Lady White Snake: A Tale from Chinese Opera

Retold by Aaron Shepard
Illustrated by Song Nan Zhang

What fate awaits a thousand-year-old white snake that travels from its sacred mountain to the human world, only to fall in love with a mortal? Such is the basis of this tragic love story, one of the most popular in all of Chinese opera. The story is retold by Aaron Shepard, who spent a year researching this ancient story and the art of Chinese opera. Here is what School Library Journal review says: "Shepard's text, written in vivid, engaging prose, tells the tragic tale of an immortal white snake that is transformed into a lovely woman in search of love...
Zhang's illustrations, depicting characters dressed in opera costumes and makeup, yet acting against naturalistic settings, recall the many opera movies made in Chinese film studios. Zhang's color work and skill in composition perfectly complement the dramatic, action-packed text." This book is truly a magnificent meeting of literature and art, operatic theater and history. At the end of the book Aaron Shepard provides extensive background notes about the legend and Chinese opera. This is a tremendous aid for students studying Chinese language and culture.