspire young readers with a real-life example of dignity, ingenuity, courage, and resilience, "Su Dongpu: Chinese Genius" is a strongly recommended addition to both school and library picturebook collections.