The Empty Pot

A friend of mine told me about this book and I was immediately taken with the story. I love the core point of personal integrity, sincere effort, and honesty in the story. I think that the way the story twists and makes its point at the end is powerful and will stick with its target audience. Heck, it will stick with me. But then I was already taken with those values a half century ago. When I see so many young people willing to cheat to “get ahead” and the idea that the ends justify the means or that getting your agenda implemented “by any means necessary” seems justified, well, I am horrified. This book makes the opposite and more traditional point. I think the traditional value has a longer term importance where the short term getting it all now seems attractive to some in the present, it yields a toxic fruit. The illustrations for the story are also beautiful and add to the interest children will have in reading the book. This is a story an adult can read with a child many times without wanting to beat their head against the wall, unlike so many children’s books that quickly become torture to read over and over and over again. I bought several copies for my grandkids and will keep buying them as new grandkids come along. And I will likely give it to other children for gifts, as well. I think it is that good. Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Saline, MI

I heard about this beautiful story in another book called, Golden, by Joni Hilton. I love children's picture storybooks so I was curious and checked it out. I love it's wonderful message of honesty and integrity. It's a parable for what is truly important in life! I not only bought the kindle version for myself, I bought a hardcover copy to give as a gift. It is marketed for ages 4-8, but it's also for those who are young at heart, and anyone who loves books! Note: The kindle version of any picture book is never going to be as nice as the hardcover copy. But it's still nice to have because it's always with you, and easy to share from an iPad. You just have to learn how to "click" the words on the very first page to enlarge them—in this case, the dedication—and then swipe each page after that to enlarge the rest of the text. "You did your best, and your best is good enough to present to the Emperor." —Demi, The Empty Pot

The message of this story is about telling the truth. I loved how that message was so clearly demonstrated. I personally did not like the images simply because the young kids I read this too had trouble connecting to those images. The images are an ancient Chinese style done on fans. The images look like they came out of a museum, not a kids book. It is good fir kids to be exposed to other cultures and their artwork etc, but I just felt the images did not connect to the 5-6 year olds.

LOVE THIS BOOK! My student were exposed to this charming tale when I taught second grade. It was in one of our texts. Now the grandkids' school chose it for their Character Trait on Integrity. Beautiful, charming, meaningful story of a little boy faced with a choice on whether to be honest or not, in the face of competition. Beautiful art. My two (ages 8 and 6) love it; I love it. Cute story, great art, engaging story, great moral to the story.

I LOVE this book. My aunt bought it for me when I was a kid and now I am buying it for her granddaughter! It is such a great lesson about ALWAYS trying your best and being true to yourself and you will come out on top! Have read this in may classrooms!

This a delightfully easy story to read, the word to picture ration is wonderful even for your most impatient listener, the pictures are interesting to look at with many little rewards for the interested viewer. The story is the gem, giving a great opportunity to discuss what honesty and integrity and honor are. Loved this story, I will be looking to get copies for gifts. Totally recommend 100% and receive no discount for our review or with our purchase, but you're welcome to leave feedback if this was helpful to you.

A friend recommended this book. She said it is her girls' favorite. I really liked the story but the illustrations were disappointing. Still, the message is strong enough to carry the book. Read it. It is an important lesson in integrity and honesty.

I’m sad that I ordered a new book, but I got it and it was completely folded in half and all the pages are creased. Should add something stiff to the package to keep it flat in the mail.

This is my most favorite children's book of all time. I love the glimpse of Chinese culture, the simple yet gorgeous illustrations and the easy yet meaningful story that teaches the value of honesty and integrity.

This is a wonderful book about honesty. I bought this as a gift for my daughter’s first grade teacher. She hadn’t seen the book before however she really enjoyed it and so did the class! My one mistake was not buying a copy for our house!

A friend of mine told me about this book and I was immediately taken with the story. I love the core point of personal integrity, sincere effort, and honesty in the story. I think that the way the story twists and makes its point at the end is powerful and will stick with its target audience. Heck, it will stick with me. But then I was already taken with those values a half century ago. When I see so many young people willing to cheat to “get ahead” and the idea that the ends justify the means or that getting your agenda implemented “by any means necessary” seems justified, well, I am horrified. This book makes the opposite and more traditional point. I think the traditional value has a longer term importance where the short term getting it all now seems attractive to some in the present, it yields a toxic fruit. The illustrations for the story are also beautiful and add to the interest children will have in reading the book. This is a story an adult can read with a child many times without wanting to beat their head against the wall, unlike so many children’s books that quickly become torture to read over and over and over again. I bought several copies for my grandkids and will keep buying them as new grandkids come along. And I will likely give it to other children for gifts, as well. I think it is that good. Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Saline, MI

I heard about this beautiful story in another book called, Golden, by Joni Hilton. I love children's picture storybooks so I was curious and checked it out. I love it's wonderful message of honesty and integrity. It's a parable for what is truly important in life! I not only bought the kindle version for myself, I bought a hardcover copy to give as a gift. It is marketed for ages 4-8, but it's also for those who are young at heart, and anyone who loves books! Note: The kindle version of any picture book is never going to be as nice as the hardcover copy. But it's still nice to have because it's always with you, and easy to share from an iPad. You just have to learn how to "click" the words on the very first page to enlarge them—in this case, the dedication—and then swipe each page after that to enlarge the rest of the text. "You did your best, and your best is good enough to present to the Emperor." —Demi, The Empty Pot

The message of this story is about telling the truth. I loved how that message was so clearly demonstrated. I personally did not like the images simply because the young kids I read this too had trouble connecting to those images. The images are an ancient Chinese style done on fans. The images look like they came out of a museum, not a kids book. It is good fir kids to be exposed to other cultures and their artwork etc, but I just felt the images did not connect to the 5-6 year olds.

LOVE THIS BOOK! My student were exposed to this charming tale when I taught second grade. It was in one of our texts. Now the grandkids' school chose it for their Character Trait on Integrity. Beautiful, charming, meaningful story of a little boy faced with a choice on whether to be honest or not, in the face of competition. Beautiful art. My two (ages 8 and 6) love it; I love it. Cute story, great art, engaging story, great moral to the story.

I LOVE this book. My aunt bought it for me when I was a kid and now I am buying it for her granddaughter! It is such a great lesson about ALWAYS trying your best and being true to yourself and you will come out on top! Have read this in may classrooms!

This a delightfully easy story to read, the word to picture ration is wonderful even for your most impatient listener, the pictures are interesting to look at with many little rewards for the interested viewer. The story is the gem, giving a great opportunity to discuss what honesty and integrity and honor are. Loved this story, I will be looking to get copies for gifts. Totally recommend 100% and receive no discount for our review or with our purchase, but you're welcome to leave feedback if this was helpful to you.

A friend recommended this book. She said it is her girls' favorite. I really liked the story but the illustrations were disappointing. Still, the message is strong enough to carry the book. Read it. It is an important lesson in integrity and honesty.

I’m sad that I ordered a new book, but I got it and it was completely folded in half and all the pages are creased. Should add something stiff to the package to keep it flat in the mail.

This is my most favorite children's book of all time. I love the glimpse of Chinese culture, the simple yet gorgeous illustrations and the easy yet meaningful story that teaches the value of honesty and integrity.

This is a wonderful book about honesty. I bought this as a gift for my daughter’s first grade teacher. She hadn’t seen the book before however she really enjoyed it and so did the class! My one mistake was not buying a copy for our house!

I love this book so much!!! I was hesitant to get it because of other reviews of it being damaged, bent, etc. But I really wanted it. It came great! No damage. I'm so glad.

I bought one for each of my grandchildren to have! Integrity is what the world is lacking so I'm hoping if they grow up reading this book honesty will be an important character trait they develop in their lives.

One of my all time favorite children's books. Beautiful character building story with gorgeous illustrations. You could look at the detail in the pictures for hours, but the sweet, simple story is the best part of this book. My favorite of all Demi's books. Should be on every child's shelf, especially if you like effortless teaching on the value and power of honesty.

I loved this story since I was first introduced to it as a kid. It features such an important message that everyone needs to know, regardless of age. Integrity and honesty win in the end.

This story is a favorite of mine. It is about having integrity and humility, and what happens when a boy faces the consequences when he does not get the results that are expected of him and how he faces it head-on. I often tell my students, "You never know what can happen..." meaning that you never know what can happen if you are in the right place and doing the right thing and with the right mind-set. This is that kind of story. :) A person could be penniless, but they still have their Word, and their Word is everything... it could prove who they really are and could change everything.

This is a darling book with an unexpected ending. Kids love it! I am a school counselor and I read it to classes in my lesson on integrity. Even the teachers were intrigued and surprised! Very touching! Great lesson!

As a school counselor for K-5, I found this book to be an excellent resource for teaching honesty and work ethic. Beautiful artwork, too.

I was well acquainted with the book. It’s an outstanding “character development” story. I used it with adults to illustrate a point.

There isn't much I can add about the story itself, as the other reviews describe it quite well. What I love most about the book though, is the simplicity of the story. The topic and the moral of the story are very important... very 'big', if you will, yet somehow this little story manages to say it all with only a sentence or so on each page. Simply perfect!! The author took on a topic with a valuable and important lesson, and managed to avoid falling into the trap of preaching and over-explaining everything. The artwork is vivid and beautiful, yet still simple enough as not to over-power the story. (Ladies... this is kind of like make up, if you wear a bold color or a deep, smokey-look on your eye, is it said you should opt for a more neutral lip color... either bold eyes or lips, but probably not both at once. I believe the same 'rule' can often apply to a picture-book... bold, bright pictures paired with a bold or fancy font and/or lengthy, redundant writing can be very distracting...... which is NOT the case with this book!!) I highly recommend this book for children as well as adults. I think kids as young as 3 or 4 will understand the book (with only a bit of explanation on what a few of the words mean, as well as a nice follow-up discussion on the events of the book, and the lesson learned). This book happens to be for my 7 year-old daughter. I don't buy many 'picture books' for her anymore, as we have so many, and don't read them as often as we used to since she is reading early chapter books on her own now. I was looking for a companion book to go with an indoor pot gardening kit, and struck gold with 'The Empty Pot'! My search was for a 'cute' book that would go with the gardening kit... I got that, and much more with this book. I would caution those considering a purchase though, that the book that comes up with a search is a LARGE book (check product dimensions). The book I purchased is a hardcover book that is a more common picture-book size, and I found it by simply checking the other versions/options available for the book on the product page.

For years, this book has always been in my mind. Finally I'm writing a review after holding it for over 3 years. In The Empty Pot, Demi tells a stunning story of a chinese boy whose gardening skills reveals the truth of the emperor's deceptive call for his successor. With a profound disappointment, the boy found courage to show his failure - the truth - to the emperor. At the end, the boy gets rewarded for his honesty. Demi's captivating story about honesty and courage punches you right in the heart. Her illustrations, with immense charasteristic portraits of chinese art, are fascinating. I pledge to keep this book in my collectibles. I wish every child, and adult alike, has a chance to read it!

A beautiful story demonstrating the responsibility of truthfulness and ‘transparency’ starting as a child, with parent encouragement.

This is a tender and sweet story, with lessons of integrity moving through. One of my absolute favorites for my own children, and to give as a gift. I just wish they had it in hardback. Definitely a classic!

I really wish paperback books weren’t shipped in bubble envelopes. They end up being received damaged 98% of the time when shipped this way. Otherwise this would have been 5 stars-great book and the illustrations are great, bright and colorful. The story is perfect for sharing the idea of integrity with children.

I read children’s books to adolescence and I feel like they get a lot out of it that way. This book is perfect for teaching honesty and integrity. I seriously love this book!

This is a wonderful story about the power of being honest.

Bought this book for a youth book club I am starting. This story has a really good moral. I think the children will enjoy the illustrations and the story. It doesn't seem too hard for a child to read. I also look forward to reading it to my grandson one day. I'm also glad that the main character in the book is a boy. I think that will make it more interesting for the boys in the book club. I recommend this book to others and it came highly recommended to me.

It looked like someone ran over my book with a vehicle. I needed the book for a class I was teaching, so didn't have time to return it.

Great story, the book was in the condition listed

Such a good book! I love reading this book to my students and talking about the moral of the story. I've even added a copy to my personal library.

Love this book

This book has been on my list of must haves for a long time. A dear teacher friend of mine introduced me to this book almost 20 years ago. Her class used to perform it as a classroom play and it was delightful. My friend passed away a couple of years ago and I would like my students to bring the story to life as a school theatre production in her honor.The story is about honesty and is something all students need to learn about.

Great way to address integrity and ownership....at any age! I used this in a class of adults/employees. Great story for kids too :)

I used this book when I was teaching about seeds and plant parts. Great Segway before planting seeds for Mother’s Day.

This is one of my family's favorite picture books. I usually don't like moral lessons in books, but this one worked and was very impactful.

Love these books

I borrowed this book from the library and read it to my five year old. It is a wonderful story about honestly and integrity. I recommend this book

Great book

Ordered this book used in good condition and it came a total disaster. It’s at MOST fair, and that is being generous. I wish I had just paid more ($1.60 or something like that) and gotten a new one. Super waste. The story is cute though.

Kids and us love this story.

I hadn’t heard of this book before, but it was in my kindergartner’s curriculum and it is a gem! A new family favorite.

Simple but powerful story with beautiful illustrations. Feels like a fable. I bought this book among others on Amazon to help my child understand the value of being truthful and this one is the most compelling and our favorite of the bunch.

I love the message in this story about honesty.

Son love this book

Beautiful story!

Fantastic story - what a great message for kids. I will proudly read this to my kindergarten class.

A beautiful story. One of my sons' favorites from their childhood. The lesson is indelible.

This is one of our favorite stories, cute picture and a great story with a perfect moral. The kids enjoyed this so much and loved learning to read it on their own; we bought a few to give as gifts for birthday parties it is so good.

I highly recommend this book. A great lesson in integrity and one of my favorites

This is a fantastic book that I bought as a gift. Its unique, and teaches an important moral to the story.

Loved this story and so did my kids. Great message about trust and honesty.

This is by far my favorite Demi book. Very simple story, great pictures, powerful lesson about honesty. Well done. I bought this for my five year old daughter who likes it and after she understood why the boy had an empty pot, it showed her that honesty doesn't always look fancy.

Wonderful story about honesty and integrity. Highly recommend it.

I am a tough critic of children's books and this is easily one of my top favorites

Great book for teaching integrity and character to young children - the lesson that standing in the truth and doing your best is it's own reward.

This is a fantastic book which highlights the importance of doing one's best, regardless of the outcome. It also addresses integrity and opens the door to discussions about integrity. My 4 and 2 year old love this story.

amazing

Really good book, my daughters loved it very much. The art is lovely. Book came in great condition.

What a great story!

Great book for my school library. The children in my class really liked the simple story about honesty and could really identify with the protagonist.

Read this to a group of Daisy Girl Scouts as we talked about honesty. It was a nice story and the girls were able to discuss honesty when we finished.

This is a sweet story that teaches much about integrity of a child and his parent. I love the illustrations and message.

This book is for all ages. It is a beautifully done and I love to share it with others!

Demi has written several children’s picture books with Buddhist themes but this is a particular favorite for its story about an honest little boy who loves to grow flowers and an Emperor who values truth above all else.

I purchased this book after seeing it on the local PBS station. The story's simple moral of honesty is so touching. I still find myself teary-eyed when Ping's father encourages him to remain honest and I'm overjoyed when Ping's honesty is rightfully rewarded. I especially appreciate the beautiful, intricate detail of the illustration. Needless to say, I'm looking forward to purchasing more books by this author as 'The Empty Pot' will remain a winner with me.

Excellent story, clear simple and profound for children of all ages

I USED TO BE A READING TEACHER 👩🏫, AND THIS IS A GREAT BOOK 📚!

I read this book as a school librarian every September. The first and second grade get a good grasp on an early example of honesty. We follow up the story by coloring flowers and taping them to green pipe-cleaners and putting them in a flower pot to be displayed in the classroom for the month. A true must read. A hidden treasure.

This book is excellent for read alouds.

Should add something stiff to the package to keep it flat in the mail.

Great book.

We love this story. I've mailed copies of this book to friends and family.

Great book for children.

A

This story is character building and so beautifully written! Ping is a boy to behold.

Absolutely wonderful story. A must read for all children.

I LOVE Demi's books and it all started when my son's Kindergarten teacher introduced this book. A must have in the children's home library.

Our pastor used this book as a sermon theme and I think the message of how hard you try is much better than cheating.

arrived on time and was of good quality

Such a true and meaningful story about honesty. All adults should read it! Thanks for the speedy delivery.

Excellent moral about just doing your best with integrity. I love the empty page for discussion of what child should or will do. Good for elementary classroom or individual child.

Beautifully illustrated, and the message (of the importance of telling the truth) is clear. I'm very happy that I purchased this book.

Beautiful book. lovely story and illustrations were beautiful.

Really good book

Great book for teaching children honesty.

This is such a wonderful book for kids. It has a timeless message about honesty and integrity wrapped in a sweet little story about a little boy growing up in China. Perfect for Mom or Dad to read to the children.

Fantastic book with a great lesson.

Great book with super message about honesty. Well written, lovely illustrations - a must for every family to read together.

I bought this for my third grade class. The book is printed upside down from the cover. Very disappointed!

Great story about honesty, the rewards of being truthful and not giving in the crowd.

This is a magical story with lots of colorful pictures, but the real value is in the message: honesty is the best policy.

My favorite children's book.

This is a lovely story about the importance of being honest. My 3 year old grandson asks me to read it again and again.

We just loved this book. I bought it for my 8-year old. It is a very engaging story, with a moral message which keeps you guessing until the end of the story. Very nice graphics too. A great bed time book. I'm thinking buying a couple more books to have handy for birthday gifts.

Ordered twice book was creased and damaged both times

The same story line as "Koa's Seed", but much CHEAPER!!!!! This is a very moving story about integrity.

Love this book! I have an old copy and I wanted another copy of this story. I love the lesson it teaches. Must read!

This is such a sweet story. It has a lovely message and seriously breath-taking illustrations! I couldn't be happier with it!

read this to your child and watch how quick they stop bending the truth. A simple but effective story. A must for all parents to read to their children.

This book teaches the virtue of honesty (even when it's hard to be honest). I love that this message is couched in a Chinese tale, allowing young children to see how certain basic moral values are shared around the world.

Received

Wonderful Chinese folktale - with a message for all. Adorable illustrations.

This is a beautiful story and I like to give as a gift. The illustrations are lovely as well.

I loved this book when I was growing up and I love reading it with my son. The lesson of being honest and not being ashamed of doing your best is wonderful!

A sweet book and beautifully illustrated

Beautiful story that teaches to always do what is right.

great book, my kids love it, they are 5 and 3. I will keep Demi's books in a collection to pass down. Art work is amazing.

Its a little over my 3.5 year old's head, I have to explain it alot but I will keep reading it. Its a good story with a great moral about honesty and it exposes him to other cultures. I'll keep pulling it out and reading it, because he will get it eventually, but right now he asks lots of questions which is fine.

Demi's books have great illustrations and are always interesting stories with a moral. This story teaches a good lesson about truthfulness.

Everyone in the World should Read & Conceptualize this Book.

Absolutely wonderful.

Books by Demi are always a delight. This one though has to be the best of all!

I love the lesson in this story!!

A wonderful story with excellent values.This one arrived new, but slightly bent.

It is the most warming and uplifting book I have read . Wonderful message for children. Need to buy it!!!!!

We love this book. My son favorite one.

We just learned about Demi's books and we love them! We homeschool and we used this book in a unit. She has amazing illustrations!

I needed a book to read to children about doing your best, but to not get stuck on perfection. Being honest and accepting what you can and can't do.

Beautiful story about honesty.

So good. Read in an ethics class. Recommend for all ages

Wonderful story

Very High

Teaches about honesty.

Great

I love reading this book to my classroom! It's such a good lesson on the importance of being honest.

print to small on kindle

This is such a wonderful book about honesty and humility. I saw it on Between the Lions one day and fell in love with the story. Not much else to say but to make sure you get this book!!

I loved this book and thought it showed good morals to always being honest and striving to do your best. I would highly recommend it to others.

Book a little worn. Beautiful story.

Wonderful story!

The story has such a wonderful moral and is presented in such an easy to grasp story. I enjoy reading it with my 6 year old daughter and she asks for it regularly. We have since read many Demi books and while I also like Chen Ping and his Magic Axe, this is by far my favorite. I recommend it constantly to people I know.

Came quickly; was as described; great story

Gorgeous Illustrations. Profound story.

I love this book. It has a great moral

Excellent. Demi's books are treasures.

Great book and wonderful message to my five year old. We both really enjoyed the book and I look forward to reading the book again.

Fantastic book! Great theme.

A great story to accompany a planting unit!

Great !! Thanks so much

Teaches the importance of being honest and having integrity

By far my FAVORITE children's book!

Incredible story about personal integrity .

I throughly appreciated this book. It was in better condition than advertised, delivered promptly and packaging was very neat and protected the book well.

Superb story!

Excellent book. Should be made into a Disney movie.

Great story!

This demi book is an awesome book for promoting the virtue of honesty! illistration is very nice and the vocabulary used is not overly emotional and "wordy".

Beautiful book about integrity.

Excellent book for children of any age. A great example from which to make other analogies for our times. Elaine Small, age 80

I great story with a great message.

This is one of the best children's books I have read. It delivers a profound example of character in an engaging story, and it is beautifully illustrated.

Great book. Great delivery service. Thank you.

This is a great book. I read it yearly to 4th graders when I teach Character Counts! lessons. The hidden lesson is great and the story is wonderful. Every student has liked it.

Excellent story to teach honesty.

I purchased this book for my 6 yrs old daughter's reading class. It's written very simply, but delivers a message that's easy for all ages to understand; always be truthful. Highly recommend.

Great! I use it to teach honesty and integrity.

best moral story ever

Good Good book

Absolutely charming! Beautiful illustrations and enchanting tale.

I love that this book teaches an important lesson. Most books push a generic message, but this one is genuine! It is one I will keep and pass on!

A great lesson for children but also an uplifting message for adults. A wonderful gift.

1

I love this story and so did my grandsons

Excellent book. Teaches about honesty and having integrity. Also not to do what everyone else does. :-)

A wonderful story for children and adults alike. Beautifully illustrated too!

Came fast and I love the story! Perfect!

I have loved this book for years. Perfect for 2nd and 3rd graders!

Favorite children's book! We give this book as.a gift to all our friends when they have a baby

The print and pictures are tiny on the Kindle edition. I was hoping for a nicely formatted version but it's just the book scanned and scaled down to fit the screen. It's difficult to read and the lovely illustrations are hard to appreciate. I should have just bought the paper book. Sweet little story with a good lesson though. I used it in Sunday school to introduce our lesson on honesty.

We really like this book. It makes kids really think about doing the right thing and being honest. It's great!

I love the courage of Ping. I like how the book is a book and bla bla bla so ya

This is a beautiful story with the theme of the importance of honesty. It is exquisitely illustrated by Demi and it is appropriate for all ages! It was a happy surprise that this item came in Big Book format.

I think is wonderful because Ping tell the truth that you done your best day you done enough that time

Best message with the most colorful illustrations!

I love the story and was looking forward to owning the book. This particular book was not in "very good" shape as described. Fast service, but the book was more in "good" or "acceptable" shape. :(

Great story, great lesson. Read it to my 7 and 4 year old.

The story is great. I bought this as a book off kindle. It won't adjust to the screen. The words are so tiny. They could have done a better job.

Nice story but for the price, I expected more pages!

LOVED this book! If you're looking for a book about honesty, courage, and integrity, this is a good one. The illustrations aren't much. They will be a bit hard to see if you are reading it to your class "at the carpet". Otherwise, it's a winner!

I enjoyed rweading it with my family. It was great!