Availability:
Library | Call Number | Format | Status | Item Holds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Searching... Abington Public Library | STE | J BOOK | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
Searching... Braintree Thayer Public Library | STE | J BOOK | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
Searching... Duxbury Free Library | J PI HOLIDAYS LUNAR NEW YEAR STE | J BOOK | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
Searching... Holbrook Public Library | STE | J BOOK | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
Searching... Milton Public Library | PIC STERLING | J BOOK | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
Searching... Norwell Public Library | LUNAR NEW YEAR STE | J BOOK | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
Searching... Quincy Adams Shore Branch | STERLING | J BOOK | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
Searching... Quincy North Quincy Branch | STERLING | J BOOK | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
Searching... Quincy Thomas Crane Library | STERLING | J BOOK | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
Searching... Quincy Wollaston Branch | STERLING | J BOOK | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
Searching... Randolph Turner Free Library | LUNAR NEW YEAR STERLING | J BOOK | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
Searching... Rockland Memorial Library | HOLIDAY CHINESE NEW YEAR STE | J BOOK | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
Searching... Scituate Town Library | STE | J BOOK | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
Searching... Sharon Public Library | PIC STE | J BOOK | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
Searching... Stoughton Public Library | PIC STE | J BOOK | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
Celebrate the Lunar New Year through a young girl's family traditions in this charming picture book featuring illustrations by New York Times bestselling artist Dung Ho that also includes a recipe for pineapple cakes!
Little Ren looks forward to the preparation for and festivities of Lunar New Year, but she is always too little to help make the delicious pineapple cakes that are her favorite. She watches family members rolling out the dough and loves the mouth-watering smell. Watching and waiting, when will Ren be old enough?
Reviews (3)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 3--A young girl and her family prepare for Lunar New Year by cooking a sumptuous feast. Ren is eager for the upcoming celebration. She hopes this year she can finally help make her favorite New Year's treat, pineapple cake. Unfortunately, the grown-ups deem Ren "still too little" to assist in hanging lanterns, folding dumplings, and stirring noodles. Despite being relegated to an observer for these tasks, Ren's spirits remain high. She attempts to impress her older brother Charlie by making pineapple cakes on her own, but instead makes a big mess. Charlie patiently teaches Ren how to roll the dough, and an aunt advises Ren on how to press it into molds. Ren is proud to have contributed to the dinner offerings and grateful to be surrounded by her family on this joyous occasion. Cheerful cartoon illustrations bring a lively, upbeat tone in keeping with the sense of festivity. The palette of radiant reds, golden yellows, and budding greens reflects shades traditionally associated with the holiday and reinforces the warmth and love of this family-focused celebration. VERDICT A delightful charmer that touches on practices associated with Lunar New Year and highlights a variety of foods.--Sophie Kenney
Publisher's Weekly Review
On an early morning that "smells like Lunar New Year is almost here," narrator Ren wakes with pineapple cake--making on her mind: "Will I get to help, finally?" But her family gives the same answer; despite having grown two inches, "You're still too little, Ren." And not just for making pineapple cake: Ren can only watch as Baba hangs red lanterns and Auntie Weili stirs longevity noodles. Ho's softly bright, digitally rendered art colors the pages with the same enthusiasm and fullness as Sterling's crisply sensate prose, which follows the family's bustling preparations, including Ren's scrambling for groceries with Mama ("I poke the fish's glassy scales as it slips and squeaks into a bag"). And when older brother Charlie helps Ren prepare a batch of pineapple cakes, the family looks on proudly at the new year's sweet beginnings. Includes an author's note and pineapple cake recipe. Ages 4--8. (Nov.)
Booklist Review
It's Lunar New Year, and all Ren wants to do is help out. Her baba is putting up decorations, her mama and uncle are making dumplings, and her aunt is cooking noodles, but when she asks to help, they all say the same thing: you're too little. It's only when her brother, Charlie, comes home that she's able to finally participate in the flurry of preparations. Together, they make pineapple cakes. They mix ingredients, roll out the dough, put them into molds, and bake them. Everyone applauds Ren for being big enough to make them. What follows is a lavish description of Lunar New Year foods, along with depictions of a traditional family dinner flanked by firecrackers and lanterns. The illustrations do a good job of showing the chaos before the biggest dinner of the year for Chinese families. There's a recipe for pineapple cakes at the end. A note to readers: don't read this book on an empty stomach, or you'll be hungry!