LEGENDARY CAKES

Siblings learn about the story behind a beloved Vietnamese Lunar New Year dish.

With Tết approaching, two youngsters visit their Bà (Grandmother) for an extra-special sleepover. Tonight, they’ll learn how to make delicious bánh chưng, “chewy, salty, and sweet” celebration cakes. Together they carefully layer mung beans, pork, and rice on top of banana leaves and wrap them up “tight like a great big hug.” To entertain the children as they wait for the cakes to steam all night, Bà tells them the exciting legend of how bánh chưng became a new year tradition: Years ago, an emperor tasked his sons with creating a Tết dish that would best honor their ancestors; Prince Lang Liêu succeeded with his humble but delectable concoction. The children fall asleep, dreaming of the festivities to come. Using gentle, soft hues, Greene beautifully captures a moment of intergenerational connection through food and storytelling—key components of Tết. The illustrations incorporate familiar Vietnamese textures from banana leaves to rice paper wrappers, a subtle cultural nod that adds visual interest. Greene also uses expressive typography throughout, emphasizing the meaning of the words to keep readers engaged. The book provides some much-needed Vietnamese representation to a growing collection of Lunar New Year titles on the market. The family is multiracial: While one of the children’s parents is of Vietnamese heritage, the other presents white.

A warm and inviting introduction to a culturally significant holiday staple and all that it represents.