Picture Chinese stories: 10 illustration books you can't miss

Clay Rabbit for the Mid-Autumn Day. [Photo/amazon.cn]; The statue of a clay rabbit. [Photo/IC]

Clay Rabbit for Mid-Autumn Day

"I will be sent to a child as a gift. Of course, a child will eagerly look forward to my coming. Each clay rabbit belongs to a child," a plump white rabbit says in the book.

It is the clay rabbit for Mid-Autumn Day in traditional Chinese customs. Worshipping clay rabbits was very popular in Northern China. There are four kinds of clay rabbits, including one riding an elephant, one riding a tiger, one on a gourd and one on a qi lin (a mystical Chinese creature). People believed clay rabbits can bring joy, health and happiness to children on Mid-Autumn Day.

The clay rabbit is a disappearing toy in modern society, and the book portrays a warm story between a clay rabbit and a child. The book has a happy ending, yet can still bring you to tears.

Pray that those lovely things like clay rabbits will remain in our hearts forever.