Review
A simple, poetic and haunting tale about childhood in Beijing during the Cultural Revolution. --Angels and Urchins
One of the many pleasures of this moving story...is its depiction of how a musical child experiences the world as a symphony of sounds. The warm wash of color and the textured detail in Helen Cann s illustrations reinforce the novel s pastiche of folk tale, parable and realism. Yue and Farrow... evoke how Little Leap Forward bears witness with the eye of a poet, the ear of a musician and the transformative imagination of a storyteller. --The New York Times
Guo Yue and Clare Farrow's text is marked by its reflective lyricism. This is complemented beautifully by the sights of Beijing, captured so evocatively through Helen Cann's full-colour illustration plates that intersperse the novel. --Achuka.co.uk
One of the many pleasures of this moving story...is its depiction of how a musical child experiences the world as a symphony of sounds. The warm wash of color and the textured detail in Helen Cann s illustrations reinforce the novel s pastiche of folk tale, parable and realism. Yue and Farrow... evoke how Little Leap Forward bears witness with the eye of a poet, the ear of a musician and the transformative imagination of a storyteller. --The New York Times
Guo Yue and Clare Farrow's text is marked by its reflective lyricism. This is complemented beautifully by the sights of Beijing, captured so evocatively through Helen Cann's full-colour illustration plates that intersperse the novel. --Achuka.co.uk
Product Description
The first in Barefoot Books' Young Fiction line, this sensitively written, real-life story focuses on growing up in Beijing in the 1960s, at the time of the Cultural Revolution. Little Leap Forward offers children an intimate and immediate account of a child's experiences as Mao Tse Tung's Great Leap Forward policy tightens its grip on China.
About the Author
Guo Yue was born in 1958 in Beijing, China. One of six children and the son of a violinist, he grew up in a traditional courtyard. In 1982, he came to study the silver flute at the Guildhall School of Music, London. As a musician, Yue has travelled extensively, performing in Peter Gabriel's Womad festivals, making recordings and playing on film soundtracks. Little Leap Forward is his first book with Barefoot Books.
Clare Farrow, a freelance arts writer, met Yue in 1994. Their first book Music, Food and Love was published in 2006. Little Leap Forward is their first book for children. Clare, Yue, and their two children live in London.
Helen Cann trained in fine art and illustration at the University of Wales, graduating in 1992. Since then, she has exhibited in both England and throughout Europe. Helen divides her time between Germany and the UK.
Clare Farrow, a freelance arts writer, met Yue in 1994. Their first book Music, Food and Love was published in 2006. Little Leap Forward is their first book for children. Clare, Yue, and their two children live in London.
Helen Cann trained in fine art and illustration at the University of Wales, graduating in 1992. Since then, she has exhibited in both England and throughout Europe. Helen divides her time between Germany and the UK.
