The Story about Ping

At a class to become a zoo docent, the topic of cormorants came up. The class, being seniors, remembered this book, because Captain Kangaroo read it to us."Who is Captain Kangaroo?" asked the teacher.Such a clear indication of our age. The book is still as delightful. The pictures are clear, and the story remains as sweet. I can't wait to show it to our 28 year old teacher.

***Book arrived damaged! Please be mindful of packaging books, the book is wet and now it wrinkles and rips. I will try to exchange but it’s a hassle.**The book is great though, a classic, all kids should read! We are reading it using Five In a Row curriculum.

Great book and artwork. Kids love it. Arrived well packaged in good condition. As pictured and described. Well pleased customer .

THE STORY ABOUT PING by Marjorie Flack and Kurt Wiese is a 32-page book, with an illustration on every page. The illustations have black ink outlines of the characters and objects, which are filled in with colored pastel chalk. The texture of the drawing paper can be seen, by way of the near-microscopic dots. The textures of the chalk marks, the streaks and dots, are a treat to the eye. The book is a classic, having been first published in 1933.The first picture shows a line of ducks walking off a wooden boat, across a board, to a meadow. Ping is in the middle of the line. The next picture shows the same ducks climbing back into the boat at sunset. The next picture shows Ping's choice not to return the boat, because he was a little late in returning and was afraid of getting a spank from the master of the boat. The last duck on board always got a spank.The next 20 or so pictures show the consequences of Ping's decision to stay away. Being alone at night. Being lost on the river amidst a group of unfamiliar wooden boats, and not knowing which boat was his. Being captured by a boy. Being imprisoned in a basket on a boat. Being released from the basket by the boy. Spotting his familiar family of ducks from a distance, and swimming back to his boat. Getting a spank.The narrative begins like this: "Once upon a time there was a beautifil young duck named Ping. Ping lived with his mother and his father and two sisters and three brothers and eleven aunts and seven uncles and forty-two cousins. Their home was a boat with two wise eyes on the Yangtze River."These opening words remind me of the opening words of another classic, where most of the story takes place on the water: "Call me Ishmael. Some years ago - never mind how long precisely - having little or no money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest me on shore, I thought I would sail about a little and see the watery part of the world. It is a way I have of driving off the spleen, and regulating the circulation."Both books are classics. But THE STORY OF PING is a classic suitable especially for little kids.My list of "must own" children's books include: THE STORY ABOUT PING by Marjorie Flack, THE LITTLE HOUSE by Virginia Lee Burton, CAPS FOR SALE by Esphyr Slobodkina, the books illustrated by Tibor Gergley, and of course RICHARD SCARRY'S BEST STORYBOOK EVER! by Richard Scarry. Oh, to be the parent of a 2-year old once again!!!

When I was six, I read this book and instantly fell in love. The setting was exotic and foreign to me, but it was so easy to relate to Ping. Not wanting to get spanked. Getting lost and having adventures (I once walked home from K-Mart, a three mile walk, when I was in kindergarten after getting separated from my mother. It seemed like the most natural thing to do on earth to do, though it threw my parents into an utter panic). The sense of danger, which more than anything was communicated with lengthening shadows and the look in Ping's eyes. And of course the reunion at home...and getting spanked anyway (what do YOU think happened when Dad got home after the K-Mart incident?). I wore out my number of consecutive renewals permitted at my local library on this book, and read it to tatters.My daughter turned six this year. We typically get her a minor present as a congratulations when she dances in the Nutcracker locally (this was her fourth year doing it), and I bought her this book. She picked it as her bedtime book for a week straight.Some might say that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Personally, I say that this shows you the clear, classic simplicity of this timeless book.

My 1.5 year old son took a strong liking to this book. I didn’t think he would because it had more words than I thought would hold his attention with more muted colors in the pictures. However, the story is engaging (if you make it as the reader, with fun voices and sounds). My husband grew up with this book and I’m excited to pass it down!

I bought this book for my 4-year-old grandson for two reasons. The first is that his Daddy (my son) loved this book as a child. The second reason is that it is easy to have a discussion about behavior and consequences after reading this book. Ping, the little duck gets separated from his family which he thinks is no big deal; however, he is captured by people on another boat and placed under a basket. He hears that he will become their dinner and it is only because of the bravery of a little boy on the boat that Ping escapes back into the Yangtze River. He is rejoined with his family, but not before he gets a "spank" from a rod from the owner of the boat where his entire family lives. We do not spank our grandson but use "time-out" when discipline is needed. It is easy to explain that the duck received a "spank" like our grandson gets a time-out. Our grandson has responded positively to this story.We started taking our grandson to the library at 2 years old to introduce him to reading. Once we read "The Story of Ping", he would ask for it again and again. So many times this library book was already checked out. Now he will be ever to look at the pages and hear the story read at home with his only copy.

I recently purchased this for my 18 month old. This was a book I remember loving when I was little so I was excited to get it for my children. I will be honest, my daughter LOVES this book. She wants me to read it to her every night and over and over again. My 3 year old is not as interested. That said, I see this being perfect for a 3 year old and I'm not sure most 18 month olds will enjoy this as it is a little heavier on the words. My daughter happens to love certain elements of this book which keep her picking it out every night.All that said, there are a few elements that I didn't recall about this from when I was little, that I'm not certain will be acceptable to all parents. SPOILER ALERT (please don't read the below list if you don't want to find out any specifics about what happens in this book):-- The last duck to go back to the boat gets spanked each night. I'm not sure how I feel about that in today's world. For example, I would not be ok with our children hitting our dog, which is the closest thing we have in our home.-- There is a scene where a mother whose son captures Ping, the duck, gets excited about cooking Ping for dinner. I don't have issue with this per se, but I do wonder whether all parents will enjoy explaining that portion of the book.-- On his adventure, Ping encounters some large hunting birds which have tight metal rings on their necks so that they are not able to swallow the fish that they hunt for their master. I remember this specific element from when I was little. I thought it was fascinating at the time. Now, I find it sort of cruel. My children have not asked about this, but I'm not sure how I will explain it.**END OF SPOILER**All that said, I am still happy with this book. I think the story is great. I love that it takes place in China as I seek out books that happen in different countries and cultures. I also like that the story is a little less cute than many children's books. The illustrations also have a great nostalgic feel for me personally and are also just charming and something that at least one of my children really enjoys.

Interesting due its cultural heritage

Preiswert, neu, pünktlich

Un cuento muy bonito. Historia encantadora, con esas repeticiones que crean un ritmo que encanta a los niños. Ilustraciones sencillas que acompañan perfectamente. Tapa blanda.

I read this as a child and now I have my students read it. There's nothing terribly profound in it, but it paints a very charming picture of an interesting world. It is also a good way to help children understand why obedience is important. I'm happy I can still have access to it and I'm happy I can share it with others.

The charming story is just right for kids of 3 years and over, I was given the book as a child 78 years ago and loved reading it again and again - still have the original copy. Gave a copy to my 3 year old granddaughter, who loves it.