China & Taiwan
China
My Beijing: Four Stories of Everyday Wonder
By Nie Jun, Edward Gauvin (Translator)
My Beijing: Four Stories of Everyday Wonder. Nie Jun. Translated from French and Chinese by Edward Gauvin. Graphic Universe, 2018. First published as Les contes de la ruelle in French, in 2016. ISBN 9781541526426., 128 p. (Ages 7-11). Fiction.
A delightful set of four linked stories, told as a graphic novel, of a child and her grandfather living in a Beijing hutong—a neighborhood of narrow alleys and communal dwellings. It showcases the creativity and resilience of the residents, who though they may lack space and material goods, abound in humor and imagination. A 2019 Batchelder honor book, it was translated by Edward Gauvin from the French translation while consulting the Chinese original. [dj]