★ "Elegantly and economically retold . . . with lustrous illustrations." –STARRED REVIEW, Shelf Awareness

Young 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.

Paolo Proietti is an award winning illustrator with several books published including two previous titles published in English by Red Comet Press, Before We Sleep and The Friendship Surprise, both written by Giorgio Volpe. Before We Sleep received a starred review from Kirkus Reviews and was named a Kirkus best book of the year. Paolo is a graduate of the International School of Comics in Rome. In 2016 he was awarded a Scarpetta d’Oro, the prestigious international award for children’s book illustration. Paolo Proietti lives and works in Rome, Italy. Angus Yuen-Killick is the founder and publisher of Red Comet Press. Originally from the UK, he lived in Rome, Italy during the 1980s where he taught English. Michael Yuen-Killick is the creative director of Red Comet Press. They both live and work in brownstone Brooklyn with their two children and dog.