The little pigs and the sweet rice cakes Xiǎo zhū hé niángāo : a story told in English and Chinese

In this addition to the Stories of the Chinese Zodiac series, a pig brother describes a dream about an elderly man in English and Chinese: "He asked me to prepare sweet rice cakes for him before the Minor Spring Festival." Later, he and his siblings gobble up an entire plate of the cakes, but none of them wants to admit it to their mother, who is "disappointed that her children lied to her about eating them." After they work together to make the cakes again, the pigs offer the most delectable pieces to the Kitchen God (a gentle figure shown emerging from a hanging picture), and the pig brother recognizes him as the man from his dream. Jian illustrates in muted grays and jewel tones, lending the story a serene quality. Ages 4-8. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

K-Gr 2-This bilingual picture book is successful both as a lighthearted folktale and an introduction to China's Minor Spring Festival, preceding Lunar New Year. When the middle sibling wakes up from a dream in which an old man tells him to make sweet rice cakes, all three pigs wish they could taste such a delicacy. Imagine their surprise when they return home later in the day to find a plate of the cakes cooling on the table! Predictably, the pigs devour the treats, and despite their dishonesty when their mother asks if they are responsible for the cakes' disappearance, they find satisfaction in making another batch of cakes. Throughout the story, English text is presented above Chinese text. A recipe for sweet rice cakes is included, along with a page of back matter with brief discussions of Lunar New Year, the Kitchen God, and the Chinese zodiac. The stylized illustrations fit the spare nature of the text, and astute readers will enjoy watching the pigs' painting of the Kitchen God change from page to page. VERDICT The familiar moral structure of this tale and the bright illustrations will appeal to English- and Chinese-language readers alike.-Katherine Barr, Cameron Village Regional Library, Raleigh, NC © Copyright 2019. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.