As a child, these tales nourished my imagination and ability to love and to hate. They introduced me to fantasy lands full of characters with courage, integrity and goodness. They made me understand that tragedies are not necessarily sad, because tender hearts usually achieve happiness and satisfaction through sorrow. In a word, they have made me what I am today, a writer, whose livelihood depends on compassion and fascination. As modern renditions and artful adaptations of these ancient tales, this series has brought out the most touching elements and core spirit, drama and beauty of the old stories, yet at the same time given them a new life and charm catered to young readers today. --Geling Yan, Award winning writer - Author of The Banquet Bug<br /><br />As my daughters are getting older, I have been wanting them to know the best stories from the Chinese culture, but have found it hard to locate a version with the right kind of story-telling suitable to their ages and "American" taste, that could draw and hold their attention, and strike a chord in their hearts. I am happy to have been presented this series. Beautiful stories beautifully retold, in a refreshing way and with age appropriate gradings, this edition is the finest I've ever seen, definitely something I would like my children to read and grow up on. ------Joan Chen, Award winning director/actress - Leading role, The Last Emperor<br /><br />These are the stories I've been waiting to read since childhood - classic tales, vividly retold, and beautifully illustrated in ways that stimulate the imagination. The questions posed are important ones to young minds - how things happen and why, as well as the consequences of personal choices. They are what I pondered as a child experiencing my own twists and turns in life. And those were the thoughts that very much influenced my becoming a writer. As these stories show, there are no simple answers, but with imagination you can go to many places and find many possibilities. These are magical stories for everyone. -- --Amy Tan, Author of The Joy Luck Club - Creative Consultant to the PBS television series Sagwa

As my daughters are getting older, I have been wanting them to know the best stories from the Chinese culture, but have found it hard to locate a version with the right kind of story-telling suitable to their ages and "American" taste, that could draw and hold their attention, and strike a chord in their hearts. I am happy to have been presented this series. Beautiful stories beautifully retold, in a refreshing way and with age appropriate gradings, this edition is the finest I've ever seen, definitely something I would like my children to read and grow up on. ------Joan Chen, Award winning director/actress - Leading role, The Last Emperor

These are the stories I've been waiting to read since childhood - classic tales, vividly retold, and beautifully illustrated in ways that stimulate the imagination. The questions posed are important ones to young minds - how things happen and why, as well as the consequences of personal choices. They are what I pondered as a child experiencing my own twists and turns in life. And those were the thoughts that very much influenced my becoming a writer. As these stories show, there are no simple answers, but with imagination you can go to many places and find many possibilities. These are magical stories for everyone. ----Amy Tan, Author of The Joy Luck Club - Creative Consultant to the PBS television series Sagwa