A Grain of Rice

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. 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? 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. 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 A Bank Street Best Book of the Year for 9 to 12 Praise for A Grain of Rice "Gracefully illustrated. . . . This original story set in fifteenth-century China will captivate readers and perhaps teach them a little about mathematics." -- Booklist " Clever and quietly told in simple, yet evocative language." -- Kirkus Reviews "Any young reader (with calculator handy) will enjoy the tale." -- Scientific American " A] book that is wise and humorous , and one to be perused and savored." -- School Library Journal