The perfect bao? What the heck is bao? Maybe you're like me and you've never heard of bao. It sounds foreign. It sound different. What exactly is it?
Sometimes we run into something that is so different from us. We stop. We step back. We aren't sure. Is this thing okay ... or not okay? Different can be hard until you find out what it is and you give it a try. I mean really, if you think about it, we've had to do that with every single thing in our lives. We've had to try out them out whether they are food or people.
This hilarious, playful book is actually a bridge to something new. Bao. It's an invitation to try something you might not have seen or heard of before. The awesome part about this story is that the little girl is going to be very familiar to you. She's a lot of fun. She's funny. She's determined. Know anyone like that?
Young Amy is determined to make the perfect bao. She sees everyone else in her family do it so she's sure she can do it, too. Up to now, things have not gone well with the bao making for Amy. Too much filling, Falling apart just before you get them into your mouth. Not enough filling. You get the idea.
But our Amy loves bao. She could eat bao all day long. Today is the day. She and her father, her mother and her grandmother are all gathering in the kitchen to make bao. Amy is right there in the thick of it. She's rolling out the dough. She's kneading, kneading, kneading. She's making the filling.
You are going to love the expressions on Amy's face. You are going to know just how Amy feels as things go along. Hey, this girl would make a pretty great best friend. By the time the book is over, you're going to want to make bao and you're wishing Amy was in your class.
Happily, there is a recipe for Amy's Family Recipe for Bao at the end of the story. Lists all the yummy ingredients (raw shrimp, rice wine, ginger, etc.)
Amy is one of the most delightful, hilarious, cutie pies to show up in a picture book in a long while. Her determination to be big and make that bao is so universal....could be making the taco, could be making the pasta...you get the idea. Watching her learn, watching her fail, watching her problem solve is hilarious and inspiring all at the same time.
This is a great read aloud.
40 pages 978-1534411333 Ages 4-8
Keywords: cooking, humor, family, fun, tradition, food, diversity, diverse books, Asian culture, determination, persistence, failure, overcoming obstacles, perseverance, problem solving, 4 year old, 5 year old, 6 year old, 7 year old, multicultural, Character Building Curriculum, Social Studies Curriculum, cultures
Read alike: Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story
Recommended by: Barb Langridge, abookandahug.com
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Meet the funny, fierce, and fearless Amy Wu, who is determined to make a perfect bao bun today. Can she rise to the occasion?
Amy loves to make bao with her family. But it takes skill to make the bao taste and look delicious. And her bao keep coming out all wrong.
Then she has an idea that may give her a second chance…Will Amy ever make the perfect bao?--from the publisher
