Ying Chang Compestine
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  • Home
  • About
    • Spokesperson
    • Ying's Articles
    • Media Appearances
  • Bookcase
    • Novels >
      • Morning Sun in Wuhan
      • Revolution is Not a Dinner Party >
        • A Conversation with Ying: Revolution is Not a Dinner Party
        • Why I Wrote Revolution
      • Secrets of the Terra-Cotta Soldier >
        • New Asian Writing Interview
      • A Banquet for Hungry Ghosts >
        • On Becoming a Hungry Ghost
        • A Bird Out of the Cage
        • Ghosts to My Rescue
        • Ghosts of the Great Wall
        • True Friendship
        • Pretending to Be a Teacher
        • Every Word Counts
    • Picture Books >
      • The Chinese New Year Helper
      • Growing Up Under a Red Flag
      • Ra Pu Zel and the Stinky Tofu
      • Dragon Noodle Party
      • Little Red Riding Hood and the Dragon
      • The Chinese Emperor's New Clothes
      • The Runaway Wok
      • The Real Story of Stone Soup
      • D is for Dragon Dance
      • Crouching Tiger
      • Boy Dumplings
      • The Runaway Rice Cake
      • The Story of Chopsticks
      • The Story of Kites
      • The Story of Noodles
      • The Story of Paper
    • Cookbooks
  • School Visits
    • Writer in Residence
    • Classroom Activities
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    • Preparing for a School Visit
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Ra Pu Zel and the Stinky Tofu
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​A playful, feminist retelling of Rapunzel with a Chinese-cuisine twist.
​
The story of Rapunzel where she’s being locked in a tower by a witch is a good one—but it’s not 
totally the truth.

The 
real story is about a young princess in China named Ra Pu Zel who doesn’t want to talk to princes or look proper. What Pu Zel wants is to cook and eat in peace, her long hair neatly braided to keep it out of her food. And when she gets tired of everyone telling her what to do, she locks herself in a tower with her dog Bao. Although princes from everywhere try to convince her to come down, it’s not until a young chef arrives with an intriguing food to share that Ra Pu Zel finally has a reason.​​

​NOW AVAILABLE
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Book Trailer

 


​Praise for Ra Pu Zel and the Stinky Tofu

“The colorful, expressively detailed depictions of the princess’ attempts to conform to expectations are a hoot, and her joy in being her best self in her tower is palpable… A delicious mashup of fairy tales and food.”
— Kirkus Reviews

"Affectionately told and vibrantly illustrated...[E]mpowering...Kung’s richly hued scenes shimmer with golden-hour light and...that, combined with Compestine’s well-paced story, makes for a tale that dishes up delight."
​— Publisher's Weekly

"This creative retelling of "Rapunzel" that combines feminism, fairy tales, and food, will be enjoyed by all."
​— School Library Journal

"In this lively, engaging rewrite of the Rapunzel story, the long-haired princess takes control of her destiny and follows her foodie passion instead of her parents' expectations. … reading the colorful picture book feels almost like watching an animated film. And Ying Chang Compestine's masterful storytelling maintains a great pace of action, conflict, and resolution…. a fun adventure steeped in Chinese culture and cuisine."
— Common Sense Media

"Brimming with love for both food and spunky girls who love food, this warm, inviting read will easily sate readers’ appetites..."
— Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

"[An] enchanting reinvention of the tressed, trapped heroine...Charming, animated art...promises a delicious adventure...enlivens Compestine's hero as a whirling, rule-breaking iconoclast whose independence defies subjugation."
-- Shelf Awareness

"...a
 modern, feminist twist to the story of Rapunzel with engaging elements from Chinese cuisine and culture."
-- The Toy Insider

"A breathtakingly illustrated reimagining of a well-loved fairytale....guaranteed to make you laugh and leave you hungrier than when you started."
-- The Southern Bookseller Review

Awards & Accolades

Common Sense Selection
2024 Winner of the MOSS Kids National Championship
BookPage Best Picture Books of the Year
Evanston Public Library’s 101 Great Books for Kids: 2024
2024 NYPL Best Books for Kids

Teacher Notes from Amnesty International

Teachers can use this guide from Amnesty International UK to help classrooms learns about human rights.
Revolution Amnesty International
File Size: 576 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Find more classroom resources at TeachingBooks.net.

A Conversation with Ying

This book is based on your childhood in Wuhan, China, during the 1960s and 70s. Is Ling in many ways a fair representation of you growing up? What are some of the similarities and differences?

Ling’s childhood experiences are similar to my own. I was about Ling’s age when my family got caught up in the events of the Cultural Revolution. Ling’s personality is a lot like mine. Many of her emotions and reactions to events draw on my own experiences during the Cultural Revolution, and her way of thinking reflects the way I saw the world as a child. For this reason, developing Ling’s character was the easiest part of writing this book. I was a little spoiled, but I also had a fighting spirit. And like Ling, I yearned for freedom and dreamed about going to America.

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