It’s August, so that can only mean back to school prep for teachers, homeschoolers, and parents. Some people are back to school already, and others are year-round homeschoolers. Whatever your schedule looks like, I hope your plans are going wonderfully well!

If you’re looking ahead to future events, such as the Moon Festival and Chinese New Year, or you’re planning a Social Studies unit study on China, I’d like to recommend a lovely picture book by Ying Chang Compestine called The Runaway Rice Cake*. It’s one of our many favourite story books, and is a great way to introduce some Chinese culture to your education setting.

The Runaway Rice Cake picture book.

The Runaway Rice Cake is very similar to various gingerbread fairytales, with a runaway food item and the ensuing chase by hungry people. It’s ideal as a comparison with the classic Gingerbread Man* story, or modern literature such as Jan Brett’s Gingerbread Baby*.

I have a lovely free worksheet packet on TpT to accompany your Runaway Rice Cake novel study. It includes a word search, story sequencing, comprehension questions, handwriting practice, and a literacy exercise – something for everyone!

The Runaway Rice Cake worksheets by SLOAH.

As a keen crocheter, I have also designed some cute story props that could be used while retelling the story or as themed decorations. If you’d like to crochet your own Nian Gao (Rice Cake) or Mandarin Orange, please visit my free crochet patterns page or my Ravelry store.

Crocheted nian gao (rice cake) and mandarin orange, designed by SLOAH.