Goat Do Not Eat Heaven Grass, by Cao Wenxuan. [Photo/amazon.cn]

Children's author Cao Wenxuan's novel Goat Do Not Eat Heaven Grass is set to be adapted for the stage later this year.

The China National Theatre for Children will put on the play on July 7 during the 7th China Children's Theatre Festival.

Cao and Yin Xiaodong, president of the China National Theatre for Children signed an adaptation agreement in Beijing recently.

The book centers on the hard life and adventures of a boy named Ming Zi who was driven away from a remote rural area to a big city to work for a living.

Yin said the reason he chose to adapt this work is the poetic and deep thinking that shone through when the boy faced obstacles. The book doesn't intentionally hide the tragedies in daily lives and the sorrows that children may suffer, yet it emphasizes finding the bright side of human nature and those precise characters despite difficulties and challenges.

"We want to let children learn more about the life mirrored in Cao's novel," Yin said. "We have faith in adapting a successful drama and give a good experience to children who don't often go to theatres."

Cao agreed to make the play accessible to children of all ages, but will target teens aged 13 to 17.

The China National Theatre for Children has proposed establishing a system of graded children's plays, divided into three categories according to ages: 2-6, 7-12 and 13-17.