Three Clever Thinkers

There are three short stories in this book: • 'Wise Hans' is a European folk tale, which describes what a man did with the money he earned. He bought and traded things until he had no money left at all. But he was happy! • 'Number one washerwoman' is a West African legend about a washerwoman who becomes the richest woman in her village. She cleverly takes advantage of the chief's wish to reward all his people. • 'The patient emperor' is a Chinese legend about a wise emperor who gets inspiration one day from watching a spider. What he learns from the spider helps him to defeat his enemies; he builds boats that can float across the water.