The Gale

This contemplative, semiautobiographical picture book by Nobel Laureate Mo Yan, with illustrations by Hans Christian Anderson Award nominee Zhu Chengliang, is perfect for readers of A Different Pond and Watercress.

One morning, so early that fog still sleeps on the surface of the river, a young boy accompanies his yeye seven miles north to the grassy field behind their home to cut satintail to feed the livestock. But when a massive gale scatters the hay—and a whole day’s work—important lesso...