I received a complimentary copy of Bowls of Happiness to review. As always, all opinions are my own.
This beautiful little book called Bowls of Happiness written by Brian Tse and illustrated by Alice Mak was a great compliment for our Lunar New Year’s celebrations earlier this month. A mother decides to make a porcelain bowl for her little “Piggy” and as the mother paints and creates the bowl, Piggy gets to adventure through the butterflies, peaches and other elements in Chinese artwork. All of these are messages of good fortune, happiness and blessings.
In addition to the story, the book also explains the various ornately decorated bowls from the Qing Dynasty, which was China’s last imperial dynasty.
It was a great lesson in the different representations for good fortune and happiness and reminder of a different perspective. For example, did you know the word for a bat in Chinese sounds similar to the word for happiness? Because of the similar sound, bats represent happiness.
I found the book to be interesting and fascinating, but my daughter was not as interested in the latter half of the book. I would definitely recommend this book for children who are a bit older and pairing it with a session of pottery painting. As beautiful as the pictures and illustrations were, it wasn’t enough to draw in my six year old. I will definitely bring it out again for Lunar New Year as well as the Mid-Autumn Festival as a jumping off point for discussion about the different symbols during those celebrations.
If you are interested in purchasing a copy, please use my affiliate link by clicking on the image below. I would also love to hear what you and your kids thought of the book!
