Li Jie and the Waterfall of Greater Understanding finding courage to be different

Twelve-year old Ming Lee dreams of becoming a doctor, but when a famous painter visits her school to select an apprentice, she makes a split-second decision that changes everything. Instead of presenting her own drawing, she submits one created by her younger brother Li Jie - a boy the village dismisses as "deaf and dumb," though Ming Lee knows he understands far more than he can express. When the artist recognises Li Jie's extraordinary talent, he offers to take the boy to his remote mountain home to learn the art of traditional painting. There, surrounded by the natural world of waterfalls, forests, and wildlife, Li Jie undergoes a transformation. He learns to swim, to speak, to draw with precision and soul, and to listen to the natural world in ways no one else can. His encounters with a variety of animals awaken in him a deep understanding of the fragile balance between humans and nature. But the greatest challenge lies behind the Waterfall of Greater Understanding, where Li Jie must face a mythical guardian and choose the kind of artist - and person - he wants to become. A moving, imaginative, and hopeful novel about courage, creativity, family, and the urgent need to protect the natural world, Li Jie and the Waterfall of Greater Understanding invites readers of all ages to see the world with new eyes.