Review of Chinese Zodiac
2 posts
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Chinese Zodiac" by Ping Xu Moroney.]
At first, I was puzzled by the lack of instructions in Chinese Zodiac: Learn Chinese Calligraphy. The "How to Use This Book (The Magic of Tracing)" page has very minimal information. Since the book's audience is 6 to 12-year-old children, I assumed there would be detailed steps described. Given that the author, Dr. Ping Xu Moroney, has a doctorate in education, it further compounded my confusion. However, I saw that the author stated that the book is designed to be intuitive and meditative, and then it all made sense.
The book has a calm, serene feel, and children will experience this 3,000-year-old art form in a way that is different from traditional art or calligraphy classes. This feeling is due largely to the beautiful watercolor portraits of the 12 zodiac animals. Rather than forcing children to learn a specific stroke order and pattern, the young artists are expected to discover the proper sequence on their own.
One negative I found was that even though this book is available as an ebook, the tracing method design will only work by using the paperback version. Trying to use an electronic device was frustrating for me and negated the calming lesson. I was hoping to see some cultural or historical information about the Chinese zodiac and the reason behind each animal, but children can be encouraged to do that research on their own.
I have no other suggestions for improvement. There are no grammatical errors found in the limited prose. I am rating Chinese Zodiac: Learn Chinese Calligraphy five out of five stars. Dr. Ping Xu Moroney, who lives in New York, is an artist and a Chinese language teacher, and she gives art lessons. Even if you don't have children who want to learn calligraphy, her book, with the graceful animal portraits, would look lovely on your coffee table.
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Chinese Zodiac
View: on Bookshelves
At first, I was puzzled by the lack of instructions in Chinese Zodiac: Learn Chinese Calligraphy. The "How to Use This Book (The Magic of Tracing)" page has very minimal information. Since the book's audience is 6 to 12-year-old children, I assumed there would be detailed steps described. Given that the author, Dr. Ping Xu Moroney, has a doctorate in education, it further compounded my confusion. However, I saw that the author stated that the book is designed to be intuitive and meditative, and then it all made sense.
The book has a calm, serene feel, and children will experience this 3,000-year-old art form in a way that is different from traditional art or calligraphy classes. This feeling is due largely to the beautiful watercolor portraits of the 12 zodiac animals. Rather than forcing children to learn a specific stroke order and pattern, the young artists are expected to discover the proper sequence on their own.
One negative I found was that even though this book is available as an ebook, the tracing method design will only work by using the paperback version. Trying to use an electronic device was frustrating for me and negated the calming lesson. I was hoping to see some cultural or historical information about the Chinese zodiac and the reason behind each animal, but children can be encouraged to do that research on their own.
I have no other suggestions for improvement. There are no grammatical errors found in the limited prose. I am rating Chinese Zodiac: Learn Chinese Calligraphy five out of five stars. Dr. Ping Xu Moroney, who lives in New York, is an artist and a Chinese language teacher, and she gives art lessons. Even if you don't have children who want to learn calligraphy, her book, with the graceful animal portraits, would look lovely on your coffee table.
******
Chinese Zodiac
View: on Bookshelves
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