Legendary Cakes: A Story of Tết, the Vietnamese New Year

by Kerisa Greene

Two young siblings learn the story behind traditional Tết (Vietnamese New Year) cakes in Legendary Cakes, a captivating picture book from author/illustrator Kerisa Greene.

Spring is almost here and Tết is even closer.
A celebration for the first morning of the first
day of the new year.

It's almost time for Tết, the Vietnamese New Year, which for two excited siblings means a sleepover at their Bà's house, where she will teach them to make bánh chưng, the traditional New Year cakes. When the cakes take forever to steam and the boredom starts to set in, Bà begins to tell the thrilling tale of an ancient prince, a contest, and how bánh chưng came to be.

Legendary Cakes is a mouth-watering celebration of how food, stories, and holidays keep cultures alive for future generations.

Genres: Picture Books, Holiday, Food, Family, Aapi, Juvenile

40 pages, Hardcover

Published January 7, 2025

About the author

Kerisa Greene is an author-illustrator of children’s books. She is a first-generation Asian-American who loves her grandma’s cooking and always craves a big bowl of phở.

As a previous early childhood development teacher and children’s book buyer for an indie bookstore with a background in graphic design, Kerisa has combined her love of illustrating and telling stories into a passion for crafting picture books.

When Kerisa isn’t drawing or crafting stories, you can find her munching on chocolate chip cookies, exploring new places, and petting every dog that walks by.

Reviews

[Shiloah · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Read” to us by Nicolette

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Legendary Cakes is a story that celebrates Têt or the Vietnamese New Year. Two young children are helping their Bá (grandmother) prepare the traditional cakes (bánh chung) but it takes a long time. When they get bored waiting, Bá tells them the story of how a long ago contest was the beginning of these cakes.
Illustrations are soft but colorful. Certain words are highlighted for emphasis. Back matter includes a glossary, a recipe for bánh chung, a note about têt, and an author's note highlighting her experience as a first generation Vietnamese-American family and their celebrations. This is an excellent and much needed book about Vietnamese culture and should be added to any collection, especially for Lunar New Year.

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lovely story about the legend of the Vietnamese New Year and the process of preparing the traditional food of the holiday, Banh Chung. Siblings are ready for bed and a night with a grandparent when their parents leave the house. During that evening they learn and practice with their grandmother the process for creating the special food for Tet, the Vietnamese New Year. This food take hours to cook, so it is prepared before the day of the holiday. The kids learn the legend of how Banh Chung becomes such an important part of the New Year celebration. This is a lovely family story with illustrations of warmth, love, and joy. Back matter includes a note from the author as well as a recipe.

I will certainly add this lovely book to my elementary library.

[Patricia N. McLaughlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two siblings spend the night at their grandmother’s house and learn how to make sticky rice cakes (banh chung), which they will eat the next day during the family’s celebration of Tet, the biggest and most important festival in Vietnamese culture. While the cakes steam, Ba regales the children with the legend of banh chung, the story of how sticky rice cakes became a traditional Vietnamese dish. Cute illustrations show how food binds a family together and the elders inculcate cultural traditions. End pages include a glossary of Vietnamese terms used in the story, a recipe for banh chung, information about Tet, and an Author’s Note about growing up as a first-generation Vietnamese American.

[TheRetiredSchoolLibrarian |Mrs. Ferraris · Rating 5 out of 5]

ummary: Two grandchildren get to spend Tết Eve with their Bà, where they learn how to fold and make bánh chưng, a traditional New Year food. Their grandmother tells them the story of the Hùng emperor and the contest to find the most delicious dish for the New Year holiday.

Comments: The illustrations were created from scanned textures of objects such as rice paper wrappers, banana leaves, and a woven hat. Some patterns were hand-carved on wood blocks. These were digitally rendered.

The back pages include a glossary, a bánh chưng recipe with illustrations of how to fold the banana leaves, about Tết, and an author's note.

Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2

[Stacy S. Jensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Legendary Cakes introduces children to the Vietnamese New Year. It’s a new to me celebration and I love how Kerisa weaves the directions through the story in a fun way. It includes family, food, and some history. The end papers are very cute look at the before and after with your child. The backmatter glossary and the more detailed direction on how to assemble the cakes and the language used throughout is very fun. This is a very good book for kids who are curious, who love food, and who love learning about new traditions and cultures that may be different than their own.

[Sylvia Chen · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delightful book featuring the Vietnamese New Year, Tết, including the tale behind its special cakes to celebrate! I especially adored the illustrator's engaging typography for neat action throughout.

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars
I read a digital advance copy courtesy of the publisher
A delightful story honoring the traditions of the Vietnamese festival of Tet.

[Sara Ackerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sweet story of Tet, delicious recipe included!

[Christina Shawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting and fun story of how family traditions pass through the ages and carry the stories of our ancestors. Complete with a glossary and Banh Chung recipe.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute art.

[Y.Poston]

a beautiful cultural story about the food of Te't