What is loyalty? When you are someone’s friend, what does it mean to be a true and LOYAL friend?

THE ROCK MAIDEN, a Chinese Tale of Love and Loyalty, shows us the power of true love and loyalty.

In this re-telling of the legend about Amah Rock – a fifty-foot granite formation found in the Sha Tin area of Hong Kong – we hear the lyrical voice of Natasha Yim and, page after page, we see enchanting images painted by Pirkko Vainio, Finland’s award-winning artist and creator of over thirty children’s books. What a treasure!

Natasha Yim

In this tale a young wife, holding her infant son, watches as her fisherman husband sails off to sea in hopes of bringing back a fine catch of fish. Storms turn the calm sea into a swirl of deadly raging waves. Other fishermen return, but not her beloved.

The thesaurus describes loyalty as staying faithful, true, and devoted. And that young woman is!  Day after day she puts her baby on her back, climbs to the top of the tallest hill, and watches, hoping to see her husband’s boat appear on the horizon.

The legendary Amah Rock is indeed real. It stands over fifty feet tall on top of the tallest of hills overlooking other hills. This unusual granite formation looks like a woman with a baby on her back. Maybe someday you will travel far across the Pacific Ocean and sit on the veranda of a little hotel, sip afternoon tea, as the author once did and, as you gaze at the strange and intriguing Amah Rock, you’ll remember this story and imagine the loyal loving woman coming back to life when her lost husband finally returns and embraces his beloved wife and child.

This retelling is a lovely opportunity to share a charming tale with a young listener, study the enchanting images, and talk about how much patience and kindness it takes to be a truly loyal friend.

Published by Wisdom Tales, 2017.