Old Grandpa Hai has ferried his small wooden boat across the wide river for as long as anyone can remember. With his little granddaughter Lanlan and her red lantern, he carries every traveler safely to the other side. He ferries Dr. Li and his medicine box through the soft spring rain, a poor young scholar with an empty purse, a noisy wedding party with red ribbons and gongs, and the last traveler home on a snowy night. He asks only what people can pay, and he never turns anyone away. One stormy winter night, a frightened mother carries her feverish little boy to the landing. Grandpa Hai and Lanlan light their lanterns and pole through the cold rain to reach the doctor, and by morning the child is safe. But when spring comes, the old boat is worn out and the landing dock has fallen in. Grandpa Hai can no longer put out on the water. When Lin, the poor scholar he once fed, returns as a respected official, he has not forgotten the warm bun Grandpa Hai gave him. Dr. Li gives silver. Granny Chen brings baskets of food. The wedding families carry strong wood, and the young mother comes back with her now-healthy boy. All winter and spring the villagers carry stones and lay every block by hand, until a graceful stone arch rises over the river that was once so hard to cross. Set among the misty rivers, lotus ponds, and old stone villages of rural China, this warm picture book about kindness, gratitude, and community shows young readers that the bridges we cross in life are built from the small kindnesses we give and pass on. Perfect for children ages 3 to 8, bedtime and story time, and for families who love folk tales and diverse cultures.
