The Treasure Chest
With its roots deep in 13th century China, The Treasure Chest moved Will to study its time and locale, especially as depicted in the southern Sung paintings. The story of Laifu and Pearl is given a backdrop of a small coastal village in harmonious relationship with the sea. In pastel colors Will shows small sampans floating near shore and an underwater kingdom that mirrors the tranquility of the village above. By contrast Funtong¹s entrance shows him dark and mottled, encumbered by armor and surrounded by chaos. The land around him is barren and his ghoulish countenance threatens much more than a marriage promise. With the assistance of a rainbow fish and three benevolent monks who appear in swirls of color, Laifu defeats Funtong and restores tranquility to both kingdoms. Through compliant postures and steady expression, Will manages captures the moral strength of these small characters, whose faces are ever turned upward, without sacrificing their vulnerability, as the sea lays in protective watch beneath them.
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In this Chinese folktale retold by Rosalind C. Wang, a pastoral world of delicate bloom and simple peasant life is disrupted by the evil Funtong who eyes the lovely Pearl and schemes to marry her by challenging her betrothed Laifu to three impossible deeds.
 Starting From Sketch Inside the Picture Book of Will Hillenbrand
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Reviews
From Booklist , June 1, 1995: Ages 4--8. Wang's retelling of a Chinese folktale that was told often during her Taiwanese childhood merits a larger audience. When the evil despot Funtong spies the beautiful peasant Pearl, he challenges her betrothed, Laifu, for her hand in marriage. The challenges are fully weighted in Funtong's favor, but Laifu gets some magical aid from the Ocean King, whose son--in the guise of a fish--Laifu had rescued earlier. Laifu wins each challenge, the last of which ends in the defeat of Funtong by a magical chest full of toy soldiers. Laifu's victories are based less on his own ingenuity than on the generosity of the Ocean King, which in a sense cheapens them, but the king's gratitude is a direct result of Laifu's selflessness. Hillenbrand, basing his mottled, magical illustration style on the southern Sung paintings (circa A.D. 1200), ends welcome authenticity to this entertaining slice of oral history. Julie Yates Walton Copyright© 1995, American Library Association. All rights reserved From Horn Book: Laifu, a young man living in southern China, saves a magical fish's life. Later, when an evil ruler sets his eyes on Laifu's fiancée, the fish's father -- the Ocean King -- helps Laifu defeat the ruler and his army. Hillenbrand's atmospheric artwork complements the story. An author's note explains that Wang heard the tale as a child but was unable to find it in printed form. -- Copyright © 1995 The Horn Book, Inc. All rights reserved.
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