Folk Tales from Asia For Children Everywhere,
sponsored by the Asian Cultural Centre for Unesco, Weatherhill, Heibonsha, 1966
These lively stories come from countries throughout Asia with each story told and illustrated by writers and artists from the the nations represented. The majority of the stories provide great material for shadow plays with lots of action, animals and dialogue. Your library will be the best place to look for these out-of-print books.

The Ch'i-Lin Purse, A Collection of Ancient Chinese Stories,
by Linda Fang, Farrar, Strauss, Giroux 1995
From a lifetime of reading ancient Chinese literature and studying Chinese opera, Linda Fang has crafted a beautiful collection of stories. These stories are both sweet and surprising and they offer tremendous dramatic possibilities ÷ particularly those which are based on traditional operas.

The Tiger's Whisker & Other Tales from Asia and the Pacific,
by Harold Courlander, Henry Holt & Co, 1959
The thirty-one tales in this collection feature a wondrous assortment of animals, playing heroes, tricksters and adventurers. These short stories are beautifully written and often very funny. You'll find them to be class favorites for reading aloud.

Tongues of Jade,
by Laurence Yep, HarperCollins Publishers, 1991
The Rainbow People,
Laurnece Yep, HarperCollins Publishers, 1991
Tree of Dreams - Ten Tales from the Garden of Night,
by Laurence Yep, 1996
Laurence Yep has written many stories based on Chinese folktales and won the most prestigious awards for children's literature. He has written dozens of stories readily available through your library that could be adapted into play form. The three books listed above are Yep's collections of folktales. Tongues of Jade and The Rainbow People are stories that he collected in the 1930's from immigrants who had recently arrived from China.

Nonfiction Books About Asian Puppetry

Chinese Shadow Puppet Plays,
by Liu Jilin, Morning Glory Publishers, 1988
This excellent book is primarily a photographic presentation of hundreds of different Chinese shadow puppets. The text gives a brief and useful overview of shadow puppetry, its history, regional characteristics, performance techniques and popular plays.

Chinese Folk Art,
by Nancy Zeng Berliner, Little, Brown and Company, 1986
This book is a treasure which beautifully presents many different forms of Chinese folk art. It includes an excellent chapter on Shadow Puppets and another chapter on Papercuts, the artistic prequel to shadow puppet construction.

Asian Puppets Wall of the World,
The University of California, 1976
Based upon an exhibit that was presented by UCLA in the 1970's, this book is a tremendous resource showing hundreds of puppets from throughout Asia. Here you will found dozens of Chinese shadow puppets. Comparisons can be made to shadow puppetry traditions in India, Indonesia, Thailand and Burma.