The Tale of the Mandarin Ducks

This lovely book maeasures up to every standard one can reasonably expect. The artwork is skilled and enjoyable. The story has kindness, altruism, moral dilemma and resolution, reward, and a big touch of magic. There's a pleasant realism about story, too. It shows a number of details of Japanese life, in passing, to give a storybook kid views of a life [s]he might never have seen in person. And, although the words "happily ever after" never actually appear, the last page shows the young couple deep in their old age. The book, as a whole, meets every objective standard of what I like to see in a children's book. For me, though, this book goes way beyond reasonable standards, well into the things I favor in a very personal and subjective way. I take immense pleasure ukiyo-e prints, the classical Japanese woodcut style that these modern artists imitate. I first saw the picture of the sleeping couple as a greeting card, and found it affectionate and romantic, with a tiny chaste hint of very grown-up love - that image led me to hunt this book down. The one-eyed samurai has meaning in my family, too. And the "madarin ducks" of the title, traditional symbols of fidelity, have a strong and affectionate significance for me for utterly personal reasons. So I recommend this book to anyone with a read-to-me kid. It's very easy for anyone to like. For me, though, a striking set of coincidences make this a truly memorable work. //wiredweird

ISBN 0590449885 - Ironic that this book followed The Value of Honesty (ISBN 0916392368) in the pile - they go well together, both culturally and in the teaching-morals way. A pair of ducks lived near a pond on land in the district of a cruel lord, who liked to surround himself with beautiful things, and disliked all things not beautiful. Among the things he'd come to dislike was Shozo, who had once been the lord's mightiest samurai. Shozo lost an eye in battle and was not handsome, but he was a compassionate man. When the lord saw the drake, the more attractively colored duck, he decided to take him home as a pet. In captivity, the duck withered and became ugly, missing his mate, so a maid set him free. The lord blamed Shozo, and punished him, but Shozo did not mind so much - he had fallen in love with the maid. Eventually ordered put to death, the pair are saved by mysterious Imperial messengers and live in peace, knowing that a burden is lighter when it is shared. A superb book for kids, who will enjoy the story while learning about compassion and caring. The back of the book says ages 5-9; that's fairly accurate, but a lot of 5 year olds will need a bit of help to understand it. By the time the reader is 9, the few big words won't seem so intimidating. - AnnaLovesBooks

This beautifully illustrated book and equally beautiful story is very moving. It is set in old Japan and is a look at Japanese history and culture. It is the story of love; of being willing to take chances to protect another and about kindness rewarding many times over. It speaks to the ripple effect of how one single act of kindness, in this case freeing an imprisoned drake will be rewarded lovingly.

I bought this for my nephew a few years back, and I looked through it before wrapping it. The story is interesting yet simple, and the illustrations are beautiful. It also provides a nice little glimpse into another culture, which is nice for homeschooling families. I can't wait until my son is old enough to read this with him!

My granddaughter (11) and I have enjoyed this book emmensely and are re-reading it often. She loves tales of Japan and the beautiful illustrations. My husband and I lived in Japan for 2 years. This book's story has good moral principles and is an easy way to teach kind thoughtful behavior and the benefits of love and responsibility.