My Motherland
This picture book is My Motherland, written by renowned children’s literature author Xu Lu, illustrated by Zhu Chengliang and 14 other well-known Chinese artists, and published by China Children’s Press & Publication Group in January 2017.
It is a patriotic picture book themed on “I love my motherland,” suitable for children aged 3β9. It has received numerous honors and recommendations, been chosen as an introductory reader by many kindergartens and primary schools, and is an excellent choice for parent-child reading around National Day.
The book uses personification and a conversational style, comparing the motherland to “mama.” With poetic lines close to children’s daily lives β “I am a little swallow, and my motherland is my mud nest; I am a little bee, and my motherland is my flower…” β it guides children to feel the warmth and greatness of their motherland in everyday moments.
The cover is full of childlike wonder and imagination: a little white cat wearing a red hat rides a red rocket against a background of stars, the sun, the moon, and geometric shapes, symbolizing children’s exploration of and longing for their motherland, and conveying the deeper meaning that “the motherland is where children’s dreams take off.” The illustrations throughout the book are varied in style and rich in color β each created by a different artist β presenting a diverse yet unified visual beauty, aiming to nurture from an early age children’s love for and sense of belonging to their motherland, to life, and to nature.
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