THE EMPTY POT

DEMI
 $16.95
$22.50 CAN

A
there
long time ago in China
wasboy named Pmg
a

who loved flowers. Anything he

planted burst into bloom.
The Emperor loved flowers
too. When it was time to choose
an heir, he gave a flower seed
to each child in the kingdom.
"Whoever can show me their best

in a year's time," he proclaimed,

"shall succeed me to the throne!"
Ping plants his seed and tends it

every day. But month after month

passes,and nothing grows. When
spring comes. Ping must go to
the Emperor with nothing but an
empty pot.
Demi's exquisite art and beauti-
fully simple text show how Ping's
embarrassing failure is turned tri-

umphant in this satisfying tale of

honesty rewarded.

()4(m
THE EMPTY POT
DEMI

Henry Holt and Company • New York

 Hcniy Hall and Compiny. LLC. P>Mjk<n im («««, IISWcm 18ch Street. New York. Nrw York inoil
Henry Holt ii i refpttered trademark of Henry Holt »nd Company, LLC
Copynglll O inO b) Dam. AB n||it> irtcrvcd Publuhed in Canada by Fitlhenry & Whitcudc Ltd I9S Albule Parkway. MarUiam. Ontario L}k 4T8
.

Library o<'Congre« Caologing-in-Pubtication l>au

Dent. The empty pot / ilory and pictures by I>etni Summary When Ping admits that he u the only chJd in Chiru unable to grow a (lower from
Ihcwohdwnbutedby theEmpeior. he uiewardedrothnhoneity |l Folklote—Chinal I Tide V7Jt \ DiHhm I99n 398 2—dc20 |E| 89-39062

Ftnt puUllhed in hardcover in 1990 by Henry Holt altd Company

Pint Owlet paperback edioon, 1996
Printed in the United S«atc» of America on aad-free paper. ••

ISBN O-aOSO.1217-6 (haideover)

17 19 20 18 16
ISDN 0-aOSrM9nO-2 (papeifiaek)
II 13 IS 17 19 20 IB 16 14 12 10
A long time ago in China there was a boy named Ping who
loved flowers. Anything he planted burst into bloom. Up came
flowers, bushes, and even big fruit trees, as if by magic!
Everyone in the kingdom loved flov^ers too.
They planted them everywhere, and the air smelled Hke perfume.
The Emperor loved birds and animals, but flowers most of all,
and he tended his own garden every day.
But the Emperor was very old. He needed to choose a successor
to the throne.
Who would his successor be? And how would the Emperor
choose? Because the Emperor loved flowers so much, he decided
to let the flowers choose.
The next day aproclamation was issued: All the children in the
land were to come to the palace. There they would be given
special flower seeds by the Emperor. "Whoever can show me
their best in a year's time," he said, "will succeed me to the
throne."
 0i

t-^^^Mni^.

i'SS'fl*

This news created great excitement throughout the land! Chil-

dren from all over the country swarmed to the palace to get
their flower seeds.
All the parents wanted their children to be chosen Emperor, and
all the children hoped they would be chosen too!
When Ping received his seedfrom the Emperor, he was the
happiest child of all. He was sure he could grow the most beau-
tiful flower.
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Ping filled a flowerpot with rich soil. He planted the seed in it

very carefully.
He watered it every day. He couldn't wait to see it sprout, grow,

and blossom into a beautiful flower!

Day after day passed, but nothing grew in his pot.
Ping was very worried. He put new soil into a bigger pot.
Then he transferred the seed into the rich black soil.
Another two months he waited. Still nothing happened.
By and by the whole year passed.
Spring came, and all the children put on their best clothes to
greet the Emperor.
They rushed to the palace with their beautiful flowers, eagerly
hoping to be chosen.
Ping was ashamed of his empty pot. He thought the other chil-
dren would laugh at him because for once he couldn't get a
flower to grow.
His clever friend ran by, holding a great big plant. "Ping!" he
said. "You're not really going to the Emperor with an empty

pot, are you? Couldn't you grow a great big flower like mine?"

"I've grown lots of flowers better than yours," Ping said. "It's

just this seed that won't grow."

Ping's father overheard this and said, "You did your best, and
your best is good enough to present to the Emperor."
Holding the empty pot in his hands. Ping went straight away
to the palace.
The Emperor was looking at the flowers slowly, one by one.
How beautiful all the flowers were!

But the Emperor was frowning and did not say a word.
Finally he came to Ping. Ping hung his head in shame, expecting
to be punished.
The Emperor asked him, "Why did you bring an empty pot?'
Ping started to cry and replied, "I planted the seed you gave me
and I watered it every day, but it didn't sprout. I put it in a
better pot with better soil, but still it didn't sprout! I tended it
all year long, but nothing grew. So today I had to bring an
empty pot without a flower. It was the best I could do."
When the Emperor heard these words, a smile slowly spread
over his and he put his arm around Ping. Then he exclaimed
face,
to one and all, "I have found him! I have found the one person
worthy of being Emperor!

"Where you got your seeds from, do not know. For the seeds
I

I gave you had all been cooked. So it was impossible for any

of them to grow.
"Iadmire Ping's great courage to appear before me with the
empty truth, and now I reward him with my entire kingdom
and make him Emperor of all the land!"
 —

Demi
has adapted and illustrated many folk-
tales for children, including Tlw Donkey
and the Rock, Liang and the Magic
Pdiiitbnish, and Tlic Dragon's Tale. She
Hves in Carnation, Washington.

Also by Demi

The Donkey and the Rock

"Demi's firm control over composition
and pattern offer children a fresh,
authentic interpretation of Tibetan art
that perfectly complements this simple
fable." — School Library Journal

Liang and the

Magic Paintbrush
A Reading Rainbow Feature Book
"Demi's fine line and watercolor draw-
ings are full of elaborate details which
will entice readers to look and look
again. The spirit of the artwork is lively

and convincing." School Library Journal

Reinforced Binding

Henry Holt and Company, LLC

115 West 18th Street
New York, New York 10011

PRINTED IN THE U. S. A.
 An IRA-CBC Children's Choice

An American Bookseller "Pick of the Lists"

"When the Chinese Emperor announces an unusual test to choose an heir — the

child who raises the best flowers from a seed given by the Emperor will be his
successor — Ping, unaccountably, is unable to get his seed to sprout. ... A lovely

story, well told and most attractively presented." — Kirkus Refiews, pointer

"A beautifully crafted book that will be enjoyed as much for the richness ot its

illustrations as the simplicity of its story."

— School Librat)' Journal

ISBN 0-8050- 12 17-6

III III
51695

I II II Mill
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