Surrounded by the day in and day out drudgery of life in the rice paddies and the barren Fruitless Mountain, young Minli, whose name means "quick thinking" is about to take a journey to help her parents. For years her father has spun his stories for her while her mother has shaken her head at his foolishness. How can they create a life of gold and jade from the mud and sweat they know now. When a gold fish seller passes by, Minli spends one of her two coins for a fish -and it turns out to be a talking fish who can help her find her way to the Man in the Moon who can answer any question. Minli sets forth and is very soon joined by a dragon who truly does not know his own name. Does "follow the yellow brick road" begin to ring in your ears at this point? It did in mine. As the two travel, one adventure after another rises up before them and with each adventure come more stories and important lessons that have been learned by many animals and people they encounter. Monkeys, peaches, a boy with a special friend, red thread, a magistrate with ambitions of power all lie ahead. This is a beautiful book in many ways. The stories have a ring of wisdom that has been handed down for many generations. For young readers who love true storytelling, this book will be a treasure. For young readers who look for answers this book will be a treasure trove. Back at home Minli's parents are on their own journey as they try to follow her at first and then find a word of wisdom that will give them happiness. Doesn't that make you wonder what they know? The whole book unwraps like that as you read along and you feel like you're opening doors and learning secret after secret to a happy, contented life. This would be a great read aloud for a classroom. 288 pages