Connie is flying to Beijing with her father, a diplomat. But China is so far away, and she’s scared that her friends in Israel will forget her. To distract her, her father gives her a little Chinese gong, and it tells her a magical story inspired by an ancient Chinese folktale. Kuan-Yu is the most famous gong maker in China, assisted by his daughter Qong-Gey. But the Empress is terribly jealous and she hatches a plot: the Emperor will order Kuan-Yu to cast a gong with the most beautiful sound ever heard. If he fails, he will be executed. After Kuan-Yu’s first two tries fail, Qong-Gey seeks advice from the Fire Goddess, who tells her that human blood must be added to the metal. As the gong maker prepares the precious metals for his third attempt, Qong-Gey jumps into the furnace and a perfect sound floats out. However, Connie can’t accept this sad ending: she intervenes and changes it, bringing Qong-Gey back to life. Thus the little Israeli girl rescues the Chinese girl! An enchanting, moving story that brings two cultures together.
Illustrations: Zagny Ormut-Durbin