The Donkey and the Rock, a Tibetan folk tale by Demi, 1999 first edition.

Written and illustrated by Demi (Charlotte Dumaresq Hunt). First edition, 1999. Henry Holt and Company. New York.

Based on a Tibetan folk tale that's said to have originated in India nearly 2,500 years ago.

"A long time ago, in the land of Tibet, with mountains so high they seemed to touch the sky, there was a king who was an honored and a just man. From the tallest mountains to the deepest valleys, he was known for his judgment.

"On a mountain ruled by this wise king lived two poor men. Each man was good and honest and did the best he could to support his ten children, wife, mother, father, uncles, and aunts."

Front Flap:

"When a disagreement breaks out between a man with a donkey and a man resting on a rock, the two men decide to ask their just and honorable king for help. The king suggests holding a trial between the donkey and the rock. His idea sounds so strange that all of his subjects rush to the courthouse to see who will win. But the king has a surprise in store for them when they get there."

Introductory note:

"The tale of the donkey and the rock is said to have originated in India in 550 B.C. with the Buddha acting as the judge and instructing his disciples to avoid foolish curiosity. Humor and wisdom gave the tale broad appeal, and it spread throughout Asia in many variations. One particularly famous version was written in China in the eighteenth century. It was entitled "Cheng Ban Qiao Tries a Rock." Cheng Ban Qiao was a celebrated painter, writer, and magistrate of the time. Today, however, the story is often heard in Tibet. My version was told to me by my Chinese Buddhist husband, Tze-si Huang, who remembers hearing it from his grandmother when he was growing up in Wildcat Stream, near ChungKing, in China's Sichuan Province."

Charlotte Dumaresq Hunt (1942 - ), who writes under the pen name Demi, 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. 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: Fine/Near Fine. Dust jacket: Very light shelf wear. Illustrated cover boards. Pages are clean, undamaged, and complete.