China · Han · Han-dynasty China — Kong Rong's house and the Yellow River
The heroes of this story.
Reaches past the big pears for the smallest. Cuts the last pear three ways and keeps the smallest share — of course. "There are more pears. There is only one us."
Could weigh an elephant with a boat — but that is another book. Does the arithmetic out loud; it does not help.
Once broke a water vat to save a friend — but that is another book too. Offers to smash the pear fairly; that does not help either.
Asks why always the smallest; laughs, out-argued by a four-year-old, and sets out the empty basket "for tomorrow's pears."
Nosing at the current, trying to go up. Not yet a dragon. The boys cheer until their voices go small.
Every morning Kong Rong takes the smallest pear — "the big ones belong to them" — but at lunch the basket holds one pear, one lí, three friends. Arithmetic doesn't help; smashing it fairly doesn't help. So Kong Rong and his mother cut it into three shares, and his is the smallest, of course. Then they cheer a small carp trying at the Yellow River current, fly a kite with three pears and one mid-leap carp drawn on it, and watch the Jade Rabbit pound medicine in the mooncake moon.
Free coloring pages from this book · how-to-draw the friends · watch the episode on YouTube.
