4A young man wishes to be great. He believes he will achieve his goal only when everyone in the village looks up to him. So he constructs a wooden tower that reaches to the clouds, but soon he becomes lonely.
One day a passing bird tells the young man of an old woman who is greater than he. So he descends from his tower and discovers the poor woman feeding a flock of birds. She shares the wisdom that to be great is not to be higher than another, but to lift another higher. Only when he meets a lonely child who proudly holds himself apart does the young man finally see the truth of her words. With his feet at last on the ground, the young man commits an act of great generosity, achieving his wish in a way he never expected.
Award-winning writer Richard Paul Evans creates a beautiful, simply told tale of humility with the same wisdom and masterful storytelling he has brought to his best-selling children's books, including The Christmas Candle, The Dance, and The Spyglass. Jonathan Linton's richly textured paintings bring to life a story to be embraced by readers young and old