Join Our Children’s Book Writing Competition: Adapt Your Favorite Folktale

Winner Announcement of the past Competitions

Attention! The 3rd Writing Competition:

The deadline of the 3rd Competition will be September 30, and the results will be announced on November 1st.

*This is a regular event, so please stay tuned for information on our upcoming competitions if you are interested.

Attention all writers and storytellers! We are excited to announce our latest children’s book writing competition!

We are looking for talented writers to adapt a selected folktale into a children’s picture book. We would like to see a bold adaptation of the story to make it as suitable as possible for the picture book format. The winning entry will be possible published as a children’s book. And the author will receive a cash prize of $100 besides the royalty. This is a great opportunity to get your work out to more readers. The top two entries will be also featured on our Chinese publisher’s website as well as being distributed to young readers in China via Chinese social media.

To participate, please choose one following folktale to adapt and submit your manuscript, along with a brief author bio and contact information, to our email address by the deadline of Sept. 30. Please note that only original work will be considered, and all entries must be in English. Please send your submission to Contest@yeehoopress.com. Please feel free to contact our Editor-in-Chief, Luyang if you have any questions: xueluyang@yeehoopress.com

We encourage writers of all ages and backgrounds to participate in this exciting opportunity to share their creativity and love of folklore with young readers. Good luck and enjoy writing!

*Notice: Participants must abide by the rules of the event and are not allowed to submit their entries to a third party before the results of each round are announced. By submitting an entry, participants agree to allow the organizer to use their manuscript for promotional purposes. Participants retain all intellectual property rights to their works. The organizer reserves the right of final interpretation for this event.

Sincerely,

Yeehoo Press Editorial Team

Folktale to adapt:

Seeking the Horse Using a Picture (按图索骥):

In ancient China, there was a man named Sun Yang in the state of Qin. He had a remarkable talent for evaluating horses and could discern their quality with a single glance. Regardless of the type of horse, he could easily distinguish the good from the bad. He was often sought after by people to assess and select horses, earning him the nickname “Bo Le” (which was originally the name of a celestial star responsible for managing heavenly horses).

Sun Yang was determined to share his expertise in horse evaluation to prevent exceptional horses from going unnoticed and to ensure that his unique skill wouldn’t be lost to time. He compiled his years of experience and knowledge in horse evaluation into a book, accompanied by illustrations depicting various horse forms. He titled the book “Classic of Horse Evaluation.”

Sun Yang also had a son who aspired to be as skilled as his father. The son diligently memorized the “Classic of Horse Evaluation,” believing he had acquired the ability to assess horses just like his father. The book contained phrases like “a tall forehead, eyes as round and shiny as coins; round and well-proportioned hooves, like stacked blocks.” One day, the son ventured out and came across a large spotted toad. Thinking he had found a rare horse, he exclaimed, “This creature has a raised forehead and big, bright eyes. Isn’t this a fine steed?” Excited, he brought the toad home and proudly informed his father, “Dad, I’ve found a splendid horse; only the hooves are slightly lacking.”

Upon inspecting the toad, Sun Yang couldn’t help but chuckle and sigh. He humorously remarked, “Unfortunately, this ‘horse’ loves jumping too much; it’s not fit for pulling a carriage!”