When a young girl finds a mysterious, discarded book of martial arts poses, she ignores the warning printed in bold inside its cover: DO NOT ATTEMPT THESE FORMS WITHOUT AN EXPERIENCED TEACHER! She decides to attempt them herself ... but is shocked to find that doing so conjures real animals right into her home! The chaos escalates as she releases a leopard, a snake, and a dragon, each creature largerand more destructive than the last. It is only once she manages the fifth and final form that things return to normal. But will she be able to clean up the mess she's created before her mother returns home? Award-winning author-illustrator Barbara McClintock's meticulous research and vibrant watercolor illustrations breathe life into this frenzied, fictionalised exploration of China's ancient Five Forms.

 

There are 40 pages in this book. This is a picture book. A picture book uses pictures and text to tell the story. The number of words varies from zero ('wordless') to around 1k over 32 pages. Picture books are typically aimed at young readers (age 3-6) but can also be aimed at older children (7+). This book was published 2017 by Roaring Brook Press .

Barbara McClintock has written and/or illustrated many acclaimed books for young readers, among them Ad le & Simon , an ALA Notable Book, a Children's Book Sense Pick, and a New York Times Book Review Best Illustrated Book of the Year. She lives in Windham, Connecticut.