Fresno State Library
The Five Chinese Brothers
Warning Sensitive Topics
Story Summary: The story follows five brothers who, although they look exactly alike, each have their own special powers including being able to swallow the sea, having an unbreakable neck, and being able to hold their breath forever.
The Five Chinese Brothers was written by Claire Huchet Bishop and illustrated by Kurt Wiese, and originally published in 1938.
One day the brother who can swallow the sea allows a young boy to go with him to collect fish from the seafloor, but the boy refuses to leave and is drowned when the brother is forced to release the ocean from his mouth. He is sentenced to death, however, a different brother stands in each time they attempt to execute him, surviving due to each of their special abilities. He is let go when the townspeople conclude that he must be innocent because he is unable to be executed.
The book is considered a classic of children’s literature, but more recently has been a source of controversy as some consider the subject matter to be promoting racial stereotypes, particularly through its illustrations depicting characters in a stereotypical fashion with squinted eyes and yellow skin. While the brothers are meant to be identical, the other characters are also drawn with a sameness of race and dress that makes them indistinguishable.
Another criticism of the book is that the folktale is not credited in any way to the original Chinese legend, “Ten Brothers,” and does not acknowledge the culture from which it evolved. In this way, it may be assumed that the Western writers came up with the story. Since its publication, there have been several reimagining of the same folktale, including The Seven Chinese Brothers by Margaret Mahy and Jean and Mou-Sien Tseng and The Seven Chinese Sisters by Kathy Tucker and Grace Lin.
As an alternative to The Five Chinese Brothers, a reader might consider My Food, Your Food, Our Food by Emma Carlson, or Dim Sum for Everyone by Grace Lin for their cultural thoughtful representations. Further, The National Geographic Kids website provides a variety of information on China’s history, climate, and culture in a kid friendly way. .
Alternative Book Choices
A child describes the various little dishes of dim sum that she and her family enjoy on a visit to a restaurant in Chinatown..
We all like different food, but everybody needs to eat! How Are We Alike and DIfferent? Find out in My food, Your food, Our food.
Reflections and Other Materials
We encourage you to explore our other Critical Literacy Resources .