Dragon Brush and the Asian Art Museum

China


A recent trip to China inspired continued research and involvement with Chinese culture.  One very satisfying way I have been able to do that is with iTunesU and my iPad.

My visit to the Summer Palace, Beijing

The Asian Art Museum has untold hours of content on iTunesU.  After finishing the Arts of China video lecture series for docents-in-training I checked out the Storytelling Videos looking for kid friendly content. 


It was a nice surprise to find a lively rendition of a Chinese folk tale that I had just become familiar with on the app Dragon Brush.  Both are variations on the same story.

Leta Bushyhead, Asian Art Museum storyteller uses objects from the museum collection to illustrate the story about a poor boy named Liang who loved to paint. He was so poor his family didn't have money for a brush, ink or paper.  One night Liang had a dream that he received a paintbrush with the instructions to use it only for good. When he woke up, he found a brush by his bed.The magic paint brush created artwork that became real. He helped the people in his village get food and other things they needed.  The magic brush got a lot of attention and eventually greedy people came to take it away from him. That is not where the story ends however.

Dragon Brush the app was published by Small Planet. John Solimine of Spike Press and Andy Hullinger of AndyHullinger.com are the creators of this entertaining adaptation of this Chinese folk tale. The audio track is especially noteworthy. One difference in the two renditions is that the little boy's name is Bing-Wen in Dragon Brush.


Why do I like it?


1. It is beautifully illustrated.  The illustrations reference classical Chinese art in a way that is familiar and comfortable to Western sensibilities.


2.  It is a story about an empowered child who is clever and resourceful.  In the end he "wins". 


3.  It employs a technique I have not seen before in an app. The reader must use a finger to wipe over the screen and reveal the image that the little boy is painting.  It took some of the three year olds I read this with a while to figure out how they needed to hold their fingers against the screen.  Three is definitely on the lower end of the age range for whom this app is appropriate. Eventually they caught on and enjoyed the story.

Prompt to wipe finger over the screen to reveal Bing-Wen's drawing

4.  It is not just a story with animated components.  There is an option to paint which includes a game to find ink pots hidden in the illustrations of the story.  Each pot allows a pattern or color to be added to the palette in the painting section. The painted images can be saved to the Photo Gallery or shared. As requested with other apps, it would be nice to have an undo.

The dragon I drew with ink pots I found in the story. 
The found ink pots are added to the palette allowing me to use the pattern and ink spots.

6.  This app is a rewarding experience that can be enjoyed over and over. It is appropriate for kids as little as 3 years old and as old as I am.