When Ping admits that he is the only child in China unable to grow a flower from the seeds distributed by the Emperor, he is rewarded for his honesty.
The Empty Pot
Asia
Materials from Asia
Children Of The Yangtze River
Mei Mei and Chang’s life in their Chinese village takes a drastic turn after Yangtze River begins to rise and sweeps the houses, trees, animals, and people along its path.
The Camel in the Sun
The camel has worked its entire life for a man called Halim, carrying bundles of spices, dates, incense, silver and wool on long journeys across the desert east of the Red Sea. It often has to climb steep dunes, run when it is exhausted, and wait in the hot sun while Halim sits in the shade talking to the other merchants. One day the camel is overwhelmed by sadness and finds itself in tears. But still Halim shows no sympathy. When they arrive in the beautiful garden-filled city of Medina, where the Prophet lives, the merchant refreshes himself with food and drink and then naps on a pillow of sand, once again leaving the tired camel to stand alone in the burning sun. But when the Prophet sees the camel’s plight, everything changes. Halim finally empathizes with the camel’s pain and suffering.
King for a Day
Basant is here, with feasts and parties to celebrate the arrival of spring. But what Malik is looking forward to most is doing battle from his rooftop with Falcon, the special kite he has built for speed. Today is Malik’s chance to be the best kite fighter, the king of Basant. In two fierce battles, Malik takes down the kites flown by the bully next door. Then Malik moves on, guiding Falcon into leaps, swirls, and dives, slashing strings and plucking kites from the sky. By the end of the day, Malik has a big pile of captured kites. He is the king! But then the bully reappears, trying to take a kite from a girl in the alley below. With a sudden act of kingly generosity, Malik finds the perfect way to help the girl.
P Is For Pakistan (World Alphabets)
In this photographic alphabet, the author introduces young readers to some of the customs, religions and cultures – both ancient and modern – that make up this fast-developing country. Focusing on both city and country life, this is a celebration of Pakistan in all its aspects, from dhobi to jasmine, from hijab to water buffalo.
In Andal’s House
As a young boy in Gujarat, India, Kumar sometimes feels like he lives in two worlds. First there is the old world where people and their choices are determined by prejudice and bigotry. But then there is the second, modern world: in this world Kumar can be friends with whomever he chooses and his future looks bright. As part of the annual Diwali celebration, Kumar is invited to the house of his classmate Andal to watch fireworks. Andal is from a high-caste Brahmin family so Kumar is especially pleased to be included. But there in Andal’s house, Kumar’s two worlds collide in a very unpleasant way. Instead of being welcomed as a guest, Kumar is sent away, forbidden to join the festivities. Angry and hurt, Kumar is left questioning his place in Indian society. Where does he fit in? To which world does he really belong?
The Tiny King
The tiny king lives in a big castle guarded by lots of big soldiers. Every day the tiny king eats dinner at his big table (he can never finish all the food), rides a big white horse (though he is thrown off every time), and takes a bath in his big bath (which is never much fun). And every night he sleeps in his big bed all alone. The tiny king is so sad and so lonely that he never sleeps very well. One day he meets a big princess and asks her to be his queen. Not long after, they are blessed with lots of children. Now the castle no longer felt so big. The children ran around, laughing and playing all day long. Everything is just the right size, bath time is a real riot, and the tiny king sleeps soundly at last.
Bright, bold cutouts and a whimsical use of collage created a witty, heartwarming story.
Kenta And The Big Wave
When tsunami strikes Kenta’s small village in Japan, he ran to school far up the hill, where the waves couldn’t reach. Climbing to safer ground, Kenta watches helplessly as his prized soccer ball goes bouncing down a hill and gets swept away by the waves. When the tsunami recede, his family returned to their home, they found village ruined and could not find their belongings. Out on the ocean, Kenta’s soccer ball floated across the ocean. Finally the ball reached the other side of the world, where a boy picked the ball up and sent it back to Kenta, even though he could not read the word on the ball.
Gus, the Dinosaur Bus
Even though the school children think Gus the dinosaur bus is a great way to get to school, his size is causing some problems for the principle and the town. He causes traffic jams, gets tangled in telephone lines, knocks down traffic lights, and creates potholes with his big stomping feet. The principal fires Gus from school bus duty. However, Gus makes a swimming pool with his tears and finds a new life as the school’s playground, with a swing on his tail and his long neck serving as a slide.
Illustrations: watercolor, childlike pencil drawings
The Race for the Chinese Zodiac
With gorgeous illustrations based on Chinese painting techniques, a lively retelling of the legendary animals’ race that led to the twelve signs on the Chinese Zodiac.
linocuts