The Sleeping Mountain

About the Book

This Cambodian tale tells the story of two brothers, Sambath and Samnang.  The oldest, Sambath, spends his days thinking about ways to avoid helping his father and brother out on their small farm.  Samnang, the younger brother, works hard to help lessen the work for his father.  After their parents passed away Sambath requested the two brothers part ways, but not before they split up their parents’ property.  Sambath got their home and the small farmland.  Samnang left humbly with some books, a cat, and a dog.  He bid his brother farewell and went to live high atop a mountain.  Here, he awakens a sleeping mountain from its one hundred-year hibernation.  What he discovered inside was breathtaking.  But for his brother, the discovery inside would change his fate forever. 

This story embodies the various elements that are common to Cambodian folktales.  Respect, courage, and justice are all embedded in this unforgettable tale about the good being rewarded and the bad getting what is deserved. 

About the Author

After winning a story-writing contest in the third grade, I felt empowered and encouraged to use writing as a tool for expressing my thoughts and ideas.  I have kept a collection of unpublished prose and poems I have written over the years.  I had not written a story since my acknowledgement in the third grade.  However, the desire was always in me.  Stories, to me, hold a certain level of power—they open the world’s eyes.  As a teacher, I always use stories to teach certain aspects of life to my students.  Furthermore, being a teacher in a very diverse school system, I am very sensitive to multicultural awareness.  It is with much hope that my story will teach a valuable lesson, but more importantly, help preserve the rich and almost forgotten culture of the small country of Cambodia.