🍍 Pei’s Pineapple Cakes by Crystal Z. Lee | A Bilingual Picture Book Filled with Family, Culture & Cake!
Illustrated by Allie Su
🌸 A Picture Book Celebration of Taiwan, Family, and Sweet Surprises!
Welcome to my stop on the iRead Book Tour for Pei’s Pineapple Cakes by Crystal Z. Lee, illustrated by Allie Su! This charming bilingual picture book invites readers on a sweet mystery set in the heart of Taiwan. With themes of family, courage, and cultural connection—and illustrations as vibrant as the story itself—it’s a heartfelt read that celebrates tradition, adventure, and of course… pineapple cake.
Quick Summary:
Pei’s Pineapple Cakes is a sweet, beautifully illustrated story set in the heart of Taiwan. When Pei visits her grandmother’s bakery, she ends up in the middle of a tasty little mystery—and a whole lot of adventure. With its bilingual text, gorgeous art, and heartfelt themes of family, culture, and courage, this picture book is a real treat for curious young readers.
👇 Keep scrolling for the giveaway.
📝 All About the Book
Pei's Pineapple Cakes
By Crystal Z. Lee
Published by Balestier on May 10, 2025
Genres: Bi-Lingual Fiction, Children's Picture Book
Formats: Hardcover, Paperback
Pages: 40
While visiting her grandmother in central Taiwan, Pei finds herself in the middle of a mystery. The pineapple cakes from her grandmother's bakery have disappeared! Soon Pei is collecting clues as she embarks on a quest to find the missing pineapple cakes.
From traditional Taiwanese artisan craftsmanship to picturesque villages of central Taiwan, Pei discovers the beauty of her grandmother's hometown. This is a charming story of courage, adventure, and the love between grandchildren and grandparents.
Pei's Pineapple Cakes is an elaborately illustrated picture book that makes an ideal gift:
- Real locations from central Taiwan make for an inspiring geographical, historical, and cultural reading experience
- Storyline sparks dialogue around kindness, empathy, courage, and resilience
- Exquisite illustrations of Taiwanese artisans' craftsmanship foster appreciation for heritage and traditions
- Bilingual text in English and Mandarin encourages learning in both languages
📚 Where to Find Pei's Pineapple Cakes
If the above links don’t direct you to your country’s Amazon page, please feel free to contact me—I’m happy to provide the correct link.
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Prefer to shop local?
🛍️ You can also purchase Pei's Pineapple Cakes from your favorite indie bookstore online.
Bookshop.org is an excellent option that supports indie authors—and book bloggers like me—while avoiding the big-box route.
Also available at:
📘 Barnes & Noble | Books-A-Million
Kindness, curiosity, and pineapple cake—Pei’s adventure is as heartwarming as it is delicious.
💛 Why You’ll Love Pei’s Pineapple Cakes
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🍍 A delicious mystery for little readers — Pei’s pineapple cake adventure is filled with curiosity, courage, and cultural charm.
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🌏 Set in the heart of Taiwan — Real locations and artisan traditions bring the story to life with vibrant detail.
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📖 Bilingual storytelling — With text in both English and Mandarin, it’s a great pick for language learners or multicultural families.
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🎨 Gorgeous illustrations — Allie Su’s art captures the warmth of family and the beauty of Taiwanese village life.
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🎁 Makes a thoughtful gift — Ideal for kids ages 3–7, especially those who love travel, baking, or grandparent-grandchild stories.
About Crystal Z. Lee
Crystal Z. Lee is a bilingual writer who divides her time between the U.S. and Asia. Crystal grew up in Taipei and later returned to live there in her adult years. Some of Crystal's fondest memories in Taiwan include boating at Sun Moon Lake, chasing butterflies in Maolin, making pineapple cakes and eating her way through night markets with her family. Besides children's books, Crystal's other published works include poetry and a novel. Her other book about Taiwan is titled Kai the Dancing Butterfly. She is also the author of Mei's Mermaid Mission, A Unicorn Named Rin, and Love and Other Moods.
Meet the Illustrator:
Allie Su grew up in Yunlin County, Taiwan. She often finds her illustration inspiration from the great outdoors. One of her favorite places to hike in Taiwan is Sun-Link-Sea Forest in Nantou. She adores Taiwanese cuisine and night market foods, such as stinky tofu, vegetarian noodles, and taro pastries from Taichung. Allie also illustrated Mei's Mermaid Mission and Kai the Dancing Butterfly. (Read my reviews of both books ➡️ HERE ⬅️)
🍍 Giveaway!🍍
Enter below for your chance to win an author-signed copy of Pei's Pineapple Cakes from Crystal Z. Lee!
Please follow the tour for extra chances to win!
📅 Click to view the full iRead Book Tour Schedule
June 9 – Working Mommy Journal – book spotlight / giveaway
June 10 – Sarandipty’s – book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
June 10 – Locks, Hooks and Books – book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
June 10 – Liese’s Blog – book spotlight
June 10 – @bearyintobooks * – book spotlight / giveaway
June 11 – @enjoyingbooksagain – book spotlight
June 11 – @youngpink_bibilophile * – book spotlight / giveaway
June 11 – Deanna’s Bookstagram – book spotlight / giveaway
June 12 – Sandra’s Book Club – book spotlight / giveaway
June 12 – @bookarlo * – book spotlight / giveaway
June 13 – FUONLYKNEW – book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
June 13 – @bookscape__ * – book spotlight / giveaway
June 15 – @quiettime.reading * – book spotlight / giveaway
June 16 – Books R Us – book spotlight / giveaway
June 17 – Cover Lover Book Review – book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
June 18 – @Leannebookstagram – book spotlight
June 18 – Chit Chat with Charity – book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
June 18 – Kim’s Book Reviews and Writing Aha’s – book spotlight / giveaway
June 19 – Country Mamas With Kids – book spotlight / giveaway
June 20 – Library Lady’s Kid Lit – book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
June 20 – @ablueboxfullofbooks * – book spotlight / giveaway
June 20 – Paws.Read.Repeat – book spotlight / giveaway
June 23 – Happily Managing a Household of Boys – book spotlight
June 23 – @this.human.reads – book spotlight
June 24 – A Mama’s Corner of the World – book spotlight / giveaway
June 24 – @adriftinfictionalworld – book spotlight / giveaway
June 25 – @bookishrebel01 * – book spotlight / giveaway
June 26 – My Reading Getaway – book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
June 26 – China Sorrows – book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
June 26 – @onceuponamaltesereader * – book spotlight / giveaway
June 26 – Gina Rae Mitchell – book spotlight / giveaway
June 27 – @avainbookland – book spotlight / giveaway
PEI'S PINEAPPLE CAKES by Crystal Z. Lee Book Tour Giveaway
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📌 Quick Book Tour Recap:
Book Title: Pei's Pineapple Cakes by Crystal Z. Lee
Category: Children's Fiction (Ages 3-7), 38 pages
Genre: Children's Picture Book
Publisher: Balestier Press
Publication Date: May 10, 2025.
Tour dates: June 9 to June 27
Content Rating: G
🍍 Have you ever tried pineapple cake or visited Taiwan? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!
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This looks like a cute story. Thanks for sharing.