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Teaching Notes
–
Riley and the Sleeping Dragon
by Tania McCartney page 1
Teaching Notes for Riley and the Sleeping Dragon
by Tania McCartneyillustrations by Mo Qovaizi
Book background
Riley and the Sleeping Dragon
is the first in a unique series of multimedia travelogue books for pre-and primary school aged children. It follows the journey of little aviator Riley as he flies around Beijingin search of the elusive sleeping dragon of China. From the Forbidden City to the Great Wall, children
will be entranced by the sights and sounds of Riley’s remarkable adventure –
and the surprise endingthat encapsulates Chinese culture, a smattering of tradition and lots of soaring adventure.
Rich with the author’s beautiful black and white photos of the capital, as well as adorable illustrationsby Canadian artist Mo Qovaizi, Riley’
s magical discovery will captivate readers of all ages. Thisunique book makes a wonderful memento of expat life in China, and provides an unparalleledglimpse into the beauty and enchantment of modern day Beijing.
About the author and illustrator
Tania McCartney
is a travel-loving Aussie who has been writing since her teens.She is an experienced editor and magazine writer, has her own publishingcompany and is currently a senior editor for Australian Women Online.
Rileyand the Sleeping Dragon
was fe
atured in the ABA’s Kids’ Reading Guide
2009/2010 and Tania will release book three in the Riley series in November 2010. Tania lives in Canberra with her husband, two kids and a pile of books.She is impassioned about mangoes and
kids’ books
.www.taniamccartney.com
Mo Qovaizi
is a Canadian artist with a long line of picture book credits. FutureRiley books will be illustrated by Australian artist Kieron Pratt.
Teaching Notes
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Riley and the Sleeping Dragon
by Tania McCartney page 2
Lesson 1
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integrating Chinese culture and history
Riley and the Sleeping Dragon
is set in modern day China, in the capital of Beijing. Many modern andcultural elements are incorporated into the setting of this book. Read the book and ask the followingquestions/discuss the following elements with children, either during or post-reading:
Endpapers
Where does the panda bear originate? Central Western and South Western China.What does it eat? 99% of its diet is bamboo, but can include honey, eggs, fish, yams, leaves, orangesand bananas.The name for panda in Chinese is xiong mao (pron. shong mao) and literally means
bear
cat
. Canchildren say xiong mao?
Page 1, 2, 3
The traditional Chinese dragon is made up of these nine animal parts.
Doesn’t that sounds like thestrangest dragon you’ve ever heard of?
The Chinese dragon can fly but it has no wings. It does not breathe fire.
Page 5
How would you like to jump in your own plane and fly anywhere in the world? Where would you go?
Page 6
Have you heard of Tian’anmen Square? It is the
second-largest city central square in the world. It
means ‘long peace street’.
Page 8
Can you guess what those large copper pots were used for? To contain water to put out fire.
Page 10
Where is this pesky dragon? Did you know the Chinese dragon lives in the water and creates allwater weather elements. Can you guess which ones? Rain, snow, hail, sleet, clouds, water vapour.Maybe you will find him in the water of Hou Hai lake, so look carefully! Can anyone see him?
Page 12
These hutong alleyways are being smashed to smithereens to make way for skyscrapers andshopping centres.
Page 13
Why do you think Riley feels sad?
Page 14
The Temple of Heaven is where you can stand to get closer to God.
Teaching Notes
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Riley and the Sleeping Dragon
by Tania McCartney page 3
Page 16
Ritan Park features the temple of the sun.
Page 17
Yihe Yuan (pron. ee-her yoo-ar). The boat at the Summer Palace is made of marble!
Page 20
What do you think Riley can see on the far distant mountains? Could it be the dragon?
Page 21 and 22
Chang Chang means ‘long fortress or wall’.
The wall was built, re-built and maintained between 5
th
Century BC and the 16
th
Century to protect
the country’s northern borders
.Different parts of the wall are given different regional names, like Badaling Great Wall near Beijing.It runs for approximately 8,851km from one end in the far west of China, to the sea on the easterncoast near Beidaihe (pron. bay der her) at a place called Bai ShanHaiGuan Great Wall (pron. byeshan hy gwan).The end of the W
all is called the old dragon’s head –
laolongtou (pron. lao loong toe).
Final pages
Why are the dragon and the Great Wall the same thing?What is similar about them? Long, scaly/bumpy, old/ancient, strong, powerful, beautiful, protective.China is also strong, beautiful, protective, ancient and has a long history.Why is the dragon so sleepy? China is in the process of waking up to the modern world, stretching itswings and integrating/affiliating its history and culture with other countries. It is only now just realisingits true strength and power.
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