One does not have to know much about Chinese dragons to recognize that "One Ox, Two Ox, Three Ox, and the Dragon King" borrows from Chinese folklore. Its Chinese names alone indicate the sources of inspiration for the tale. Even so, this is not a Chinese story. Yolen's story's ending is in a European style, with the main characters tricking the evil dragon. She does not explain how the Chinese might have ended the story, but, typically in a Chinese dragon story, the emphasis in on the magical aspects of the dragons and on their wondrous otherness—how their view of the world is different from the view of human beings.

Humans seldom defeat dragons in Chinese tales, but instead they honor or worship the dragons, often getting what they want by pleasing the dragon with their devotions.

This is reflected in "One Ox, Two...