Genre: Traditional Literature
Reading level: grades 2-4
Summary:
Greedy Emperor decided that he must have the most beautiful towers in the entire world. So he tells his most trusted minister to come up with plans for such a place. They all try to please the Emperor but none of the plans that they come up with will suit the Emperor. He threatens his minister that if he doesn’t create the most beautiful towers in three days, then his head will be cut off. The man goes to the market depressed and buys a cricket that makes beautiful songs. The man tries again to create plans for a tower but he does not prevail. That night the cricket escapes from his cage a draws a picture of the cage that he wishes he would have. In the morning the man finds the plans and make the cage for the cricket but instead takes it to the emperor, who was very pleased. The cricket brought the minister very good fortune.

This is a very old tale but show the students that even the smallest creature can help in some way. The cricket helps calm down the minister, and even creates a plan for the emperor’s new towers.

The Cricket's Cage was about a Chinese man who could not come up with an idea for the Emperor's tower. The man bought a cricket, and the cricket ended designing a tower for the man which the Emperor loved. I enjoyed this story, it was definitely a fairy tale with the cricket helping the man out. I would read this to my students, and for an activity I would have them each build a tower out of different craft materials. ( )

A very nice Chinese folktale. It's about a carpenter who has to design royal watchtowers for the emperor. He has no idea how to do it until one day a friend of him gives a cricket to him. This cricket designs the most beautiful towers for the carpenter and the emperor likes it a lot. A very nice illustrated folktale! ( )