Ming's adventure in the Forbidden City - Jian Li

In this colorfully illustrated multicultural children's book a boy of today and a Little Emperor from the past find adventure and fun in the Forbidden City!

On a visit to the Forbidden City, Xiao Ming somehow manages to lose his father. During his search, Ming finds a strange set of stairs. Perhaps his father went down them? Off he goes-down the stairs, across a strange pathway and through a hall where, rather than finding his father, Ming finds himself in the midst of the Qing Dynasty!

The awed little boy is discovered by Imperial Bodyguards who take him to meet the Little Emperor. Ming described the airplanes and cars of the future and the Little Emperor shows Ming his treasures. The new friends are admiring a bronze dragon when suddenly the dragon comes to life and carries the Little Emperor and Ming up into the sky! The two boys and the dragon fly over the whole city, until Ming slips and falls from the dragon's tail into the city moat, bringing him back to the present-and his anxious father.

A delightful tale of past meets present, Ming's Adventures in the Forbidden City will surely capture the imagination of children and parents alike.

Li Jian used to be a middle school art teacher, an editor for kid's books, and a partner in an illustration studio. Currently he owns his own illustration studio and is the author/illustrator of several books, including The Water Dragon and The Little Monkey King's Journey.

"While visiting the Forbidden City with his father, Ming notices a small gate. Going through, he is transported back in time to the days of China's last emperor, Puyi (who reigned from 1908 to 1912). The young boy emperor delights in showing Ming his favorite parts of the city, before Ming is transported back to his own time. Presented with both English and simplified Chinese characters, Li's watercolor paintings help evoke the scale and size of the Forbidden City. Most also show Ming's frantic father trying to find him in the present. Puyi's tour mostly focuses on landmarks and architecture, with no information presented about imperial life, but this gentle and fun adventure successfully introduces young audiences to the palace. Further information on the landmarks is included in the back, and the endpapers have a map of the Forbidden City." -School Library Journal