A Grain of Rice

A Grain of Rice

<b>Over 200,000 copies sold! Now with a newly refreshed design, this classic mathematical folktale tells the story of a clever farmer who outwits the Emperor of China and becomes the wealthiest man in the world—all starting with one grain of rice.</b><br><br>When a humble farmer named Pong Lo asks for the hand of the Emperor’s beautiful daughter, the Emperor is enraged. Whoever heard of a peasant marrying a princess? <br><br>But Pong Lo is wiser than the Emperor knows. And when he concocts a potion that saves the Princess’s life, the Emperor gladly offers him any reward he chooses—except the Princess.<br><br>Pong Lo makes a surprising request. He asks for a single grain of rice, doubled every day for one hundred days. The baffled Emperor obliges—only to discover that if you’re as clever as Pong Lo, you can turn a single grain of rice into all the wealth and happiness in the world!<br><br><b>A Bank Street Best Book of the Year for 9 to 12</b><br><br><b>Praise for <i>A Grain of Rice</i>:</b><br><br>“Gracefully illustrated. . . . This original story set in fifteenth-century China <b>will captivate readers</b> and perhaps teach them a little about mathematics.” —<i>Booklist</i><br>  <br> “<b>Clever</b> and quietly told in simple, yet evocative language.” —<i>Kirkus Reviews</i><br><br>“Any young reader (with calculator handy) will enjoy the tale.” —<i>Scientific American</i><br><br>“[A] book that is <b>wise and humorous</b>, and one to be perused and savored.” —<i>School Library Journal</i>