The Empty Pot (Demi.)

The genre of this book is traditional fiction. I would use this book for 2nd and 3rd grade students, due to the colorful illustrations and the overall message of the book. In this book, which is set in china, the main character, a child named Ping, is known for his love of flowers and his green thumb. The emperor also shares his love for flowers. The emperor realizes that he is aging and must choose a successor, so he used his love of flowers to determine who his successor would be. He sent out a batch of cooked seeds throughout his land. This was a ploy to identify the honesty in people. Ping did all he could to make the plant grow but it was no use. All the other children in the land grew beautiful flowers, which means that they replaced the seed that was given to them by the emperor. When Ping revealed to the emperor that he had done all he could possibly do to make the seed grow, the emperor revealed his secret to Ping. He was also pleased with his honesty. The illustrations in this book are simple but wonderful. I like how each picture is engulfed inside of a circle as if the story is being told through a window or the pot itself. I also enjoyed the use of the shades of beige throughout the book. Some children's books can get carried away with colors, but this one uses shades of beige to highlight and offset the use of other colors throughout the book. It suggest that this book took place in a calm and inviting setting. This book was a simple read, but it was also delightful; and, the message portrayed by it should always be accepted. The message of " Honesty is the best policy," shown in this book would be a great way to teach children that honesty really is the best policy.