The Tale of a Dark Horse

HK$100.00

  • USD: US$12.79
  • CNY: CN¥91.94
  • GBP: £10.03
  • EUR: €11.74
  • AUD: AU$19.48

By Sarah Brennan

Illustrated by Harry Harrison

It’s 135BC and Emperor Han Wudi is desperate for a horse… but not just any horse. The horse he wants is tall, dark and handsome, fleet as a bird and free as a gipsy. But will it ever be pinned down? A tale of mystery, history and the fabulous Silk Road!

Highlights the “heavenly horses” of the Ferghana Valley, Han Wudi and his conquest to the West, and the Silk Road.

Age range: 7 to 12

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SKU: 9789881609892 Categories: , Tag:

Description

It’s 135BC and Emperor Han Wudi is desperate for a horse… but not just any horse. The horse he wants is tall, dark and handsome, fleet as a bird and free as a gipsy. But will it ever be pinned down? A tale of mystery, history and the fabulous Silk Road! Highlights the “heavenly horses” of the Ferghana Valley, Han Wudi and his conquest to the West, and the Silk Road.

“Sarah Brennan’s work is a meeting between traditional Asian narratives and the universal taste of children for graphic stories. The tale-telling gifts shown in these books, along with the exuberance of the language and rhymes, make them unique in children’s literature.” Tom Keneally, author of Schindler’s Ark and Ned Kelly and the City of Bees

“With their characteristic charm and flair, the dynamic duo of Sarah Brennan and Harry Harrison bring us another Chinese legend, just in time for the Year of the Horse. It’s a long way from the capital at Chang’an to Ferghana at the far reach of the Silk Road, but the ride has never been so much fun!” John Carroll, Professor of History, University of Hong Kong

Additional information

Weight 200 g
Dimensions 230 × 255 mm
Pages

36

Binding

Paperback

Illustrations

Full colour

About the author

Sarah Brennan was born in Hobart, in the beautiful Australian island state of Tasmania. Her family kept a menagerie of animals including peacocks, guinea fowl, pheasants, ducks and goats, and there was even a wild platypus in the creek at the bottom of the garden! She began writing poems and stories as a child, and hasn’t really stopped since! Coming to Hong Kong in 1998 gave her the impetus to follow her childhood dreams, and in 2004 her first children’s book, A Dirty Story, was published, followed by An Even Dirtier Story the following year.

But, visiting Hong Kong schools, with children drawn largely from Chinese or Asian backgrounds, Sarah became increasingly keen to write for them about their culture and history… and in 2007, the Chinese Calendar Tales were born. With great storylines packed with interesting vocabulary and history, and fact boxes inside the cover of every book, Sarah is delighted to see her books used as teaching tools in primary schools throughout China, Southeast Asia and Australia.

Sarah is also an ardent promoter of children’s literacy, running regular international writing competitions on her blog for primary school children, which attract entries from around the world including the US, the UK, China, Singapore, India, Hong Kong and Australia. She is also an enthusiastic Writer Ambassador for Room to Read, an international charity promoting literacy and girls’ education in Third World countries, and speaks regularly to parents, teachers, librarians and their associations about the fundamental importance of reading print books in the digital age.

Visit Sarah’s funny and fabulous blog at www.sarahbrennanblog.com!