Kotei Ni Moratta Hana No Tane / Original Title: the Empty Pot

[Machine Translation] Once upon a time, an emperor who loved flowers decided to choose an oyotsuji. The emperor gave flower seeds to all the children in the land, told them to take good care of them, and to come and see them every year. The Emperor gave flower seeds to all the children in the land, told them to take good care of them, and to come back every year to show them the seeds. Ping, a child who loved to grow flowers, also sowed the seeds given to him by the emperor. However, no matter how hard he worked, the seeds did not produce any seeds. Finally, a year passed, and it was time for Ping to go to the hospital. What happened to Pin? This charming picture book, with its lovely and detailed illustrations, depicts the courage and sincerity of a child.

むかしむかし、花をあいする皇帝が、およつぎをえらぶことになりました。皇帝はくにじゅうのこどもに花のたねをわたし、たいせつにそだて、いちねんごとにみせにくるようにといいました。そのなかからおよつぎがえらばれるのです。花をそだてるのがだいすきなおとこのこ、ピンも、皇帝にもらったたねをまきました。ところが、どんなにせわをしても、たねからめがでてきません。とうとういちねんがたち、きゅうでんにいくひになりました。こまったピンは…?子どもの勇気と誠実さを描いた、愛らしくも緻密なイラストが魅力の絵本。