Chen Jiang Hong, translated by Claudia Zoe Bedrick,
Little Eagle
Enchanted Lion Books, 2007.

Ages 6-10

In fifteenth century China, the evil General Zhao forced peasants to work day and night building immense walls to protect the Emperor’s lands.  If they refused, General Zhao did not hesitate to kill the peasants, and that is how a young boy was orphaned and rescued by a wise sage on a cold winter night.

After warming the boy with rice and tea, wise Master Yang learns his story and invites him to stay and live with him and his eagle in his remote mountain home.  The boy and the master get along very well and the child soon recovers from his grief.  Then one night, the boy awakens and is startled by enormous shadows on the wall, only to discover that they are made by Master Yang practicing the art of Eagle outside.  After that, the boy wakes nightly and imitates the movements of the master until he has learned them perfectly.

A chance encounter with bullies on the street gives the young man an opportunity to put his Eagle boxing skills to use: but when Master Yang learns of the episode, he is disappointed.  “So you’ve watched me at night instead of sleeping!   And you fight just for this or that!” he exclaims.  Nevertheless, Master Yang sees that the boy has talent and takes him on as a disciple named “Little Eagle.”

It is from this point that the boy truly learns the art of Eagle boxing, spending years in endurance training and meditation, while also practicing the precise Kung Fu movements that will eventually make him the equal of his master. 

Chen Jiang Hong tells this story of a disciple’s journey and determination in sonorous, simple (but not simplistic) language - and compliments are also due to the translator here.  His bold, beautiful drawings are clearly rooted in the line and landscapes of traditional Chinese art but the intensity of his palette, coupled with his vigorous black ink to define facial expressions, for example, gives the illustrations a distinctly contemporary feel.  Eventually, Little Eagle and his master are forced to unite against their common enemy, the cruel and heartless General Zhao: but the story makes clear that the secrets of Eagle boxing, and, by extension, any martial art, are to be respected and used “for good alone.”