★ By a Hans Christian Andersen Laureate: Written by Cao Wenxuan, the first Chinese author to win this prestigious award in 2016. His works have been translated into over 40 languages and published in more than 70 countries.
★ Proven Market Success: The series has sold over 1.5 million copies! Focusing on themes of love, courage, dignity, and growth, it is deeply humane and uniquely poetic. As the HCAA jury praised, he writes with "a poetic, water-like touch, capturing real and sorrowful moments of life."

"All things possess a soul; the twinkling fireflies shine with the dignity of life, while courage and faith compose the true meaning of existence."
★ Copyright sold: Arabic, Italian!
★ A deeply poetic and romantic work. Through clean and elegant language, the author tells the incredible bond between a boy and fireflies, inspiring readers to respect life and revere nature.
★ Using the firefly as a central motif, the book explores themes of life, dignity, courage, and growth through a child's perspective, carrying deep humanistic care within its poetic language.

Series Overview (8 Volumes)
Draft Through the Alley, Bat Fragrance, The Firefly King, Grass Shoe Bay, In Search of a Bird, A City Without Streets, Su Wu Tends Sheep, Who Took My Grandpa Away

The world grew larger in Grandpa's eyes; the fireflies on the ground seemed as countless as the stars in the summer night sky... It was as if, in this vast world, only he and the fireflies remained. Yet, the world also grew smaller...

An endless sea of reeds blocked the boy's way home, but five tiny fireflies flickered and danced, lighting up the beacon of hope for him. The boy held fast to his promise, determined to protect these small lives, even if it meant facing the misunderstanding of the entire village, and even if keeping this vow of guardianship would consume his entire life. But the fearless will always find companions to walk beside them, and those who hold onto their beliefs will ultimately be crowned by life itself.

Cao Wenxuan
Member of the Council of the China Writers Association; Professor and Doctoral Supervisor at Peking University.
Winner of the Hans Christian Andersen Award (April 2016) and the Outstanding Chinese Influencing the World Award (January 2017).
Recipient of over 50 major literary awards, including the National Book Award, the Chinese Government Award, the National Outstanding Children's Literature Award, and the Gold Award of the Soong Ching-ling Children's Literature Award.
His works have been translated into English, French, German, Russian, Greek, Japanese, Korean, Swedish, Danish, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Romanian, Serbian, Arabic, Persian, and more.

Notable Novels: Straw House, Root Bird, Ximi, Bronze and Sunflower, Fire Mark, as well as the King's Book series, My Son Pika series, and Ding Ding Dang Dang series.
Selected Literary Collections: The Melancholy Pastoral, The Red Gourd, Following Eternity, The Sweet Orange Tree, etc.
Academic Works: A Study of Literary Phenomena in China in the 1980s, The Second World: A Philosophical Interpretation of Literature and Art, A Study of Literary Phenomena in China at the End of the 20th Century, The Door of Fiction, etc.

1 Five Fireflies
2 Guidance in the Dark
3 Magic
4 Funny Faces
5 The Great River at Night
6 Summer in Winter
7 The Bug's Head
8 Guardianship
9 Five Fireflies Again
10 Setting Them Free
11 Rice Beans
12 The Iron Bars
13 The Spirit Light
Afterword