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Summary

Chinese Fairy Tale Feasts: A Literary Cookbook by Paul Yee is a delightful collection of Chinese fairy tales related to food, along with complementary recipes by Judy Chan, Chinese proverbs, vibrant illustrations by Shaoli Wang, and more. At 8 ¼” x 10 ¼” and 160 pages, Chinese Fairy Tale Feasts is a good-sized book, making it easy to read to a group and to use in the kitchen. While the fairy tales will be enjoyed by children as young as five or six, I think independent readers nine and older will particularly enjoy reading the stories and background material and trying some of the recipes as sous chef for a parent or other adult.

The Format and Contents

There are 13 tales in Chinese Fairy Tale Feasts. A Sources page at the end of the book details the origins of the stories. While three of the stories are original tales by Paul Yee, based on folktale and fairy tale motifs, the others are adapted, sometime broadly, from Chinese tales, some first told as early as the Tang dynasty (AD 618-907).

Each tale is illustrated with vibrant Chinese folk art style artwork, including both full page and spot illustrations. Using lots of color, details and patterns, Wang makes her characters and setting "pop" against the white background she generally uses. Each tale is followed by a page of background information, generally on the story or a food, along with a Chinese proverb in Chinese, along with an English translation and explanation of its meaning.

The recipes feature a brief introduction, often about the origin of the recipe and Chan's advice on making it. There is a detailed ingredients and equipment list, as well as step-by-step instructions.

Chan sometimes also includes suggested variations on the recipe. The only thing she does not include is how much time it will take to prepare each recipe. You can't help but get hungry when you read the recipes, which include soup, dessert, main dishes and side dishes. Some of the recipes I think sound particularly appealing are Almond Jelly with Fresh Fruit, Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Man-Tou (Steamed Bread), Poached Chicken with Green Onion and Ginger Sauce, , Dan-Dan Mian (Noodles with Peanut Sauce) and Congee (Rice Porridge).

What about the stories? They feature such characters as Iron Crutch, one of the Eight Immortals, who was known as Defender of the Poor, witches and ghosts, as well as magic. One of the tales is the story of the origin of Chinese noodles; another explains why the ocean is so salty. A number of the tales are about the consequences of greediness or its opposite, generosity.

My Recommendation

I think Chinese Fairy Tale Feasts: A Literary Cookbook could easily become a family favorite. The well-told and colorfully illustrated tales should make it a popular choice as both a family read aloud and as independent reading for an older child. What I particularly like about the stories is that while providing readers with the opportunity to enjoy tales from another culture, Paul Yee's writing makes them easy for his audience to understand. Then, too, the recipes will provide an enjoyable activity for adults and children to share, with a wonderful Chinese dish the result.

The recipe instructions are both detailed and entertaining as Judy Chan describes them. It would help, however, if the preparation time were listed. Until I read this book, I had no idea of how closely related many Chinese tales are to rice and other foods. Combining a reading of a tale with making the suggested recipe will give the whole family a literal and a figurative taste of China. Since this is a book kids can enjoy at different levels, I'd recommend it for a wide range of ages, 5 to 12. (Crocodile Books, An Imprint of Interlink Publishing Group, Inc., 2015. ISBN: 9781566569934)

The Book's Creators

As author Jane Yolen mentions in her foreword, she and her daughter, Heidi Stemple, started the literary feasts books with their books Fairy Tale Feasts and Jewish Fairy Tale Feasts. The author of Chinese Fairy Tale Feasts: A Literary Cookbook, Paul Yee, is a Canadian author whose books include Tales from Gold Mountain: Stories of the Chinese in the New World, The Jade Necklace and Bamboo. An award-winning author, Yee received the prestigious Canadian honor, the Governor General's Award for children's literature.

Artist Shaoli Wang, who was born and raised in Quing Dao, China, now lives in Canada where she teaches art. Her artwork has been exhibited in both Canada and China. In addition to Chinese Fairy Tale Feasts, she also illustrated Paul Yee's Shu-Li and Diego, Shu-Li and Tamara, and Bamboo.

In A Note from the Cook at the beginning of Chinese Fairy Tale Feasts, Judy Chan credits her mother, a talented cook, with encouraging Judy and her sister to cook and writes, "I now share my passion for Chinese dishes with my students." As for the recipes in the book, Most of these recipes represent traditional Chinese food, and a few were modified to suit current tastes."

More Children's Cookbooks and Chinese Story Collections

For more recommended children's cookbooks, see my annotated lists of the Top 10 Children's Cookbooks and Children's Cookbooks Based on Favorite Children's Books. For an excellent collection of stories from China, see Chinese Fables: “The Dragon Slayer” and Other Timeless Tales of Wisdom.