Little Monk and the Mantis: A Bug, a Boy, and the Birth of a Kung Fu Legend

Gr 2–4—Full-spread watercolors illustrate this wordy retelling of a Chinese legend that explains the founding of the praying mantis style of kung fu. Wong Long is a young monk who studies and practices various styles of kung fu diligently, but he is always bested by the older disciples. Tired of his continual defeat and embarrassment, he runs away, feeling unworthy of the Shaolin Temple. Alone in the mountains, he watches as a praying mantis easily defeats a much larger beetle. Wong Long studies the mantis, copying his movements. Eventually he returns to the temple where his new style of kung fu earns him the success he longs for. Appealing to both folktale and martial-arts fans, Fusco's work highlights the fighting skills learned from nature but stresses how rarely and reluctantly the monks used them. Young readers will enjoy Lugo's paintings of the fight scenes, but his work truly shines when portraying the praying mantis.—Jennifer Rothschild, Arlington County Public Libraries, VA