The same story that captivated readers in 1977 is back in a stunning new edition! Hwei Min, the only daughter of the emperor of China, has been blind since birth. Her father offers a reward to anyone who can find a cure for the little girl. It seems that no one from magicians to physicians can help her. Then, one day a wise old man with a mysterious seeing stick visits the princess. Will he be able to teach Hwei Min that there is more than one way to see the world? ( )

tale of origin, fable, blind girl learns to see with hands, overcome adversity, hope
Christopher Award

How I might use this book:
*In doing a lesson on stories of origin, introduce as example
*Discuss stories from other cultures ( )

The "Seeing Stick" was an interesting but very enjoyable book. I can see why it won so many awards. The main idea of this book is to show that a disability doesn't have to stop you from living life. You can see life through the heart and imagination.I loved how the illustrator and author decided to do the pictures. They start off as black and white and as the girl is able to see they become in color. This was a great technique. I also loved how the pictures were sketches, they seemed more realistic. I also loved the concept of the book. It was a great way to introduce a disability and show that even though they have a disability they are still human, they just do things a little differently. Lastly, I thought it was interesting that the illustrator always chose to have the girl's eyes closed. I thought it would have been better if they were open like a typically developed person. ( )

Beautiful pictures help illuminate this tale. This book is written like a folk tale. It features a princess who is blind. It would make a good read aloud in.

“The Seeing Stick” is an amazing tale of a young princess who is blind. Her father, the emperor, hoped that one day she would be able to see. A wise older man comes to show the princess one-day that she could use her hands to see. This story does a wonderful job expressing to students how people who are blind use their hands to see. “As the princess listened, she grew eyes on the tips of her fingers. At least that is what she told the other blind children whom she taught to see as well.” She passed on her ability to see through her hands. This book also showed that people who are blind are still capable of creating their own stories, even if they cannot see with their eyes. ( )