Jin Jin and Rain Wizard book cover by Grace Chang
Book Two Jin Jin Series

Jin Jin and
Rain Wizardan illustrated tale

Written by Grace Chang · Illustrated by Chong Chang

A young dragon loses his gift for making water — and journeys back to ancient times, to a drought-stricken land and the palace of the Rain Wizard.

Get the Book Read the Story
Ages 4 – 8
Pages 48
Published 2009
Publisher Enchanted Lion
Illustrator Chong Chang
Series Jin Jin the Dragon
Collection NYPL
The Story

A young dragon loses his power over water — and travels back in time to win it back.

Jin Jin the dragon has lost his ability to breathe out water, and he cannot understand why. Could it be a punishment for throwing away a few grains of unfinished rice at the rice festival the day before?

His friend Old Turtle sends him back to ancient times, where he meets drought-stricken villagers who have never known rice. Eager to help, Jin Jin flies high into the sky to the palace of the Rain Wizard — who helps him end the drought, bring rice to the people, and regain his own gift for making water.

The second adventure of Jin Jin, written by Grace Chang and illustrated by Chong Chang, Jin Jin and Rain Wizard opens another window onto Chinese culture: the origins of rice, the value of not wasting food, and the courage to help others.

Praise & Recognition

Held in one of the world’s leading libraries

“

Selected for the permanent collection of the New York Public Library — one of the world’s leading research libraries and a steward of children’s literature of lasting cultural significance.

New York Public Library Library for the Performing Arts · Permanent Collection

Educator reviews forthcoming

From the Field

Parent responses forthcoming

From Readers
Roots of the Tale

Rain Wizard grows out of a tradition far older than any single story. In Chinese folklore the dragon is a bringer of water — a creature of rivers, clouds, and rain — and rice is the grain that tradition holds most precious. To waste it carries a weight that children in the culture learn early.

Around those ideas Grace Chang builds a gentle adventure: a dragon who must travel back to the very origins of rice, and learn what his gift is truly for. It is a picture book that carries a culture inside it — the second of the Jin Jin stories, following Jin Jin the Dragon.

A Jin Jin the Dragon story

Enchanted Lion Books · 2009 · Ages 4–8

Inside the Book

An illustrated world

A selection of plates from the pages of Rain Wizard — where mountains breathe, dragons listen, and weather remembers.

01 Opening Spread
02 The Rain Wizard
03 Back in Time
04 Into the Sky
05 The Drought
06 The Journey
07 Final Page

Illustrations to be revealed with the upcoming preview release.

Themes & Discussion

Conversations for the young reader

Rain Wizard is written for children, but designed for the conversations that follow. Four themes for parents, teachers, and librarians to carry into the room after the last page.

Theme 01

Chinese Culture

Through the origins of rice and the figure of the rain-bringing dragon, the book opens a window onto Chinese tradition for young readers far from it.

Theme 02

Gratitude

Jin Jin’s trouble begins with a few wasted grains of rice. A gentle way into a conversation about food, waste, and not taking enough for granted.

Theme 03

Helping Others

Faced with villagers who have never known rice, Jin Jin chooses to act. His own gift returns only once he has used it for someone else.

Theme 04

Courage

Flying to the palace of the Rain Wizard takes more than wings. A quiet lesson about doing the hard, frightening thing because it is the right one.

Educator’s guide forthcoming — ask for details
Grace Chang, author of Jin Jin and Rain Wizard
From the Author

Why I wrote Rain Wizard

“Our family carried Chinese performing arts across four generations, two continents, and a century of upheaval. I write Jin Jin so a new generation of children can carry a little of that culture forward — and find it as their own.”

My father, Baoting Chang, shaped Chinese performance across a century that tried many times to forget him. He didn’t let it.

The Jin Jin books are not his biography. They are something smaller and more durable: stories I can hand a child, so that a culture — its dragons, its rice, its quiet lessons about helping others — can travel a little further.

— Grace

Awards & Recognition

Recognition that travels
beyond the page

NYPL Permanent Collection

New York Public Library
Library for the Performing Arts

Accessioned 2025

Golden Angel Author

Author also recognized at the
15th Chinese American Film Festival

Director · A Missing Piece

Get the Book

Read it at the library, own a copy at home, or follow the series as new titles arrive.

Amazon Hardcover · Online Bookshop.org Independent Bookstores ChinaSprout Specialty Bookseller Library Near You WorldCat Global Network
Publisher Enchanted Lion Books Published 2009 · 48 pages ISBN 978-1-59270-086-8
The Jin Jin the Dragon Series

One dragon. A longer journey ahead.

2007
Book One

Jin Jin the Dragon

Available · Enchanted Lion
Jin Jin and Rain Wizard
Book Two

Jin Jin and Rain Wizard

Available · NYPL Collection
Title forthcoming
Book Three

In Development

Coming · Announcing Soon
Frequently Asked

Jin Jin and Rain Wizard — Questions & Answers

What is Jin Jin and Rain Wizard about?

Jin Jin and Rain Wizard is the second book in the Jin Jin the Dragon series by Grace Chang. Jin Jin the dragon loses his ability to breathe water; his friend Old Turtle sends him back to ancient times, where he meets drought-stricken villagers, flies to the palace of the Rain Wizard, and helps bring rain and rice to the people while regaining his gift — a gentle introduction to Chinese culture, gratitude, and helping others.

Who wrote Jin Jin and Rain Wizard?

Grace Chang — a writer, actress, and filmmaker, third generation of the Chang performing-arts dynasty and daughter of xiangsheng grand master Chang Baoting (常宝霆).

What age group is Jin Jin and Rain Wizard for?

Jin Jin and Rain Wizard is written for young readers ages 4–8.

Is Jin Jin and Rain Wizard in a library?

Yes. Jin Jin and Rain Wizard is held in the permanent collection of the New York Public Library.

Who illustrated it, and when was it published?

It was illustrated by Chong Chang and published by Enchanted Lion Books in 2009 (ISBN 978-1-59270-086-8) — a 48-page hardcover for ages 4–8, the second title in the series, following Jin Jin the Dragon (2007).