Accelerated Reader Program Selection
Clever Chuan makes his third appearance, this time as an artist’s apprentice for the warlord, in this story about the compass.
When some strangers feel they have been cheated in the market, Chuan serves as interpreter in the dispute, and for his trouble, both he and the artist are kidnapped and, together with the strangers, are taken through the desert. When a sandstorm rises up, blocking out the sun they used to know their direction, and the fierce winds blow sand over the road, it seems that all are lost in the desert with little food or water, miles from civilization.
Fortunately, Chuan had seen the carved fish the artist made, floating in a bowl of water, so he knew that the fish he carried in his pocket was more than a pretty toy: when placed in a bowl of water, it always pointed south. How could that be? Read the book to learn how Chuan and the artist made a compass and earned their freedom.
About the Author
Virginia Walton Pilegard wrote
The Warlord’s Fish as part of a teaching unit using informal geometry to strengthen students’ visual learning abilities. Mrs. Pilegard studied elementary mathematics and completed both a BA and MA in education. She is a resident of Fresno, California. She is also the author of the acclaimed
The Warlord’s Puzzle, which was selected by the California Board of Education as recommended reading for grades K-12, and
The Warlord’s Beads.