The Angels' Little Secrets

Niu YueJilin Fine Arts Press · ChinaOct 2025

Rating 3.5
Word count
66 words
Chapters
6
ISBN
9787557500931

Tags

Examinations Animal KingdomPoetic JusticeInnocenceWhimsical IdeasGrowing UpLight ReadingFable StoriesFolk CustomsParent-Child ReadingPlayful Enlightenment

Summary

Here is a wealth of excellent short fables from around the world and across the ages! Featuring fierce beasts, cute little creatures, small animals, clever animals, birds and insects, farm animals and poultry, plants and flowers, adults and children, ordinary folk and craftsmen, angels, gods and demons—these short fables are exactly the kind children love most!

Editor's review

This book gathers excellent short fables from around the world and across the ages, covering fierce beasts, cute little creatures, birds and insects, farm animals and poultry, plants and flowers, adults and children, ordinary folk and craftsmen, angels, gods and demons, and more. Wide-ranging and close to children's tastes, these brief tales carry clear morals and are well suited to light reading that introduces right and wrong and everyday wisdom. Fantasy elements such as angels, gods and demons sit alongside animal and human stories, broadening children's imagination. The collection suits family read-alouds, lower-grade extracurricular reading and classroom story sharing; after reading, simple discussions about each story's moral help children turn listening into expression and thinking.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Not a good fit for

Reading tips

  1. Read one or two tales a day, then have the child retell the story in their own words.
  2. During read-alouds, ask “What do you think this story is trying to tell us?” without rushing to give a standard answer.
  3. Sort the stories by theme—animals, people, gods and demons—and compare how different tales make their points.
  4. In class, pick short stories for role-reading or small activities such as inventing new endings.

About the publisher

Jilin Fine Arts Press China · Founded in 1984

Jilin Fine Arts Press publishes across such categories as classic works, world literature, biography, art, inspirational growth, and popular science. Judging from the books in the collection, the press offers classical readings that emphasize textual editions and visual presentation, including the complete definitive edition of The Art of War with fine illustrations, the carefully translated and annotated edition of The Book of Songs with illustrations, and the rare full manuscript edition of Jen-chien Tz'u-hua. It also publishes modern literary classics such as Camel Xiangzi, Dawn Blossoms Plucked at Dusk, and The Scarecrow, as well as a fully annotated edition of Nalan's Ci and biographical works such as Liang Qichao Zhuan. Its authors include Sun Wu, Lao She, Wang Guowei, Lu Xun, Ye Shengtao, and Confucius. Its publishing character lies in combining textual collation, annotation and commentary with illustration and binding, balancing reading convenience with aesthetic experience; public information on the press's fuller publishing scope is limited.

Contents

  1. 版权信息
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. 3
  5. 4
  6. 5

FAQ

Are the stories in this book suitable for bedtime reading? Most fables are short, so one or two make good bedtime reading. However, the book includes fantasy material such as angels, gods and demons, and some stories may spark a child's imagination; parents can choose pieces according to their child's temperament. If your child gets easily excited, it is better to hold the discussion part during the day.
Are all the fables in this book traditional Chinese stories? The information indicates that this book gathers short fables from around the world and across the ages, covering animals, people, craftsmen, angels, gods and demons, and more—not only traditional Chinese fables. Readers can encounter short stories from different cultural backgrounds; for the source of specific pieces, refer to the book's table of contents.
What can children learn from reading this book? This book consists mainly of short fables, well suited to letting children encounter ideas of right and wrong and everyday wisdom through light reading while practicing retelling and expression. Parents or teachers can use questions to guide children to express their own understanding, rather than reducing every story to a single lesson.

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About the author

Niu Yue Author · China

Niu Yue, a native of Shunyi District, Beijing, graduated from Capital Normal University and currently works as an editor at a Beijing newspaper. Alongside her editorial work, she has long been engaged in compiling popular science and elementary classical readers for children. The collection holds 111 of her titles, spanning science popularization, traditional culture, foreign literature, and inspirational growth. Representative works include the geography, plants, and universe volumes of Why Do Chinese Children Have a Hundred Thousand Questions, along with Ancient Trade Routes and Transportation, The Four Great Inventions of Ancient China, Seeing the Universe as It Really Is, Little Tang Poems, and Memory, as well as the book series The Gate of Exploration and Discovery and the Little Bookboy Classical Reader series. Her writing is known for accuracy and plain, accessible language, skilfully turning scientific knowledge and traditional culture into short pieces suitable for young readers. Public information about her life and writing career is limited.