On My Way to Buy Eggs

by Chih-Yuan Chen

When her father sends her out for eggs before she can go out to play, Shau-yu finds plenty of excitement while walking to the store.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Food, Chinese Literature, Adventure, Cultural

40 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2003

Reviews

[Suhasa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute, innocent and lovely!

[Iz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute simple story about a girl going to her local Taiwanese quick shop~

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is quiet and the illustrations are pretty muted, but the two toddlers I've read it to were absorbed by it anyway. I like it because it shows how something familiar (in this case, the girl's walk to a store to buy food for dinner) can be a small adventure if you're paying close attention.

[Zabelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Չի-Եուան Չէն-ի «Հաւկիթ գնելու ճամբուս վրա» գիրքը թարգմանուած է արեւմտահայերէնի Լոպսինէ Խաչատուրեանի կողմէ դասական ուղագրութեամբ։

Տպուած Ֆրանսա, Զարդիս մատենաշար, հովանաւորութեամբ Գալուստ Կիւլպէնկեան մատենաշարի

ISBN 978-1-949618-02-0

[Yi-ching · Rating 5 out of 5]

A superb book introducing the culture of traditional convenience store in Taiwan. It brings back lots of great memories!!

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though the pictures are not terribly exciting, I like this story because the little girl uses her imagination and all five of her senses.

[Hillvan]

430L

[FM Family · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great strange story with a very spare illustration style. It's one of those books that has that 1970s-1980s quality where it's not really about much and nothing really happens but you can see how kids feel seen through the mundanity of it. She goes to get some eggs, she puts on glasses and everything gets blurry, she pretends to be a grown up, she goes home. My 4.5 year old really enjoyed it though and chose it night after night for bedtime. Nice to see a book that is set in Taiwan but not about Taiwan, just about everyday kid stuff.

[R. G. Nairam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted something a little more from it, but it was still very sweet. It also has great atmosphere.

[Sherry Scheline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book. The imagery is beautiful

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A young girl has fun exploring on the way to the corner mart to buy eggs for her dad.

[Ali McPhee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book with a guided reading group. Some students really connected with the story of a kid going shopping on their own. I thought it was pretty boring.

[Maryam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is set in Taiwan. A little girl goes to the shop to buy eggs. I love the way she is imaginative with the things that she encounters on the way. She finds a blue marble and looks through it. Everything looks blue like the ocean and she feels like a little fish in the sea. Her name, much to my amusement, is Shau-Yu, which means "Little Fish". She finds a pair of glasses "that wants someone to wear them". She looks through these and says "Everything is blurry".

I love the pictures - I found them very very cute. The way the story is told is told - we are truly looking at Shau-Yu's world through her eyes.

[Emmeline Guest · Rating 4 out of 5]

A better lap read, then a read-out-loud. Although it can be used to help guide lessons in narrative skills (children can tell their own stories about a trip to the store, the zoo, the beach, the park, etc).

The illustrations, a combination of paper, drawing and collage, done in subtle earth tones are really quiet beautiful but will likely appeal to adults more than children.

The notes from the author at the end are definitely worth reading.

[Michelle Lacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great international find! Wonderful story that shows what the world looks like through the eyes of Shau-yu, the young girl whose adventures the reader is fortunate enough to be privy to. Captivating illustrations. Also sends a great message about the use of imagination in play. Ah, to see the world through a child's eyes! Highly recommend this one too.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is beautiful. It's about a little girl who goes to buy eggs and all the adventures and beauty she finds. She finds a pair of glasses and impersonates her mother, and then the storekeeper gives her some gum, that perhaps she may want to take home to her little girl. And then POP! Her bubble blowing wakes Harry (the dog) like magic.
Hmmm. snugs and wishes.

[Rebecca Plaza · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a mentor text for sharing in a small group, to passionate writers-in an ideal setting. Otherwise a full group is fine. Tell them to look for how many times she has internal thoughts and how many times she wonders about the outside world. Just the observation and everyday ness makes this an approachable writing exercise.

[Robyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute! I learned some new Spanish words form reading this book. It also helped me practice reading the Spanish I already knew, helping me solidify some of my previous learning. It was a cute kid story of a girl who went to buy eggs at a local corner store & some of the little "events" that happen along the way.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting story that highlights the charm of the neighborhood (or "traditional") stores in Taiwan. The illustrations were muted and mostly sepia-toned, and the narrative was simple, but entertaining. We really enjoyed reading this book together.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Asian shopping experience of a little girl. I picked this out for storytime, but didn't have time to do it, so didn't get crowd reaction. All pages are in a brown-based wash, and it is a quiet story,so I would guess it would be better one-on-one.

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a sweet picture book about a little girl in Taiwan who is sent to the store to buy eggs. The book is about all the things she sees and does on her way to and from the store. It's creatively illustrated. A sweet, short read.

[Leo and Ian · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is one of those books that I, as an adult, initially thought was just ok - the colors are muted and story is simple. my child, however, absolutely adores this one and has for years now (he's 4.5). after many, many readings I have come to love and appreciate it's quiet genius as well.

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good "Free-Range" book about a little girl going to the store for her dad. On the way she stops and pretends, she looks through a marble, she plays around... and nothing bad happens at all!

[Sarah]

week three

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally published in 2001 in Taiwan.

Joyful in its childlike engagement in the world.

[The Brothers · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little girl is set on an errand to buy eggs and her imagination makes the trip quite memorable.

Cute illustrations.

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

another one to add to my classroom collection

[Anna Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A father sends his child to the local store to get some eggs. This simple task becomes an adventure for this young child.