Book Review: Pei's Pineapple Cakes
While visiting her grandmother in central Taiwan, Pei finds herself in the middle of a mystery. The pineapple cakes from her grandmother's bakery have disappeared! Soon Pei is collecting clues as she embarks on a quest to find the missing pineapple cakes.
From the traditional Taiwanese artisans' craftsmanship to the picturesque villages of central Taiwan, Pei discovers the beauty of her grandmother's home. This is a story of courage, adventure, and the love between grandchildren and grandparents.
Pei's Pineapple Cakes is an elaborately illustrated picture book that makes an ideal gift:
- Real locations from central Taiwan make for an inspiring geographical, historical and cultural reading experience
- Storyline sparks dialogue around kindness, empathy, courage, and resilience
- Exquisite illustrations of Taiwanese artisans' craftsmanship foster appreciation for heritage and traditions
- Bilingual text in English and Mandarin encourages learning in both languages
Crystal Z. Lee is a bilingual writer who divides her time between the U.S. and Asia. Crystal grew up in Taipei and later returned to live there in her adult years. Some of Crystal's fondest memories in Taiwan include boating at Sun Moon Lake, chasing butterflies in Maolin, making pineapple cakes and eating her way through night markets with her family. Besides children's books, Crystal's other published works include poetry and a novel. Her other book about Taiwan is titled Kai the Dancing Butterfly. She is also the author of Mei's Mermaid Mission, A Unicorn Named Rin, and Love and Other Moods.
Allie Su grew up in Yunlin county, Taiwan. She often finds her illustration inspiration from the great outdoors. One of her favorite places to hike in Taiwan is Sun-Link-Sea Forest in Nantou. She adores Taiwanese cuisine and night market foods, such as stinky tofu, vegetarian noodles and taro pastries from Taichung. Allie also illustrated Mei's Mermaid Mission and Kai the Dancing Butterfly.
My Review
This is another fun read from author, Crystal. She always brings educational learning to her books, which I really enjoy. The fact that this book has both English and Mandarin text is cool. I don't read Mandarin but that is the purpose of the text being in the book. It is to encourage readers to learn the language.
Pei went on a grand adventure with her grandma and her grandma's dog, Dingding. They traveled all over and met so many people. It was a mystery as to who stole the pineapple cakes. Pei learned how to be an explorer like her mom. With the help of her grandma and Dingdong, Pei was able to solve the mystery of who stole the pineapple cakes.
A quick read that young readers will enjoy. This book is one that you can read over and over again.
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