It’s been a while since I’ve written a Friday Flips post, not because I don’t have any more good books to recommend, but because I’ve been busy trying to get used to having three kids. I’m still not used to it, but life goes on, and good books need to be shared!
This week, we have the new Ang Ku Kueh Girl & Friends book, The Kan Cheong Spider. We absolutely adored the first Ang Ku Kueh Girl book, and N still talks about the Eggys and the dragon playground once in a while, then insists that we read the book again. When I gave him the new book, he gasped in delight, then promptly sat down to flip through it quietly on his own.
The book makes a few references to the first book, Ang Ku Kueh Girl & Friends: The Magical Dragon Playground, but if you haven’t read it yet, it shouldn’t be much of a problem, because this is an unrelated story. The magical dragon playground also briefly talks about what happened in the previous story, so I don’t think the young readers will be lost or confused.
In this book, we learn that Ang Ku Kueh Girl is rather disorganised, and the complete opposite of her brother, Ang Ku Kueh Boy. Together with Red Egg, the two children go on an adventure together, and learn two important lessons: don’t take what doesn’t belong to you, and be organised so that you won’t be flustered. Ang Ku Kueh Boy is punished for being greedy and dishonest, but redeems himself by coming up with a system to help the kan cheong spider. The spider, who was initially really stressed because he perpetually cannot finish his task, ends up enjoying his work, after learning how to be organised from the children.
I like stories with moral values and lessons weaved into them, especially when they can be applied to N, so I took the opportunity to talk to him about his habits. We discussed how Ang Ku Kueh Boy grew two extra pairs of arms because he stole a piece of chocolate from the Kan Cheong Spider, and how the three friends sorted out the candy in order to be more efficient and organised. I think a good follow-up activity would be to get your child to do some sorting activities! He can help to sort the laundry (shirts, shorts, underwear, socks) or if you’re more hardworking, you can prepare materials such as pom-pom balls or coloured counters for him to sort. N is rather disorganised (like me) so hopefully, this will inspire him to be more organised.
N was captivated by the illustrations, and wanted to know more about “the mysterious spider”. I told him it was called the “kan cheong spider”, but for some reason, he insists on calling it “mysterious” instead. It’s quite cute and colourful, and not at all mysterious! He asked me what ‘kan cheong’ meant, and luckily for me, there was an explanation at the end of the book, so I read that to him. He was so amused that he began pretending to be really flustered, throwing his Tiger around, and saying he couldn’t find it. Then he went, “Hurry, hurry, hurry! Let’s find Tiger!” *rolls eyes* I guess I should be glad that he understood the phrase, right?
As with the first book, N saw the picture of the next book on the last page, and asked to read it too. He really likes this Ang Ku Kueh Girl series, and we’ve read it thrice so far, which doesn’t sound like a lot, but it is, because we only got the book yesterday. The vocabulary used is generally simple enough for a preschooler to understand, and the story is definitely easy enough to follow. Readers of all ages will appreciate the adorable illustrations, and do allow your child to examine the pictures slowly, as they tell the story pretty well on their own too.
The Kan Cheong Spider
We thoroughly enjoyed this second book in the Ang Ku Kueh Girl & Friends series, and can’t wait to read the third one. It’s fun reading books starring local delicacies as the main characters, and peppered with local expressions. I personally think it’s a nice way to preserve our Singaporean culture, and I’m looking forward to meeting the blur sotong in the next book.
Happy reading!
Buy the Book Ang Ku Kueh Girl & Friends: The Kan Cheong Spider on Epigram Books
Check out the previous Friday Flips posts HERE. I’ve also created a photo album on Facebook with some other good reads, and will be updating it whenever I come across more books that we enjoy. Do pop by for a look HERE.
Disclaimer: We received a copy of Ang Ku Kueh Girl & Friends: The Kan Cheong Spider for the purpose of this review. All photos and opinions are, as always, our own.
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