A review by amberinpieces
Apple Pie 4th of July by Janet S. Wong
4.0
A young Chinese-American girl laments the fact that her family’s combination convenience store and Chinese food restaurant is open every day except for Christmas day. Now it is the fourth of July and the nameless girl can hear the commotion of the parade on the street; yet, her family is cooking Chinese food.
Brought up in America, she firmly believes that Chinese food is just not the kind of food one eats on Independence Day. Her family’s focus on tradition is irritating her on this patriotic day and she her desire to escape the store increases with each hour that passes as people come and go, buying things like ice and matches to keep the fun of the holiday going.
Apple Pie 4th of July caught my eye when I was searching for children’s picture books related to the holiday. The cover pops and the design made me curious about the contents of this book.
With its bit of rhyme, this book is interesting in naming only one character, Laura, the one who makes the apple pie. Janet Wong did not name the main character in the book, which allowed more focus on the story and its message, but I found it interesting that the one character named was never part of the action or pictured.
The young girl, as I will continue to call her, believes no one wants Chinese food on this truly American holiday and she grows grumpier when her parents cheerfully produce dish after dish of Chinese-American cuisine. But in the evening when the store starts filling up with people who are in the mood for Chinese food, the girl realizes that being American has a deeper meaning; her understanding grows further when after the store closes, her family breaks from tradition in a small yet significant way.
I guess that is really the lesson: that one can marry two worlds and have the best of both (a subtle lesson that I had to think on for a bit after I finished reading).
Recommended for children ages seven to eleven who want a fun, quick read about America’s birthday.
Read this review in its original format on The Musings of ALMYBNENR here.
Brought up in America, she firmly believes that Chinese food is just not the kind of food one eats on Independence Day. Her family’s focus on tradition is irritating her on this patriotic day and she her desire to escape the store increases with each hour that passes as people come and go, buying things like ice and matches to keep the fun of the holiday going.
Apple Pie 4th of July caught my eye when I was searching for children’s picture books related to the holiday. The cover pops and the design made me curious about the contents of this book.
With its bit of rhyme, this book is interesting in naming only one character, Laura, the one who makes the apple pie. Janet Wong did not name the main character in the book, which allowed more focus on the story and its message, but I found it interesting that the one character named was never part of the action or pictured.
The young girl, as I will continue to call her, believes no one wants Chinese food on this truly American holiday and she grows grumpier when her parents cheerfully produce dish after dish of Chinese-American cuisine. But in the evening when the store starts filling up with people who are in the mood for Chinese food, the girl realizes that being American has a deeper meaning; her understanding grows further when after the store closes, her family breaks from tradition in a small yet significant way.
I guess that is really the lesson: that one can marry two worlds and have the best of both (a subtle lesson that I had to think on for a bit after I finished reading).
Recommended for children ages seven to eleven who want a fun, quick read about America’s birthday.
Read this review in its original format on The Musings of ALMYBNENR here.