Description
It’s 1420, and the mighty Yongle Emperor loves every inch of the brand new Forbidden City… but most of all he loves PORK! Enter Ping Pong Pig, a plump, pretty and altogether delicious pig, and her nemesis, the Minister of Most Important Things. Will Ping Pong achieve her life’s ambitions, or will they be cut short on a Ming Dynasty platter? Find out in this crackling tale of trickery, camouflage and porcine pursuit! Features Zhu Di, the Yongle Emperor; the Forbidden City; Admiral Zheng He’s giraffe; the quest of Chinese emperors for the Elixir of Life; and the characteristics of people born in the Year of the Pig.
“A piggy in a pickle dishes up an historical adventure in medieval China that is sure to find a place among the family favourites. Ping Pong delights and entertains readers with a beautiful rhyming story and absorbing pictures. Perfect for bedtime reading by young and old.” – Susan Ramsay, Editor, Young Post
“Whoever decided that ‘dog is man’s best friend’ clearly never met Ping Pong Pig! The Yongle Emperor’s precious unicorn is sick. Will Ping Pong save the day or will she end up in the Emperor’s dinner pot? Sarah and Harry are back with their final Chinese Calendar Tale, and this one is wilder and piggier than ever!” – John Carroll, Professor of History, University of Hong Kong
About the author
Sarah Brennan was born in Hobart, in the beautiful Australian island state of Tasmania. Her family kept a menagerie of animals including peacocks, guinea fowl, pheasants, ducks and goats, and there was even a wild platypus in the creek at the bottom of the garden! She began writing poems and stories as a child, and hasn’t really stopped since! Coming to Hong Kong in 1998 gave her the impetus to follow her childhood dreams, and in 2004 her first children’s book, A Dirty Story, was published, followed by An Even Dirtier Story the following year.
But, visiting Hong Kong schools, with children drawn largely from Chinese or Asian backgrounds, Sarah became increasingly keen to write for them about their culture and history… and in 2007, the Chinese Calendar Tales were born. With great storylines packed with interesting vocabulary and history, and fact boxes inside the cover of every book, Sarah is delighted to see her books used as teaching tools in primary schools throughout China, Southeast Asia and Australia.
Sarah is also an ardent promoter of children’s literacy, running regular international writing competitions on her blog for primary school children, which attract entries from around the world including the US, the UK, China, Singapore, India, Hong Kong and Australia. She is also an enthusiastic Writer Ambassador for Room to Read, an international charity promoting literacy and girls’ education in Third World countries, and speaks regularly to parents, teachers, librarians and their associations about the fundamental importance of reading print books in the digital age.
Visit Sarah’s funny and fabulous blog at www.sarahbrennanblog.com!
