Why We Eat Fried Peanuts
A Celebration of Family and Lunar New Year Traditions
Coming soon!
Published by becker&mayer! kids (Quarto), Why We Eat Fried Peanuts will come out in January 2025!
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Based on a true story…
Based on Zed's great-grandmother's true, heroic story, this book invites kids (and their parents) to join Mèng, a Chinese American girl, and her dad at their Chinese New Year dinner preparation. While enjoying yummy snacks, you can discover Zed’s family legend — the most important ancestor without a name — and the legacy of kindness she left behind. By remembering the great-grandmother’s act of courage, where she sacrificed her dignity to save a life, and enjoying the snack she loved so much, we honor our ancestors and celebrate our traditions.
And because they are yummy!
Along the way, readers see how food plays an important role in the festivities and why one food—peanuts—is an important snack. The simple recipe for fried peanuts at the end of the story provides a fun, easy way to include the Lunar New Year in your annually celebrated holidays.
Amazing illustration.
The illustrator, Sian James, was born in Hong Kong and has been drawing ever since she could pick up a pencil. Having lived a previous life as an archaeologist, she likes to combine her passions for nature, history, and art to tell stories from the mundane to the magical. She lives in Cambridge, England, with her husband, daughter, and two cats.