Zhou’s story encourages children to be proud of their cultural heritage and differences. When Kai’s teacher announces Multicultural Day, inviting students to bring foods from their culture to share, Kai becomes distressed, having been ridiculed by classmates for the Chinese foods she had brought for lunch in the past. Frustrated by her mother’s contrary enthusiastic response, she runs from home. She meets a dragon with whom she shares her concern about being Chinese and appearing different. The dragon flies her to China to experience Chinese foods and culture first-hand. Upon her return, an emboldened Kai makes Chinese Tea Eggs to take to school. An apology from a classmate for previous ridicule and the students’ enjoyment of the Tea Eggs, bolster Kai’s pride in her culture. A recipe for Tea Eggs is included. Author-illustrator Zhou captures the action and events of her story using bright colours in full-page and double-page spread illustrations.

Other End Matter: Recipe for Tea Eggs
Images: Colour illustrations
Bibliography: No
Index: No

Source: Books BC - BC Books for Schools

Karina Zhou is a Chinese Canadian writer and artist who is currently studying animation at California College of the Arts in San Francisco. She enjoys creating adventurous, meaningful stories for both children and adults. Kai's Tea Eggs is her first book.

Karina Zhou's profile page

Complementing each other, the book's text and illustrations enhance the narrative's impact by drawing readers into Kai's perspective and conveying her emotional state. The story will appeal to readers of all backgrounds as everyone, regardless of their background, can identify with feeling different, standing out, and wanting to fit in. Evoking a sense of intimacy with Kai, these illustrations will elicit readers' sympathy and identification with her experiences . -CM Magazine