Shen of the Sea is a collection of short stories written by Arthur Bowie Chrisman. It was first published by Dutton in 1925, illustrated with more than 50 silhouettes by Else Hasselriis.[1] Chrisman won the 1926 Newbery Medal for the work, recognizing the previous year's "most distinguished contribution to American literature for children".
The original title page shows subtitle A Book for Children[1] and one early dustjacket shows Chinese Stories for Children. Both subtitles have been used for later editions.[2]
Chrisman's 16 original stories are written in the style of humorous Chinese folk tales. The title story tells of a king who tries to match wits with the demons of the water in order to save his city from a flood. Other tales relate the origin of chopsticks, and an instance when mud pies are revealed to be the origin of fine China.
Stories
Ah Mee's Invention - about the invention of the printing press
Shen of the Sea - a story about tricking demons to save a kingdom
How Wise Were the Old Men - a story about prophecy and the twists life take
^Undated title pages of three Dutton editions, displayed at Google Books (books.google.com), show the former subtitle reported as 1925 and 1958, the latter reported as 1968.
