Lazy Soolay. The Magic Story Cloud, #24

Soolay who would rather sleep and play than work. When his tired mother finally insists that he earn his keep, Soolay begins taking small jobs around the city. Each day, he receives a different payment-a penny, milk, wheat, a puppy, and a piece of steak-but because he follows his mother's advice too literally, he loses or ruins every reward. Just when it seems Soolay will never learn, he is paid with a donkey and decides to carry it on his shoulders, as his mother had last advised.
The ridiculous sight makes a wealthy man's silent daughter laugh and speak for the first time. Overjoyed, her father rewards Soolay with wealth, a grand house, and a new life for him and his mother.