The Warlord's Kites - Hardcover

by Virginia Pilegard (Author), Nicolas Debon (Illustrator)

All is calm in the warlordï 1/2s palace, and the artistï 1/2s apprentice Chuan sits with his friend Jing Jing, watching the sunset, when an invading army approaches. Jing Jing comes up with an ingenious solution using Chuanï 1/2s knowledge of calculating area as well as his handmade paper and ink to frighten the troops into leaving.

Front Jacket

In this fifth adventure in the Warlord's Series, Chuan and his friend Jing Jing, the puppet master's daughter, are watching the sunset at the palace gates when they see a cloud of dust on the horizon. It is an invading army.
As the palace prepares to withstand the attack, Chuan continues making paper, while Jing Jing tries to think of a way to scare away the army. Together the two use a bamboo flute, handmade paper and ink, and a little ingenuity to save the palace from a fierce battle.
Children learn about creativity, folklore, and calculating area in a math lesson that's as fun as it is fascinating. Directions for making a kite follow the story.

Praise for The Warlord's Puzzle, recommended by the
California Department of Education
"This handsome picture book will be useful for encouraging children to play around with geometry at home or in the classroom."--Booklist

Praise for The Warlord's Beads
"The vibrant and unusual illustrations of Chinese pagodas, traditional robes, and characters' faces enhance this clever story. Children will not be disappointed in this sequel to The Warlord's Puzzle." --New Favorites

Praise for The Warlord's Fish
"An interesting introduction to the Chinese use of both the magnet and the compass . . . Debon's stunning illustrations enhance the tale." --School Library Journal

Praise for The Warlord's Puppeteers
"The messages of friendship, cooperation, and creativity, as well as the math lesson, make this book a good choice for group sharing and individual enjoyment."
--School Library Journal
Virginia Walton Pilegard has been an elementary-school teacher. She dreamed up the Warlord's Series to provide children with tales of adventure that illustrate mathematics concepts. Mrs. Pilegard studied elementary mathematics and completed a B.A. and an M.A. in education. She lives with her husband in the foothills of California's central Sierra Nevada Mountains below Yosemite National Park.
After working in cultural administrations in both Canada and France, Nicolas Debon lives as a freelance illustrator in Versailles, France. In addition to his illustrations for the Warlord's Series, he is also the author/illustrator of several other books, including a 2003 Canadian Governor General's Literary Award finalist.

Other Titles in the Warlord's Series:
The Warlord's Puzzle (BookSense '76 selection, 2000)
The Warlord's Beads (BookSense '76 selection, 2001)
The Warlord's Fish
The Warlord's Puppeteers

Author Biography

Together, the team of Virginia Walton Pilegard and illustrator Nicolas Debon has earned great praise for the highly successful Warlord's Series. The Warlord's Puzzle was selected for the Book Sense '76 list, a compilation of independent booksellers' top picks across the country, in May 2000 and is part of the California Board of Education's recommended reading list for grades K-12. The Warlord's Beads made the Book Sense '76 list in November 2001. Pilegard's lifelong desire to write and her sense of wonder led her to create stories for children in which she uses informal geometry, mathematics, and science concepts to strengthen students' visual-learning abilities. Believing a good picture book can help children process math concepts in three ways, she has completed eight mathematical adventures. In each, bright pictures give visual clues, the story begging to be read aloud offers auditory clues, and a simple craft provides tactical kinesthetic clues to enrich children's learning. For each of the Warlord's books, which are set in China, Pilegard spends hours in university and public libraries, scours bookstores and the Internet, quizzes Chinese American friends, and corresponds with authorities on various aspects of Chinese life from Seattle to Beijing in order to bring authenticity to the series. In August 2002 and again in November 2007, she traveled to China to continue her research. A proud member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, the California Reading Association, and the California Mathematics Council, Pilegard has worked as an elementary-school teacher and has volunteered in a juvenile corrections facility. She and her husband, Richard, are proud parents and grandparents.