The Little Pigs and the Sweet Rice Cakes: A Story Told in English and Chinese (Stories of the Chinese Zodiac)
by Li Jian (Author)
In America, every child knows the story of the three little pigs and the big, bad wolf, so they'll love reading about the pigs' Chinese counterparts. Told in a bilingual Chinese and English edition, this is the story of three little pigs whose appetites initially get the better of them. In a shared dream, they met an old man who tells them to deliver sweet rice cakes to him a week before New Year's Eve. The next morning, they see some sweet rice cakes on their kitchen table. The three little pigs completely forget the old man and eat every bit of them. When their mother comes home, she is very angry to discover all the cakes gone. Seeing their mother unhappy, the three little pigs help her make more delicious sweet rice cakes. When there is only a week left before Chinese New Year's Eve, their mother lays the sweet rice cakes in front of the portrait of the Kitchen God and prays for the peace for the family. On seeing the portrait, the three little pigs realize that the old man in their dreams is actually the Kitchen God!
Other books in the Chinese Zodiac Series (as well as the year of that animal) include:
- Magical Rooster--2005 & 2017
- Water Dragon--2012 & 2024
- Little Monkey King's Journey--2016 & 2028
- Snake Goddess Colors the World--2013 & 2025
- Horse and the Mysterious Drawing--2014 & 2026
- Sheep Beauty--2015 & 2027
- Bronze Dog--2006 & 2018 Little Rat
- Golden Seed--2008 & 2020
Locate at a Library Near You WorldCat is the world's largest library catalog, helping you find library materials online.
Find books about:
Publishers Weekly
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 2018 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.School Library Journal
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 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.Review quotes
JUV012020 - Juvenile Fiction | Fairy Tales & Folklore | Country & Ethnic - General
JUV030020 - Juvenile Fiction | People & Places | Asia
JUV017080 - Juvenile Fiction | Holidays & Celebrations | Other, Non-Religious
