Book Review: Why We Eat Fried Peanuts

Why We Eat Fried Peanuts by Zed Zha, illustrated by Sian James, tells a sweet story of a woman’s kindness and the family that remembers her.

A child asks her father why they eat fried peanuts for Lunar New Year, and he says that his grandmother always told them to eat peanuts for long life and strength. He goes on to tell the story of his grandmother, whose name is not known, but whose kindness literally saved the life of a baby (who would become the girl’s great uncle).

The story is not really about Lunar New Year, but it uses it as an entry point for telling the story and acknowledging the importance of ancestors in Chinese culture. It would be a good choice to read in the classroom around Lunar New Year or when you are talking about China.

The book includes Mandarin vocabulary, with each phrase shown in the corner of the page in Mandarin characters, transliterated, spelled phonetically and with the definition of the term. This makes it a lot easier to read aloud and to understand the important words being expressed.

At the back of the book you’ll find answers to some questions such as what is Lunar New Year and the Qingming Festival (a time to honor ancestors by sweeping their tombs, which usually happens in April), why are peanuts a special treat and what does an èr hú look and sound like (it’s a two-stringed instrument that features in the story). And there’s a recipe for fried peanuts, too.

I wouldn’t say this should be your only Lunar New Year book (because it really barely touches on the holiday at all despite the subtitle being “A Celebration of Family and Lunar New Year Traditions”) but it is a sweet story and would be a nice addition to a shelf of new year books or to read aloud at home or at school.

About the book: 32 pages, paper over boards. Published 2025 by becker&meyer kids. Suggested retail price $18.99.

Next Plan Idea:

Free Black History Month Coloring Sheets and…

Human brains are pretty amazing, allowing us to think, feel, create, communicate, move and more. But humans aren’t the only animals with cool brains, as Crab Museum explains in the book The No-Brainer Brain Explainer (illustrated by Bruno Valasse).

This book, aimed at kids in grades 1-4, is colorful and silly but also educational about how brains actually work, with billions of neurons sending electrical and chemical signals around the body.

“Everything we think, feel and experience comes from an electrical relay race, with neurons passing chemical batons to each other,” the book says. “The constant chatter of billions of brain cells creates your entire world.”

The book compares the brains of mammals to those of crabs (the book is “written” by a crab after all) and notes that crabs have fewer neurons and of course are much smaller, but they have separate parts of their brains that control their eyes and their legs. Crabs are also capable of remembering things, using tools and solving puzzles.

Some animals’ brains allow them to know more about their world in different ways from humans, such as spiders being sensitive to vibrations in their webs and catfish having an amazing sense of taste, with taste sensors all over their bodies.

It notes that 95 percent of brain activity goes toward things we do unconsciously, like breathing, walking and catching a ball flying toward us. It also talks about dreams, memory, how our emotions try to predict the future, where brains came from and fun facts about brains. For example, did you know a sperm whale is believed to have the biggest brain of any creature that’s even lived? Their brains weigh 18 pounds, compared to just 2.5 pounds for humans.

Information on what creatures have the smallest brains, the toughest brains, the most brains and those who actually eat their own brains will delight kids (and maybe gross them out a little bit). They’ll also enjoy learning about the mycelium network of fungi, which is like a brain without a body, and slime molds, which are like a brain without a brain.

It ends talking about why human brains are so special because we’ve found ways to work together, communicate and build communities on a scale bigger than any other animal.

Kids and adults alike will enjoy this colorful, silly and informational book about brains!

About the book: 64 pages, hardcover. Published 2026 by Wide Eyed Editions. Suggested retail price $19.99.

Next Plan Idea:

Have you read?

Leave a Reply