'Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao' - Read and Rise May 2022

Chinese-American author Kat Zhang has 3 different Amy Wu books, but since I'm a total sucker for children's books that involve food, I had to feature "Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao!" The story chronicles little Amy Wu's struggles as she attempts to make the perfect bao like her mother, father, and grandmother. 

Before I continue, I feel like I should clarify what bao are for those who don't know. Bao (pronounced bow as in, "She bowed before the princess") are amazingly delicious steamed buns. We get them all the time from the Asian market in town. They come in a variety of sizes with all sorts of fillings. We've had ones filled with various meats, vegetables, red bean, and custard. The kids' favorite is one called a Phoenix bun, which is filled with a sweet runny eggy custard.

Ok, now I can get back to the story. So Amy tries over and over and over to make the perfect bao but they're just not coming out right! Can she figure out the secret to making the perfect bao her own way? Watch the read aloud below and find out!

Featured story: "Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao" by Kat Zhang and Charlene Chua

Activity: Make your own perfect (or not so perfect but still delicious) bao! You can find the recipe for Amy's Perfect Bao on Kat Zhang's website, along with a video showing how to make bao, a video tutorial with illustrator Charlene Chua showing you how to draw Kitty from the story, as well as some cute coloring pages. A bamboo steamer is best for steaming bao since it gives you a nice flat area to place the buns and you can cook 2 batches at a time.

If you don't have the time or energy to make your own bao, I HIGHLY recommend you find an Asian market and pick some up for dinner or find a local Dim Sum restaurant that makes them. They are so good!