First published in 1933, Marjorie Flack’s The Story About Ping proves nothing less than a true childhood classic. Years and years after I read Ping as a child, I still remembered so much about such a beloved character. Though often criticized for its stereotypical portrayal of Chinese culture, The Story About Ping remains a timeless tale, relaying themes of adventure, security, consequence and the safety and comfort of family life.
Ping, a beautiful yellow duck, lives “on a boat with two wise eyes on the Yangtze River” with his mother, father, two sisters, three brothers, eleven aunts, seven uncles, and forty-two cousins. Every day, Ping and his extended family would leave the boat to go fishing and every evening afterwards the ducks were called back by the Master of the boat. The ducks hurried back to reenter the boat in a line, following one-by-one. But the last duck to cross over the bridge and onto the boat at the end of the day received a SPANK on the back. Though Ping was “very, very careful not to be last,” one day, when he finds himself last, Ping hides in the grasses on the bank rather than suffer the spank that would await him. His family and the boat sail away as Ping decidedly waits until the next day. The next day, while searching for his family, Ping encounters some less-than-desirable situations and finds himself feeling lost, lonely and altogether unhappy. When he finally reunites with his family and his home, Ping returns last, yet again, but this time endures the SPANK he had once moved to escape.
This story tells how trying to avoid consequences can often lead to greater penalties in their place. But along with this rather harsh lesson, Ping’s tale also explores the values of family life; reminding children that though going on an adventure may be fun, there is often no place like home. According to Amazon.com, this narrative is intended for children ranging between the ages of four and eight years olds. But in my opinion, no matter what age the story seems to always be better when read aloud. Flack, the author as well as Kurt Wiese, the story’s illustrator, have both done remarkable jobs of personifying Ping, the story’s protagonist. Even though Ping may not be human, his depictions in both writing and in picture have truly given him a personality and a character worth loving. In fact, after all of these years, it was Ping that I remembered, and not the story’s moral.
