Find out how Peiling and her family celebrate a good old American Christmas…Taiwanese style! Check out Peiling and the Chicken-fried Christmas by Pauline Chen.
Author: Pauline Chen
Find out how Peiling and her family celebrate a good old American Christmas…Taiwanese style! Check out Peiling and the Chicken-fried Christmas by Pauline Chen.
The Dreaded Holiday
Peiling dreaded Christmas. But not because she was a Grinch or a grouch or even “Bah, humbug.” Peiling dreaded Christmas because she was the only kid she knew who didn’t celebrate it.Nothing to Show
When she was three-years-old, her family immigrated to America from Taiwan. Now, seven years later, her parents still won’t celebrate Christmas, or any American tradition for that matter. Meanwhile, all her friends spend Christmas with their families, and come back from the holidays with stories to tell and presents to show off.
Convincing Dad
But this year will be different. This year Peiling will celebrate Christmas. That is, if she can convince her stubborn, set-in-his-Taiwanese-ways father. But with the help of her mother and her fun Uncle Samson, Peiling convinces her father to celebrate Christmas.
The Not-So-Perfect Christmas
Peiling imagines the perfect Christmas: a decorated tree, lots of gifts and an all-American family dinner. But her vision is shattered when her family arrives. Every relative tweaks their “American dish” with Taiwanese spices. And Peiling’s Great-Aunt Shuhua busts out Mahjong, a Taiwanese board game. Peiling can’t believe it. Why can’t her family act like Americans just this once? But soon Peiling learns that a multicultural Christmas isn’t so bad after all.
The Bottom Line
From Peiling’s school play and multicultural winter project to her family’s first almost-American Christmas, this book is filled with international traditions and celebrations. In only 141 pages, readers will get a taste of the Chinese New Year, Hanukkah, The Festival of Lights, Ramadan (a Muslim festival), and of course the classic American Christmas. This story lets you explore worldly traditions and puts you in the Christmas spirit.
The Peiling and the Chicken-fried Christmas Rating:
Related Stories:
