Kai and the Monkey King

Professor Brownstone, narrator of this marvellous series of mythical tales, is custodian of a vast vault, which brims with weird and wonderous objects belonging to his family. In this volume, he recounts the story of two of his ancestors: patient Wen and her daring young daughter, Kai. Their quest to observe, document and contain mythical phenomena leads them across ancient China.

As Kai gets older, she grows tired of Wen’s steady, considered pace and longs for adventure, so is excited when they receive a plea for help from a village which is attacked every year by a fearsome beast.

Frustrated when her mother heads to the village library to look for clues, the young girl boldly sets off to find the rebellious Monkey King, certain that he will be able to help her to defeat the beast. However, she quickly realises that his reckless approach may not be the most effective.

Dynamic, full-page artwork, bursting with action and peril, combines superbly with constrained vignettes that slow the pace and portray the scale of Kai’s arduous journey. This compelling picture book is sure to captivate young readers who enjoy fantasy adventure tales.