The Empty Pot

The emperor needs to choose a successor. He gives each child a seed and tells them whoever can show up in the best in a year’s time will be the next emperor. The protagonist Ping has nothing to show at the end of the year. His pot is empty. His father tells him “You did your best, and your best is enough to present to the Emperor.” Ping brings his empty pot to the emperor. All the other children had beautiful flowers to show the emperor. The emperor saw Ping’s empty pot and announced “I have found him! I have found the one person worthy of being an emperor!” He turns to the other children, “Where you got your seeds from, I do not know. For the seeds I gave you had all been cooked.” This story speaks to the value of show more telling the truth even when it is hard. show less

An honest young boy named Ping gets his just desserts in this picture book retelling of a Chinese folktale from prolific author/artist Demi. When the aging Emperor announces that the child who can grow the most beautiful flower from the seeds he gives out will succeed him, all of the young people in the kingdom are eager to do their best. Ping, who has a true way with plants, does everything he can to cultivate the seed given to him, but despite all of his efforts, at the end of the year he has nothing to show but an empty pot. Will the Emperor be offended, or will Ping's offering turn out to be the best of all...?

One of Demi's most popular titles, The Empty Pot is a book I first read years ago, but am only now reviewing, as I read my show more way through some of this creator's work. It is listed on the colophon as Chinese folklore, although there is no other reference, in the form of either dust-jacket description or author's note, to this fact. If it is a folktale, I do wish some information about source material had been included. If it isn't actually a folktale, it nevertheless reads like it is, with its honest hero who is rewarded for his virtue. The conclusion, in which it turns out that all of the seeds handed out by the Emperor were infertile, and Ping is therefore the only honest child in the kingdom may not be that surprising, but is certainly satisfying. The accompanying artwork, which looks to be done in paint and ink, has Demi's trademark delicacy, although lacks some of the vibrant hues she has used in other books. All in all, while this isn't my favorite title from Demi, it has solid appeal, and is one I would recommend to young folklore enthusiasts, as well as fans of the artist. show less

What I love about this story is the honesty that Ping showed. The Emperor holds a contest because he is getting old. The Emperor wants to see which child will grow the most beautiful flower in the land. Whoever has the best flower in a year will become the best Emperor. Ping made sure his seed was planted in carefully, and he made sure it was perfect. The seed the Emperor gave him does not grow, so Ping has no other choice but to bring an empty pot. When Ping showed the Emperor the empty pot, Ping told the Emperor what happened, and he smiled. Ping told the Emperor the seeds were cooked, so he could not grow them. Ping's courage made him Emperor. This book is amazing, it can teach children to tell the truth even though it's hard to face show more what'll happen. Honesty can be rewarded with good things sometimes. show less

The Empty Pot is a tale from Chinese folklore exquisitely drawn and interpreted by Demi. The protagonist is Ping, a young boy with a gift for gardening. Ping and all the other children of the kingdom are given flower seeds by the elderly Emperor for a competition to “show their best in a year’s time” to succeed the emperor to the throne. Ping painstakingly tends the seed for a year, but the seed fails to grow into a flower. Ping is afraid to bring the empty pot to the Emperor, but his father tells him to go because, “You did your best, and your best is good enough to present to the Emperor.” Ping cries as he presents his pot to the Emperor because all the other children have beautiful flowers, but the Emperor smiles and says, show more “I have found the one person worthy of being Emperor!” The seeds the Emperor gave to the children had been cooked and could not grow; thus Ping’s honesty and courage are rewarded. Demi’s illustrations, meticulously rendered ink drawings in oval panels in the style of Chinese paintings, relate the parable of honest labor and courage rewarded in gentle and contemplative manner. show less

Love this story! When the Chinese emperor proclaims that his successor will be the child who grows the most beautiful flowers from the seeds the emperor distributes, Ping is overjoyed. Like the emperor, he loves flowers and anything he plants bursts into bloom. But the emperor's seed will not grow, despite months of loving care, and Ping goes before the emperor carrying only his empty pot. The emperor ignores the beautiful blossoms brought by the other children and chooses Ping, revealing that the seeds he handed out had been cooked and could not grow. This simple story with its clear moral is illustrated with beautiful paintings.

This book is great for teaching students about integrity. The emperor gives people flower seeds and asks the people to do their best to grow the seeds in order to pick a new emperor. A little boy plants his seeds but they never grow while others bring full pots of flowers. The emperor reveals that the boy should be emperor because the seeds were cooked and he was the only honest participant.

Ping loved flowers and he could grow anything that he planted. The Emperor also loved flowers. The Emperor loved flowers so much, that when it came time to decide who will be the next Emperor, he let the flowers decide. So he gave one seed to every child and show him what they've grown in a year's time. When Ping got his seed, he tended to it every single day, but it never grew. When it came time to show the Emperor what was grown, Ping decided to still bring the empty pot. All the children had grown beautiful flowers, but not Ping. When the Emperor saw that Ping brought him an empty pot, he asked Ping why and Ping responded that it was the best he could do. The Emporer then announced Ping as the one worthy of becoming Emperor because show more all the seeds the Emperor had given to the children were cooked, meaning they could not grow anything and still all the children presented beautifully grown flowers while Ping presented an empty pot.

I LOVED this story! I love the message behind it and I love the illustrations. This story shows students the importance of being truthful, which is especially important in young children. show less