Chinese Fairy Tale Feasts: A Literary Cookbook

This collection of original stories and adapted Chinese folklore (a companion to Jane Yolen and Heidi Stemple’s Fairy Tale Feasts and Jewish Fairy Tale Feasts) features noblemen, peasants, animals, gods, and ghosts in tales that frequently address themes of greed, poverty, hunger, and atonement. Each tale, in some fashion, symbolically incorporates food and concludes with a recipe (congee, green onion pancakes, and won-ton soup are among the offerings). Wang’s cartoons, a mix of full-page illustrations and spot art, evoke Chinese folk art with bright colors, ornamental prints, and naïve figures. In addition to the recipes and details about cuisine, Yee includes proverbs, information about the origins of the stories, and brief insights into Chinese history and culture, making this a collection to feed the mind and the body. Ages 5–11. (Feb.)