Written and illustrated by Demi. First edition, 2004. Margaret McElderry Books.
"A long time ago in China there was a boy emperor named Ping who was known throughout the kingdom for his honesty and his love of harmony. The boy emperor enjoyed climbing to the top of the palace and looking through his big telescope at the heavens.
"All the millions of stars and the sun and moon and the space in between were in perfect harmony. My kingdom should be as harmonious as the heavens, he thought.
"Emperor Ping needed the wisest prime minister in all the land to bring the harmony of the heavens to the kingdom."
The Emperor decides to find his successor among the children of his kingdom. He sent them on a quest to discover the greatest power in the world, with one important clue: "A wise person must be able to see the unseen and know the unknown." Children gathered in groups around their proposed ideas: military power, beauty and glamor, technology, money. But one girl, Sing, took Emperor Ping's clue more seriously, and found the answer contemplating the Lotus seed: Life.
Demi (1942 - ) is a children’s book author and illustrator who has published over 300 books during her career. She is known for her biographical and religious books, as well as her adaptations of folktales from different cultures. Some of her award-winning books include The Empty Pot, Buddha, The Dalai Lama, Saint Francis of Assisi, and The Fantastic Adventures of Krishna.
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Condition: Near Fine/Very Good. Dust jacket: Light edge wear. Illustrated cover boards. Pages are clean, undamaged, and complete.
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