This story is told by an Asian-American girl whose family owns a Chinese food restaurant. The narrator is frustrated and discouraged by the separation of American culture and her own culture. ("No one wants Chinese food on the Fourth of July, I say.") However, as five o'clock arrives, so do a few surprises.

Wong's simple tale and Chodos-Irvine's striking illustrations combine to form an endearing story about how the combination of different cultures forms the true culture of America.

Reading Level: Grades 1-2

I purchased this book for my daughter, who is adopted from China, and 2.5 years old. She loves it! It is an easy fun read. It nicely brings out the importance that other cultures bring to form the "American culture". The pictures are lovely,too.

"Apple Pie 4th of July" combines a story by Janet S. Wong with pictures by Margaret Chodos-Irvine. The story is narrated by an Asian-American girl whose family runs a Chinese restaurant. She is annoyed at her folks for keeping the store open on July 4th: "No one wants Chinese food on the Fourth of July, I say." But is she right or wrong? Read the book to find out!

The enjoyable story is perfectly complemented by Chodos-Irvine's colorful illustrations, which have an elegantly stylized quality to them. I especially liked the pictures of the family at work in the restaurant. "Apple Pie" is a wonderful story about entrepreneurship, and about how different cultural traditions contribute to the unique mix that is the United States.

I sent this to my grandson who is now living in Hong Kong and he loves it so much he sleeps with it. He is almost 3 and insists on having this read to him every night. I think it makes him feel more at home in this new place by incorporating the Chinese traditions that he experienced for the first time this year. Although I haven't read it, I can only comment on it from a child's point of view, and that should be a good barometer for other children.

A great and interesting book for children age 3-7. Kids love it. Teaches children about different traditions, good habbits. Especially good for introducing your little ones to Asian culture.

I read this beautifully illustrated book to my class of 25 preschoolers on Chinese New Year's day. They loved it! They could so identify with the young boy and his quest for good luck. One student exclaimed at the end of the book..."that's it, I'm going right home to clean my closet!" I overheard several children saying that their palms were itching. I have a very diverse group of children this year, from many countries, so this book really spoke to them.I highly reccommend it!

My children and I truly enjoyed Buzz. The story is a very sweet look at daily happenings that children can directly relate to and the illustrations are very beautiful--both my three year old and five year old are drawn to them. This book is a wonderful addition to our family's daily reading repertoire. I highly recommend it.