Gr 3-6-Well illustrated and written in a clear and informative style, the life of China's great philosopher and original political scientist is well told in this large-format biography. Carew-Miller gives just enough background to get her story started and then follows Confucius from his birth in 551 B.C.E. to his death some 72 years later (and covers it all in less than 32 pages). Zhang Shi-ming's lively pictures have the look of ancient illuminations rediscovered and are beautiful in their simple design and their fierce expression. The episodic structure of the book paints a portrait of Confucius as a kind of wandering wise man who searched far and near for a loving ruler and, while looking, met warriors, kings, and dukes and collected students along the way. Many of his wise sayings and aspects of his life are woven together in this engaging narrative. However, because the author has failed to cite her sources, it is hard to know exactly how much of the information and dialogue is based on research and how much is simply "creative writing," which does great disservice to children.-Herman Sutter, Saint Agnes Academy, Houston, TX Copyright 2003 Cahners Business Information.
