DemiBesprekingen

I could've sworn I wrote a review of this earlier... doesn't seem to be sitting in anywhere; maybe I jut described it in my group chat. Gorgeous illustrations, though the information is maybe more independent reader/almost middle grade level. A good introduction to the story and concepts of Buddhism.

A classic, the illustrations are Demi's distinctive style and though it's a little silly to choose a child successor based on horticultural challenges, this is a bit more of a Wonka test.

I'm guessing I read this as a wee one but who knows. I am a little shocked as an adult to see that Demi's a white lady, though- always assumed Asian due to the subject and style of her books!

Independent Reading Level: Grades 2-3

Awards: IRA-CBC Children's Choice, American Bookseller "Pick of the Lists."

Young Ping loves flowers as does the Emperor. One day the Emperor announces that he will give each child a seed and the child who grows the best flower will be the next Emperor. Ping tries his best, watering, replanting, and tending the seed daily, no flower grows for Ping, He takes his empty pot among all the beautiful flowers the other children brought. When the Emperor notices the empty pot, he rewards Ping's honesty with the title of Emperor. A great story about honesty. Pictures are somewhat stereotypical.

Illustrations beg the reader to touch. Includes map, genealogy.

Genre
Fairy tale and folklore-inspired fiction
Picture books for children
Tone
Moving
Quiet
Illustration
Delicate
Detailed
Location
China
Subject
Boys
Chinese people
Competition
Flowers
Gardening
Honesty in children
Rulers

Intermediate
Tan Tan lets Ping buy the shade of his tree, but gets upset when Ping is there all the time and brings his friends. Tan Tan moves away and becomes lonely. When he gets back, Ping shares the shade with him.
I'd love this as a read aloud and as a message about sharing and kindness to my students.

AVHG8H6G

Beautifully illustrated, but the text is more of a moral tale than a story.

Note sure how I feel about this one.

This is probably one of my favorite children literature books because it is about math, however, it also tells a great story and relates to life. The moral of this story is such a great lesson for students to know and learn about life. This book is well written and develops fantastically.½

Even though the "young archer" spends a lot of time "weeping bitterly" and the "Horse of Power" has a bit of a monopoly on common sense, The Firebird was a fairly decent retelling. The illustrations, however, left a lot to be desired: apart from highly stylized onion domes and the characters' clothing, nothing of Russia's art or culture really comes across. Demi certainly has a particular style, but I think that style would hardly have been compromised by a bit more Russian flavor.

The empty pot tells the story of a young Chinese boy who grew the most beautiful flowers. However, when he was challenged by the emperor his legacy took an unanticipated turn. I loved reading this book because it told a beautiful story while also teaching me about Chinese culture and customs.

Honesty is the best policy. In this wonderful story we find Ping, a young boy able to grow just about anything. The emperor, like the other people in his empire, grows his own flowers. It is something he loves. He knows he is getting older and won't be able to continue so he must find someone to rule his kingdom when he is gone. He calls all of the children together and gives them each a seed. He says they are to tend it for a year then come back and he will choose. No matter what Ping tries his seed won't grow. He, unlike all the other children come with an empty pot and admits he tried his best, but couldn't get the seed to grow. He is chosen to be the next emperor because of his honesty.

A charming, simple story with pretty illustrations. In "ancient China", an emperor who loves flowers decides that his heir will be the child who can grow the most beautiful flower from the seeds he distributes. Ping, who has a wonderful green thumb, for the first time cannot get anything to grow, and he's ashamed to be the only child to show the emperor an empty pot. Joke's on everyone else, though--the emperor boiled the seeds, so none of them should have grown! Since Ping is the only honest child in the whole country, why, he must be the perfect heir.

A charming little fable. Perhaps a bit more could have been made of Ping's humbling, as he's kind of rude to his friends about his talents, but the lesson is implied.

The young king of India searches for a Hallowed Horse to protect his kingdom from the evil Kaliya, the Multi-Headed Snake.

This book takes place in India during a famine. After rice had fallen from the Rajas elephant, rani returned it and in return the Raja rewarded her with a grain of rice that double in amount each day. I would love to read this to my students to see if they can calculate how much rice in total she got.

I saw the end coming but it was a gentle story worth reading.

Long ago in India, there lived a raja who believed that he was wise and fair. But every year he kept nearly all of the people's rice for himself. Then when famine came, the raja refused to share the rice, and the people went hungry. Then a village girl named Rani devises a clever plan.

The text and breathtaking images bring Tutankhamun to life through the explanation of traditional religious beliefs and the description of a pharaoh’s life, including ostrich and lion hunts

The emperor needs a successor, so he devises a plan to find the most worthy child that will become the emperor of all the land. The emperor loves flowers so he gives each child some seeds. In the spring, the children must bring the seeds back and show the emperor what they grew. Ping an honest boy who also loves flowers but when his seed does not grow even after trying everything. He becomes very worried when his friends go to the emperor with their beautiful flowers. Ping must appear before the emperor with an empty pot and face the consequences.

Sufi, Muslim, Islam, Poetry, Allegory, Birds, God, Journey

This is a beautifully illustrated book with a near-complete assortment of the legends and known facts about Nicholas. I'm not sure why as bishop-elect, he is depicted as blond and beardless, looking about 12 years old; "youngest bishop", okay, but this is a bit over the top. Then, the reason for his ecclesiastical trial (slugging Bishop Arius who, Nicholas felt, dishonoured the Mother of God) was not given, making that story rather pointless. Finally, in the tale of the innkeeper who pickled the three little boys in a barrel, the innkeeper (or innkeepers, 3 are shown in one illustration) is oriental in complexion with black hair and slanty eyes while the little boys are blond tiny Nicholas-replicas. That's too blatantly racist for my bookshelf. Fortunately, I have Anselm Grun's beautiful book of the same title to replace this one.

This book was a great way to get kids to see the power of exponential growth.

One Grain of Rice by Demi is a mathematical Indian folktale. It tells the story of a selfish Raja who is hoarding all of the rice from the people in his province during a time of famine. One day the Raja is in need of service and is assisted by Rani. As a reward for her help, Raja offers her a reward of her choosing. She asks that for 30 days of rice: a single grain the first day, double that the second day, and so on. It was such a modest demand that the Raja didn't think twice about agreeing to it. I don't think that Raja was aware of exponential growth.

I would recommend this book for teachers because it offers both a moral and mathematical lesson. The illustrations are gorgeous and inspired by the Indian paintings of the 16th and 17th centuries. Books that are conceptually strong for older students are not so easily found and this one really gets the students thinking. Possibly even asking and pondering the question about how much Rani received in all.

- Picture book
- This is the story of Ping, a boy who loves flowers. When the Emperor of Ping's land decides to hold a contest for which child can grow the best flower, Ping is sure he can win. The Emperor loves flowers too, and he will choose the winner based on who brings back the best flower the next year. After planting and waiting for months for his flower to grow, Ping is left with an empty pot; there was no beautiful flower to be seen. He was devastated and confused. Still, he brought his empty pot to the Emperor's palace at the end of the year. After seeing Ping was the only one with an empty pot, the Emporer rejoiced and awarded him with the title of Emperor. Ping was the only person who was brave enough to show the Emperor the truth even though it caused him great embarrassment. The truth was that the Emperor gave all the children a cooked seed, so none of them should have blossomed into flowers. In the end, the truth always wins.
- This was a lovely book about the beauty of truth. It is always better to be honest, no matter how embarrassed or ashamed it can make us. Honesty is always rewarded and respected.