Jeff Thiele 
The Golden Nugget 

The story of how one gold nugget transforms the lives of four friends from rags to riches then back again, ultimately teaching them the meaning of honesty and friendship with the help of one very wise old man and a mythical race of creatures known only as the Forest Keepers. Not just for the young but the young at heart and all those who share a longing for the land of once upon a time, long, long ago, and far, far away, where imagination is the only guide and there is always one more lesson to be learned. Now, on with the story, my good, good friends!