On a cold winter night, a young girl dreams of visiting her faraway grandfather in Kunming, a magical place in China known as the eternal city of spring. As gusts of snow blow outside her window, the gentle sound of her mother plucking the pipa in the family room wraps around her like a warm blanket. The Four Seasons of the Pipais an intricately illustrated story accompanied by 11 stirring instrumental performances by world-renowned pipa master Liu Fang via the included CD and digital album download code. You can also listen to the music on your favourite streaming platform.
Revered in China as the “king” of folk instruments, the pipa is a treasured symbol and sound of Chinese culture. With roots that reach back to the Qin Dynasty, the pipa’s repertoire draws from a wellspring of ancient poetry and folklore. Its length of three feet and five inches represents the three realms (heaven, earth, and the underworld) and the five elements (wood, fire, earth, metal, and water), while the pipa’s four strings represent the four seasons.
Notes on the pipa’s origins can be found at the end of the story and a free teaching guide is available for download online. The teaching guide includes before and after listening prompts and several activity sheets tailored to encourage young readers to engage with the story, music and history of the pipa.
Explore our free teaching guide featuring reading and listening prompts, discussion questions, and printable activity sheets tailored to help young readers engage with the story’s themes and ideas.
Create Illustrations Inspired by The Four Seasons of the Pipa
In this hands-on how-to video, Quebec-based illustrator Josée Bisaillon demonstrates how she creates flowers and birds. All you need is paper, crayons, scissors, glue and a little imagination. Need some hand-outs or step-by-step instructions? Find them here: How to Make Birds and How to Make Flowers.
Visit our resources section for activity sheets, teaching guides, and craft ideas, including this tutorial by The Four Seasons of the Pipa illustrator, Josée Bisaillon. Subscribe to our monthly newsletter to stay informed about our new releases and events and for a chance to win our subscriber giveaway. To order books for your library or bookstore, please contact Hornblower Books/University of Toronto Press (Canada, United States) and MMS/BookSource (United Kingdom). For additional information, email info@thesecretmountain.com.
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The Four Seasons of the Pipa, A Musical Picture Book
On a cold winter night, a young girl dreams of visiting her faraway grandfather in Kunming, a magical place in China known as the eternal city of spring. As gusts of snow blow outside her window, the gentle sound of her mother plucking the pipa in the family room wraps around her like a warm blanket. The Four Seasons of the Pipa is an intricately illustrated story accompanied by 11 stirring instrumental performances by world-renowned pipa master Liu Fang via the included CD and digital album download code. You can also listen to the music on your favourite streaming platform.
Revered in China as the “king” of folk instruments, the pipa is a treasured symbol and sound of Chinese culture. With roots that reach back to the Qin Dynasty, the pipa’s repertoire draws from a wellspring of ancient poetry and folklore. Its length of three feet and five inches represents the three realms (heaven, earth, and the underworld) and the five elements (wood, fire, earth, metal, and water), while the pipa’s four strings represent the four seasons.
Notes on the pipa’s origins can be found at the end of the story and a free teaching guide is available for download online. The teaching guide includes before and after listening prompts and several activity sheets tailored to encourage young readers to engage with the story, music and history of the pipa.
The Four Seasons of the Pipa
Get the Book
Available now on Amazon, Bookshop, Goodreads, Edelweiss, CataList and with your favourite local indie booksellers. To order books for your library or store, please contact Independent Publishers Group.
Download the Teaching Guide
Explore our free teaching guide featuring reading and listening prompts, discussion questions, and printable activity sheets tailored to help young readers engage with the story’s themes and ideas.
Explore eBook and Audiobook Formats
Interact with the story and music in ebook, audiobook, and enhanced ebook formats on Apple Books, Google Play, Hoopla, Kobo, OverDrive and other platforms.
Create Illustrations Inspired by The Four Seasons of the Pipa
In this hands-on how-to video, Quebec-based illustrator Josée Bisaillon demonstrates how she creates flowers and birds. All you need is paper, crayons, scissors, glue and a little imagination. Need some hand-outs or step-by-step instructions? Find them here: How to Make Birds and How to Make Flowers.
Visit our resources section for activity sheets, teaching guides, and craft ideas, including this tutorial by The Four Seasons of the Pipa illustrator, Josée Bisaillon. Subscribe to our monthly newsletter to stay informed about our new releases and events and for a chance to win our subscriber giveaway. To order books for your library or bookstore, please contact Hornblower Books/University of Toronto Press (Canada, United States) and MMS/BookSource (United Kingdom). For additional information, email info@thesecretmountain.com.