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  • Powerful Like a Dragon by Christopher Cheng book cover
  • Powerful Like a Dragon by Christopher Cheng book cover
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Powerful Like a Dragon

by Christopher Cheng

A child’s journey through wartime displacement

$17.09 USD
$28.49 USD $17.09 USD
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AlbakiReads Editorial

A child’s journey through wartime displacement

Set during the 1941 Imperial Japanese invasion of Hong Kong, this picture book draws on Christopher Cheng’s family history to show war through the experience of young Shu Lok. Sent away with his cousins in search of safety, he faces hunger, cold nights, and uncertainty. The family’s words about being “powerful like a dragon” frame the story’s attention to resilience and kindness amid hardship. The book offers a child-centered entry point into a historical conflict, connecting a family’s search for refuge with the strength children can show in difficult circumstances.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Children ages 4–8 exploring history and family stories
  • Families and educators introducing young children to wartime displacement
  • Readers interested in Asian history and stories of resilience

Themes

Wartime displacementFamilyChildhood resilienceKindness

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

In this life-affirming picture book, acclaimed author Christopher Cheng weaves the true story of his family's search for safety in the midst of war, demonstrating the strength of children in the face of the impossible.

Young Shu Lok didn't know there was a war until it appeared on his doorstep.

Overnight, everything changes. His parents send him away, tucking him into a basket alongside his cousins to be carried to safety.

They travel in search of a place the war does not reach, over cloud-wreathed clifftops, and through cold, hungry nights where a rocky bed and cold bean curd cake are all that await him.

But Shu Lok comes to find that war does not define him. He remembers his parents' words: be powerful like a dragon. Even if food and comfort are scarce, strength, resilience, and kindness can always be found. Even in the harshest times, dragons can learn to fly.

Based on author Christopher Cheng's true family story and with breathtaking, sweeping illustrations by Jacqueline Tam, Powerful Like a Dragon is an honest and heartfelt invitation into one child's experience during the Imperial Japanese invasion of Hong Kong in 1941.

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In-stock items normally dispatch within 1–2 business days. The ZIP-code estimator on this page is informational only; the final shipping method, price, and availability are confirmed at checkout for your full order.

For the initial delivery estimate we use these transit windows after dispatch: Standard 5–8 business days, Expedited 2–4 business days, and Priority 1–2 business days. Holiday delays are not included.

Eligible items can be returned within 30 days in accordance with our return policy.

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