Characters with character: HONESTY

Review:

The Empty Pot

Story and illustrations by Demi

A Chinese Emperor will make his successor to the throne the kid who success in showing him  the best flower bloomed form the seeds he gave away to all the children in the land.

Ping did his best taking care of his seed, giving to it the best soil and water, but the flower never sprouted. Ashamed Ping brings an empty pot to the palace. All the children of the land have beautiful flowers to show.To his surprise the Emperor choose him his successor since the seeds were cooked and Ping was the only who told the truth.

Some of the points I found specially interesting in this story:

The Emperor looking for an honest person to be his successor. I liked the fact that honesty was placed over many other attributes like beauty or physical strength.

Ping's father encourages him to show the empty pot to the Emperor standing for his work. He says: "you did your best and your best is good enough to present to the Emperor."

Ping was not only honest, but dedicated when taking care of the seed, and courageous when presenting himself at the palace.

The illustrations are beautiful and full of color. They are visually different from most children's book pictures. Each page has an encircled image that remind me of Chinese porcelain plates. The traditional drawings suggest a traditional story, which gives a sense of wisdom contented in the pages of the book.

Age range: 5 to 9 years old

*This review is part of my project Characters with character