Kite Flying

by Grace Lin

The family from Dim Sum for Everyone! is back for a new outing– building and flying their own kite!

The wind is blowing. It is a good day for kites! The whole family makes a trip to the local craft store for paper, glue, and paint. Everyone has a Ma-Ma joins sticks together. Ba-Ba glues paper. Mei-Mei cuts whiskers while Jie-Jie paints a laughing mouth. Dragon eyes are added and then everyone attaches the final touch . . . a noisemaker! Now their dragon kite is ready to fly.

Kite Flying celebrates the Chinese tradition of kite making and kite flying and lovingly depicts a family bonded by this ancient and modern pleasure.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Asia, China, Storytime, Asian Literature, Family

32 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2002

Reviews

[Hunter Woodley]

This is a cute short story about a little girl whose family comes together to fly a dragon kite. The bulk of the story is in pictures. At the end, there is an excerpt that is worth a read about the book and why they are making the kite the way that they are and the meaning and origin behind it. It gives you a peek into another culture and their ways of life which is pretty cool.

[Alia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book to use with even the youngest story time kids. It's short and simple with bright beautiful illustations.

[Paul Hankins · Rating 4 out of 5]

The whole family gets involved in the kite building process. A nice introduction to Grace Lin's work for younger readers.

[Julie G · Rating 4 out of 5]

We're reading a lot of Grace Lin around here these days!! I love this for ages 1-5. The illustrations are dynamic and fun.

[Zach Stp · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Chinese traditional story tells the readers about a Chinese family building a kite one of china's great past times. This is another great story for ELL students especially those who speak Chinese as their main language. Grace Lin does a great job of explaining a familiar topic in China, of kite flying, and explaining it in English words. Showing ELL students something familiar from their culture, but trying to teach it to them in a second language. It is also a great story to teach students about the CHines culture.

[Elyssa Imler · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a cute story about a Chinese family making kites. I like how it includes the Chinese culture and tradition about the kites. The art was very good and helped to elevate the story and keep the children engaged. Children can learn about the Chinese tradition of kite making from this story as well. It was really short and I feel it is more of an informational children's book than one where the children can learn from a theme, but overall I still really liked it especially since it was culturally inclusive.

[Marissa Dunbar · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations in this book are extremely colorful, they catch your eye and draw you in more. I feel this is a great book for beginning readers, the sentences are short and are mostly easy words (except for some of the names). Then at the end of the book it discusses the history of kite flying and how they came about, which I say made it more interesting and helpful in understanding the history.

[Yissel Martinez · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like this book, because it is about a different culture. This book shows us a different tradition for this family in this culture. This family likes to create kites together. I also like that at the end of the book the author gives a historical background on the kites origins and how far they have come. I like the colors that were used in the book, because they are vibrant and bright. This book is easy for children to read and it teaches them new words in a different language.

[Michael Polder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kite flying celebrates the great tradition of kite making. From the very beginning of this book it was different. The cover felt like a different texture, stood out from the rest of the books.
If you didn't know much about kite flying this was a good first read. The book gives you and the items you need to make and fly a kite. The story also add the family into the story as a bonding and traditional event. Great read for younger kids!

[Calista · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here's another Grace Lin story. A family is making a kite they are going to fly on a windy day. It's a simple story for young kids.

The best part of the book is she gives a bit of history after the story of the importance of flying kites in cultures years ago. My favorite part is that people made kites for specific things they want as it was a way to speak with spirits in the heavens. A dragon is wisdom and a Phoenix is peace, Butterflies are for love. I thought that was cool to see why people choose a certain shape.

I should try flying a butterfly. Who knows?

[Gabriella Vivo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cute short story about a little girl whose family comes together to fly a dragon kite. The bulk of the story is in pictures. At the end, there is an excerpt that is worth a read about the book and why they are making the kite the way that they are and the meaning and origin behind it. It gives you a peek into another culture and their ways of life which is pretty cool. I didn't necessarily love this book but I did enjoy it.

[Sarah Herb · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very easy read that you could keep in a kindergarten classroom. It was a simple story and it had great illustrations. I like how it not only showed the culture of kite flying in China, but the whole family was included. I also like that it's based of the author's childhood because she puts a note to her father in the beginning.

[Alexis Vanasco · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a realistic fiction. This would be a great book for beginner readers! The text is big, there is not a lot per page and the pictures also tell the story ALOT too! This book is about a family working together to making a very detailed kite. This book also is a way to inform students about other cultures!

[Roben · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are planning on flying a kite any tome soon, this would be a great book to read. It follows along as one family builds their dragon kite - everyone has a job to do! I liked that the book includes a history of kites and that different types of kites - such as the dragon kite - are flown for different reasons.

[Ellon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have highlight the author Grace Lin with my kindergarten classes for 5 years now as a library media specialist but I had only read a few of her books. Since she was honored at the latest ALA Youth Media Awards, I decided to read the rest of her books.
This one is simple but sweet. I like the joy within the book and the picture in the back that shows what each kite design represents. Very fun!

[Braelin Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genre: Historical Fiction
Ages: 3-7

In this book Grace Lin does an amazing job at highlighting the Chinese tradition of kite making and kite flying. This book depicts a family bonded by this ancient pleasure. And the colorful illustrations really bring this book to life. It can even be read to students to create more diversity in the classroom.

[Miss Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Chinese family is going step by step making a kite. What kind of kite are they making? Love this was intergenerational and that everyone was involved in different parts. simple. toddler and up. Would work well for Chinese new year as they make a dragon which the kids loved!

[Sierra Kisiday · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story celebrates the Chinese tradition of kite making and kite flying and lovingly depicts a family bonded by this ancient and modern pleasure. I really enjoyed this and thought it was really cute to learn all of these different things.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was a quick read showing an Asian family building a dragon kite for a windy day. However, I think my favorite part was the historical overview of kite flying in the Asian culture and how that transferred across borders to other countries and around the world.

[Clementine]

it's very short, with simple text, making this a great storytime option for really young attendees. it's sweet in that it involves the whole family in the process of kite flying - but i honestly don't know how memorable this one is.

[Becky B · Rating 3 out of 5]

A family makes a kite together and then takes it flying together.

This is a quick read with a simple plot, just a family making a kite and having fun flying it together. The back of the book includes a note on the significance of kite flying in Chinese culture and other cultures.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very very brief story about making a kite. The valuable part of the picture book is the two appended pages briefly discussing Chinese kite history. Then there are two pages of various kite designs with a concept they stand for, butterfly means love and moth means joy!

[Iggy · Rating 5 out of 5]

On a nice breezy day, a Chinese family works together to make and fly a traditional chinese kite. They all work together and fly kites with the rest of the community. This book teaches students about the ancient practice of kite flying in China and the symbolism of the kites.

[Hanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love how the front interior of the book shows materials used to construct kites (along with their names) and the rear interior of the book shows completed kites and the traits associated with them.

[Natasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story about making a kite together with the whole family, and of course flying kites together too. This one was requested for multiple rereadings.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very simple text and bright, colorful illustrations make this a good choice for a group read aloud. Nothing outstanding, but definitely worthy of sharing.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really liked history of kite flying plus end tells what different types of kites symbolize

[Michelle Farella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good for ST

[E & E’s Mama · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Chinese family designs and builds a kite, then flies it on a windy day. Sweet, wholesome book great for toddlers and preschoolers

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

A family makes a dragon kite to fly together on a windy day. The pictures and story are very simple. Good for very young children. I think this would have made a better board book.