Chinese / People's Republic of China
You shen me dong xi wo mai bu lai
(There is nothing I can’t bring back)
Jia, Yuqian
(text)
Wang, Zumin
(illus.)
Wang, Ying
(illus.)
Qingdao: Qing dao chu ban she (Qingdao Publishing House), 2023. – 31 p.
(Series: Xiao tong shu)
ISBN 978-7-5736-1096-6
Old age | Market | Family | Love | Picture book
Reading age: 4+
White Ravens issue: 2024
An old man and woman live a calm and simple life in a village. One day, the old man sets out to the market with his wife’s shopping list firmly in mind and very confident that »there is nothing I can’t bring back«. On his way, he meets various people who entrust him with the task of bringing things back for them, too. He delivers the promised goods but forgets what his wife wanted him to buy. He expects blame, but receives only praise from his wife, who is satisfied that at least he hasn’t forgotten her. This warm-hearted story about the enduringness of love won the 2024 Wenjin Book Award. The illustrations capture the atmosphere of country life, and the brightness of the pictures is suggestive of light in the heart. Wang Zumin illustrated other award-winning picture books like »Liu shi liu tou niu« (Sixty-six buffalos). His daughter Wang Ying is also the illustrator of »Wo shi lao hu wo pa shui« (I am a tiger afraid of nothing). [FW, ZX]