Bronze and Sunflower facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Bronze and Sunflower

Author	Cao Wenxuan
Original title	青铜葵花
Translator	Helen Wang
Cover artist	Meilo So
Country	China
Language	Chinese, English
Genre	Children's literature, Contemporary fiction, Asian culture, literary fiction
Publisher	Walker Books Books (UK); Candlewick Press (USA)
Publication date	2015 (UK); 2016 (USA)
OCLC	974210264

Bronze and Sunflower (Chinese: 青铜葵花) is a popular Chinese children's novel. It was written by Cao Wenxuan and first came out in 2006. The story takes place in the wetlands of northern Jiangsu province, China. This was during the 1960s and 1970s, a time known as the Cultural Revolution.

The book tells a touching story of friendship. It is about Bronze, a boy who cannot speak and lives in a village. It is also about Sunflower, a young girl whose artist father is sent away. She then comes to live with Bronze's family. The novel has won many awards in China. It has also been translated into many different languages around the world.

What is Bronze and Sunflower About?

The story of Bronze and Sunflower follows the lives of two main characters. Bronze is a young boy who cannot speak. He is the only son of the poorest family in his village. Sunflower is a young girl who becomes an orphan. Bronze's family kindly takes her in.

The book shows their daily lives in a village called Damaidi. It highlights important family values. It also shows the difficulties of living in the countryside during that time. This novel is part of a series of books. All of them are set in the same area and time period.

How the Book Was Translated

Bronze and Sunflower has been translated into many languages. This happened since it was first published in 2006. It was the first of Cao Wenxuan's novels to be translated into English.

A British translator named Helen Wang translated the book into English. It was published in the UK in 2015. Then, it came out in the US in 2016. The story of how this book was published was shared in a magazine called Publishing Perspectives in 2018.

Here are some of the languages the book has been translated into:

• English (UK) - Published by Walker Books in 2015, translated by Helen Wang.
• English (US) - Published by Candlewick Press in 2017, translated by Helen Wang.
• French - Titled Bronze et Tournesol, published by Éditions Philippe Picquier in 2015.
• German - Titled Bronze und Sonnenblume, published by Esslingen Drachenhaus-Verl in 2014.
• Italian - Titled Girasole, published by Giunti in 2015.
• Turkish - Titled Tunç ve Ayçiçeği, published by FOM Kitap in 2017.
• Polish - Titled Brązowy i Słonko, published by Wydawnictwo Akademickie Dialog in 2019.

Listen to the Story: Audiobooks

You can also listen to Bronze and Sunflower as an audiobook.

• One version is narrated by Ming-Zhu Hii.
• The English version is narrated by Emily Woo Zeller.

Awards and Recognition

Bronze and Sunflower has received many awards. These awards show how much people love and appreciate the book.

• 2018: It was shortlisted for the Global Literature in Libraries Translated YA Book Prize. This means it was a finalist for the award.
• 2017: The Marsh Award for Children's Literature in Translation was given to Helen Wang. This was for her excellent English translation of the book.
• 2017: Helen Wang also received the Chen Bochui Children's Literature Award. This was for her translation work and for helping Chinese children's literature become more known.
• 2017: Bronze and Sunflower won the Young Adult/Middle School Literature Award at the Freeman Awards.
• 2005: It was named one of China Newspaper's Top Ten Books of 2005.
• 2005: The book won a "Good Books for All to Read" prize for novels in Taiwan.
• 2005: It also won a Jiangsu Excellent Picture Books Award.
• 2005: Bronze and Sunflower won a National Five Unique Projects prize.
• 2005: It received a 1st World Publishing Government Prize.
• 2005: The book won a China Writers Association 7th Excellent Children's Literature Award.