In ancient China, a hardworking ferryman who tries to please his demanding and unappreciative passengers learns an important lesson from a beggar sitting patiently by the riverbank.
Primary (ages 6-9)
Material appropriate for primary age groups
Ten Suns: A Chinese Legend
When the ten sons of Di Jun walk across the sky together causing the earth to burn from the blazing heat, their father looks for a way to stop the destruction.
The Real Story Of Stone Soup
When a crew of Chinese fishermen forget to bring cooking utensils with them, they find creative ways to make do with what they have and what they can find.
Sir Whong and the Golden Pig
When he manages to get a loan of 1000 nyung by giving a fake golden pig as collateral, a stranger thinks that he has outwitted the wise and generous Sir Whong.
The Beggar’s Magic: A Chinese Tale
Retells an ancient Chinese tale of magic in which unselfishness is rewarded.
The Girl Who Wanted To Hunt: A Siberian Tale
A young girl uses her skills as a hunter to avenge her father’s death and to escape her evil stepmother.
Why Ducks Sleep On One Leg
A Vietnamese folktale explaining why ducks sleep on one leg.
The Story Of Chopsticks
When little Kai Kang cannot get enough to eat, he begins using sticks to grab food too hot for the hands, and soon all of China uses Kai zi, or chopsticks, in a humorous tale of how chopsticks may have been invented.
Willow Pattern Story, The
The author retells a story heard as a child, one of many invented to explain the landscape on willow pattern china, popular for the last 200 years. In this, two young Chinese lovers are punished by one’s cruel mandarin father.
The Steadfast Tin Soldier
One of Hans Christian Andersen’s most romantic tales, The Steadfast Tin Soldier tells the story of a one-legged tin soldier who suffers a terrible fate all for the love of a beautiful paper dancer. Cursed by a jealous goblin, the toy solider is sent flying out the window to the street below, where a perilous adventure carries him ever further from his love. But throughout his ordeal, the soldier remains sturdy and staunch on his one leg, ever true to his beloved little dancer.