Living in ancient China, a young man believes that the height at which he lives determines his greatness and so builds a tower above all others upon which he resides, but after a visit from a special bird and a meeting with a wise old woman, the young man begins to see the error of his ways.
When Richard Paul Evans wrote the #1 best-seller, The Christmas Box, he never intended on becoming an internationally known author. His quiet story of parental love and the true meaning of Christmas made history when it became simultaneously the #1 hardcover and paperback book in the nation. Since then, more than eight million copies of The Christmas Box have been printed. He has since written eleven consecutive New York Times bestsellers. He is one the few authors in history to have hit both the fiction and non-fiction bestseller lists. He has won several awards for his books including the 1998 American Mothers Book Award, two first place Storytelling World Awards, and the 2005 Romantic Times Best Women Novel of the Year Award. His books have been translated into more than 22 languages and several have been international best sellers.
An inspirational story about a man who builds a tower because he thinks others will look up to him. But, to be great and to be looked up to does not mean to be above others. It's putting others' needs first and helping others.
Like my review for The Spyglass, I thought this was a wonderful book with a great message and beautiful illustrations, but wondered if my 6-year-old daughter was catching any of it. There were a lot of large words used and difficult to follow grammar, at least for a young kid. But my daughter did listen to it and said she liked it, so there you go. Beautiful story, even if I thought it was over her head.
Nice story, and I love the message of it. A book that teaches values without seeming like it's teaching about values is a real treasure. However, it's not the most interesting story I've ever read. It seems similar to several others we have read recently. I think my kids will have their fill after one or two reads, but will update if it happens to become a favorite. Four shining stars for this one. :)
This is a book I would go out of my way to read to my children. It's message is true, but not preachy. The illustrations are some of the most gorgeous I've seen.