Clever & Courageous Box Set

※ Set Features Clever & Courageous Box Set An excellent introductory reader to cultivate literary appreciation, the first installment in British colonial culture of the 19th century. A thousand-year fantastical legend of an Eastern Monkey King causing havoc in heaven; an exploration of the animal kingdom's adventures amidst hidden power struggles. Absorb the essence of both Eastern and Western literature through reading, laying a solid foundation for future writing. The "Timeless Fantasy Masterpieces That Shape a Child's Life" Series Select classic literature with enduring imagination to enter another world of boundless fantasy, awakening a child's latent curiosity. Join the characters on journeys of growth and adventure. Broaden horizons and ignite creativity. Deeply instill the joy of reading, naturally fostering a love for literature and its core values. Essential reading for every child! The "Inspiring Biographies That Shape a Child's Life" Series Choose extraordinary classic literature that leads readers through uplifting sagas of struggle and resilience. Follow the characters as they navigate life's ups and downs and transformations, enriching their perspectives and building positive values. Inspire critical thinking through reading, appreciating the core essence of great literature. Exemplary reading that no child should miss! The "Masterpieces" Selected Series Treasured classics, worthy of rereading time and again! This series features bestselling masterpieces from across the globe, refined by time and still shining brightly in the eyes of generations. These are essential reads for children beginning their literary journey. Masters observe life and society with keen insight, using rich and polished prose to portray human nature, crafting stories that reflect life's truths. Engaging plots and relatable characters will deeply move and inspire children, infusing every pure heart with the love, courage, and wisdom needed on their path of growth. ※ Content Introduction Journey to the West Lively and humorous dialogue, rendered in a simple yet artful "light" classical Chinese style, blends storytelling and dialect, interspersed with poetry and rhymes, solidifying its status as one of China's Four Great Classical Novels. It also guides children to appreciate and learn the beauty of rhyming prose, offering a gateway to understanding the essence of the world and the distinct personalities of its characters. With 72 transformations, from flying through the heavens to burrowing underground, behold the Monkey King, Sun Wukong. His fiery golden eyes reveal demons; a tuft of his magical hair transforms into a thousand imitations; a somersault cloud carries him thousands of miles in an instant. Such immense power and defiant spirit, yet the "Havoc in Heaven," "Three Attacks on the White Bone Demon," and "Three Borrowings of the Banana Fan" couldn't escape the palm of the Buddha. Suppressed for 500 years, did he not learn his lesson? Then came the golden fillet, to tame the wild Great Sage! Remember, in this world, it's not "if you're happy, anything goes"! Journey to the West is both exaggeratedly comical and delightfully witty. It also contains mockery, satire, and critique. There are gods, buddhas, demons, and monsters with boundless magic and cunning schemes, as well as tales of human relationships and social customs that promote goodness and offer touching lessons. Witness the transformed Sun Wukong, as he joins forces with his junior disciples to defeat demons and monsters, protect his master, ascend to heaven and descend to earth seeking aid, overcoming all obstacles, and never giving up! This is a fourteen-year journey of perseverance and shared purpose, a pilgrimage to the West for cultivation. Around the World in Eighty Days In a 19th-century London gentleman's club, the Englishman Mr. Phileas Fogg makes a bold wager, staking his entire fortune: he promises to circumnavigate the globe in just eighty days! With no airplanes, only trains, steamships, and elephants, coupled with his precise itinerary and schedule, he relies on his calm composure and quick wit. He faces perilous sea storms, accusations from Indian monks in court, and train robberies by American Native Americans. Each time he narrowly escapes danger, crossing four continents—Europe, Africa, Asia, and America—only to be arrested at a critical moment! As time ticks away, can Mr. Fogg return to London on time and win his bet? The Water-Babies: A Fairy Tale for a Land Baby The orphan Tom, working for his abusive chimney-sweep master, Grimes, is sent to clean the chimneys of the grand Harthover Manor. Through a twist of fate, Tom is mistaken for a thief and flees in panic. Exhausted, he falls into the water and is transformed into a clean water-baby by the water sprites. In the underwater world, Tom retains his mischievous nature, often teasing weaker animals. It's only after guidance from the fairy that he gradually learns to restrain himself. To broaden his horizons and discover who he wants to become, the fairy advises Tom to venture alone to "the world beyond the sky" to help someone he dislikes. Will Tom overcome all obstacles and complete his mission? And who is the person the fairy wants him to help? The Tales of Reynard the Fox: The Extraordinary Life of a Clever Fox The fox Reynard inadvertently rescues the Lion King, elevating him from commoner to baron and granting him a magnificent castle in Mablewood. From then on, he schemes to get close to powerful animals, aiming to overthrow them and establish an equal nation. After mingling in high society, Reynard meets various influential figures, such as the wolf Isengrim, the cat Tybult, the rooster Chanticleer, and the Lion King's confidant, the bear Bruno. He even becomes quite familiar with the King and Queen. Step by step, he enacts his revenge plan against the nobles who habitually oppress the common folk. However, he is framed by his enemies, causing the Lion King to lose favor. Can Reynard break through the encirclement and defeat the long-standing forces of evil? ※ Author Introduction Wu Cheng'en (1504 ~ 1582), [China] A renowned novelist of the Ming Dynasty. Exceptionally intelligent from a young age, he was well-read and fond of rural legends. In his later years, he dedicated himself to writing. Drawing inspiration from the historical journey of a Tang Dynasty monk to the West, he combined religious mythology and folk tales to create the highly fantastical, satirically subversive, yet seemingly colloquial and humorous Chinese masterpiece, "Journey to the West," which is rich in literary depth. This work features accessible "light" classical Chinese and poetic rhymes, allowing children to easily appreciate the beauty of literature. The magical story of Sun Wukong's 72 transformations is a household name in China and is widely known in Japan, Korea, and the West. Since its multilingual publication in 1942, many who haven't read the novel have still seen the comics, television series, or adapted films. Beyond the series of astonishing twists and turns and thrilling demon-slaying adventures, the plot of Tang Sanzang and his disciples steadfastly confronting evil forces can subtly instill positive values in children, such as perseverance and upholding justice. Jules Gabriel Verne (1828 ~ 1905) [France] A French novelist, naturalist, and science writer, he authored over 60 science fiction novels and is hailed as the "father of modern science fiction." In the 19th century, at the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, Europe was swept by a passion for exploration and a boom in science. Verne was enthusiastic about research and the pursuit of scientific truth, while also loving travel, literature, and drama, possessing a romantic imagination. His representative works, such as "Journey to the Center of the Earth," "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea," and "Around the World in Eighty Days," are adventure stories that blend science and fantasy. These novels are grounded in scientific principles, not mere fantasy; many of his hypotheses and descriptions became reality in the 20th century. After the publication of "Around the World in Eighty Days" in 1873, it sparked a trend among adventurers worldwide to emulate the journey. In an era of only trains and steamships, they embarked on the routes described in the book, challenging the arduous task of circumnavigating the globe in eighty days. This magnificent work, which merges knowledge, entertainment, geography, and humanities, exemplifies Verne's distinctive and celebrated creative style. It has been adapted into films (1919, 1956, 2004) and stage plays multiple times. Charles Kingsley (1819~1875) A renowned 19th-century British children's literature author, he wrote over sixty novels and essays throughout his life, with "The Water-Babies" being his representative work. Kingsley spent most of his childhood in a small fishing village on the western coast of England. He graduated from Cambridge University with honors in 1843, subsequently becoming a clergyman and participating in several Christian socialist reform movements. In 1873, he was appointed as a rector of Westminster Abbey, Britain's most famous cathedral. Mrs. M. H. Giraud Influenced by "Aesop's Fables," the French writer Mrs. M. H. Giraud compiled popular fables from contemporary folk poetry collections into "The Tales of Reynard the Fox," which remains beloved today. The original text of "The Tales of Reynard the Fox" dates back to Latin story-poems from around the 10th and 11th centuries, later modified into a composite poem formed by twenty-seven fables.