Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao is part of our Starts With a Story Collection, which includes more than 550 picture book companions based on high quality children’s literature that support you in delivering highly-engaging interactive read alouds with follow up activities. Learn more about this children’s book below! - Jodi and the Starts With a Story Team
SUMMARY
"Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao" by Kat Zhang is a heartwarming story about a young Chinese-American girl named Amy Wu who is determined to make the perfect bao, a traditional Chinese steamed bun. Despite her initial failed attempts, Amy doesn't give up and continues to practice and experiment with different ingredients and techniques. Along the way, she receives encouragement from her supportive family members who share their own bao-making tips and stories. Through perseverance and the love for her cultural heritage, Amy finally succeeds in creating a bao that is not only delicious but also represents her unique identity. The book celebrates the importance of family, cultural traditions, and the joy of learning and trying new things. With its colorful illustrations and relatable characters, "Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao" is a delightful read that promotes resilience, self-discovery, and the appreciation of one's roots.
USE THIS BOOK TO TEACH:
Our read aloud lesson plans for this picture book come with reading comprehension questions (with sample student responses), 30 writing prompts, teaching ideas for grammar skills, social emotional learning discussion ideas, and more. Check out our list below to get a sneak peek at some of the skills this resource teaches.
- Practice making predictions throughout the book. Encourage students to check and see if their predictions were correct.
- Teach a lesson on making connections to enhance comprehension.
- Encourage students to use their summarizing and retelling strategies.
- Have students sequence the important events in the story. This is an important skill when it comes to retelling a story.
- Identifying the theme, message, or moral is an important skill that takes a lot of practice. Use this story as an opportunity to help your students with this reading strategy.
- Find examples of antonyms in the book.
- Discuss what it means to persevere and why it is important.
NO-PREP PRINTABLE ACTIVITIES:
If you are looking for “ready to go” activities for the first day of school, be sure to check out the book companion. With it you’ll receive all of the following resources to align with this specific book:
- comprehension questions
- 30 writing prompts with themed paper
- vocabulary activities
- word study print & go activities
- ideas for grammar lessons with focus sentence printables
- social emotional learning discussion topics
- graphic organizers to target specific comprehension skills and strategies
This book is a must have for your school or classroom library. Your students are going to love completing these activities for the book and you will be impressed with how much they learn. You will want to read this book to your class every year.
GET THE PRINTABLE ACTIVITIES
ADDITIONAL BOOK SUGGESTIONS
You and your students will love the similar books listed below, which can all be found in our free picture book list.
- The Empty Pot by Demi
- Ruby's Wish by Shirin Yim Bridges
- Eyes That Kiss in the Corners by Joanna Ho
TRY OUT A SAMPLE COMPANION
It's hard to explain how amazing the Starts with a Story book companions are because there is just so much goodness included in each one. It's best if you experience using one for yourself. Sign up below & we'll send you an entire book companion to try out for FREE!
