★ "Elegantly and economically retold . . . with lustrous illustrations." –STARRED REVIEW, Shelf AwarenessYoung Peng shows courage and honesty when brought before the emperor of China in this retelling of a classic folktale from China. The old childless emperor gives a challenge to the children of the city to determine who will become his heir. He gathers them together, and gives them a task; take one seed each, plant it and return in one year to show the flowers that each has grown. Little Peng is determined to do his best, but despite planting and tending the seed, he fails to grow a flower. But Peng brings a flower of different kind to his meeting with the emperor, one that just might win him the challenge. A new retelling of this classic Chinese folktale, brought to new generations of children through the exquisite illustrations by Paolo Proietti.