The Little Pigs and the Sweet Rice Cakes: 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. [em](Oct.) [/em]