The tale of the nine color deer is based on a 1500 year old mural in the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang, China. Deep in the Kunlun Hills a magical deer lives with her small companion, a little bird. When the deer hears a cry for help, she immediately leaps over waves to save a drowning man. Her only request of him is that he keep her whereabouts secret. However, this secret is tested when the King offers a large reward to anyone who knows where a magical nine colored deer lives. Illustrator Kailin Duan brings the story to a modern generation in this beautiful picture book.
This story of kindness and forgiveness is beautifully painted by Duan. The style and color of the original cave paintings are represented in this new interpretation of the story. While inspiration is taken from the original, Duan brings her own creativity to the book as well. Jeremy Tiang’s translation makes the legend readable and in his Translator’s Note he describes the project as “building upon” the images from thousands of years ago. This book is a wonderful display of collaboration between illustrator, wordsmith, and the paintings of the legend. May it inspire us all to keep telling the stories of our past.
Elinor Serumgard is a poet, artist, and book reviewer from Issaquah, WA. Elinor graduated from Western Washington University in 2022 with a degree in Creative Writing. For more of their work, please see elinorserumgard.com
