One night, fire descends on the village of Zhu and his parents. It devours houses and vegetation for days. The inhabitants had to flee, but drought also reigned in the neighboring valley. Legend says that only “the pearl of water” can defeat fire. So Zhu decides to act. The young girl leaves for Mount Source, accompanied by Niao, her tame nuthatch. She will face a monstrous spider there before triumphing and restoring water to her people. But what happened to the bird? It is a story inspired by Didier Dufresne by a tale from Yunnan, magnificently illustrated by Marion Sonet. Through villagers’ courageous victory over natural disasters, the tale tends to arouse children’s awe of nature and gives the idea of sustainability: human beings are part of nature, and while living on its resources, they have to give themselves to it.