Why We Eat Fried Peanuts: A Celebration of Family and Lunar New Year Traditions

Celebrate Lunar New Year through a story of ancestral bravery while learning about Chinese history, language and food.

Join Mèng, a Chinese American girl, as she prepares for the Lunar New Year festivities with her family and discovers the significance of ancestral stories and the history behind the Mandarin language and traditional foods eaten during the holiday.

Meng’s father shares with her the family story of tài nai nai, Meng’s great-grandmother and a very important ancestor for the family. Tài nai nai’s brave act of courage many years ago inspired generations after and teaches valuable lessons that every child can learn from today.

Along the way, see how food plays an important role in the festivities and why one food - peanuts - is an important snack. The simple recipe for fried peanuts at the end of the story provides a fun, easy way to include the Lunar New Year in your annually celebrated holidays.

Through the tale of tài nai nai, you will also learn significant moments in Chinese history and how to say a few words in Mandarin, such as:

• 太奶奶 - great-grandmother
• 热心 - warmhearted
• 故事 - story
• 帮助 - help
• 宝宝 - baby
• 幸运 - lucky
• 母亲 - mother
• and more!

Rich with vibrant and joyful illustrations, Why We Eat Fried Peanuts honours the concept of ancestry, a pillar of Chinese culture that is remembered during the Lunar New Year celebrations. Through this engaging story, discover the rich history and culture of the Lunar New Year and learn how to apply the values of strength and courage all year round.

Zed Zha is a first-generation immigrant from China and an important voice for change in the AAPI space. A board-certified family physician, Zed actively engages in teaching and research, and her prolific professional writing about patient care with dignity, reproductive autonomy, and social and medical justice has made her a recognized name in Chinese American, immigrant, and advocacy circles. Zed’s medical career and patient advocacy for people of color has garnered her a following on social media, but so has her personal writing. As a Chinese American, she is passionate about telling stories about ancestry and traditions. In November 2023, she was selected as one of the five storytellers by the Nocturnists and Bellevue Literary Review for a live storytelling show in the Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theater, New York City, which will be included in a podcast and documentary film. Her introspective, vulnerable, and humorous style of narrative nonfiction shines in her original Tai Nai Nai (＂great-grandmother＂) story, on which her first children’s book is based. Follow Zed at zedzha.com and @DrZedZha.

Sian James was born in Hong Kong and has been drawing ever since she could pick up a pencil. Having lived a previous life as an archaeologist, she likes to combine her passions for nature, history, and art to tell stories from the mundane to the magical. She lives in Cambridge, England, with her husband, daughter, and two cats.