Another celebrity writing a kid’s book? Really?
Yep, really. Sweet Petite is Poh Ling Yeow’s first picture book - she wrote it, and her best friend Sarah Rich (with whom she co-stars on Poh and Co, and who is also her Jamface business partner) did the illustrations. And yes, before you roll your eyes at yet another celeb kid’s book, this is not one to add to the pile with Madonna’s The English Roses or the former Duchess of York’s Budgie or even Jimmy Fallon’s Dada. Sweet Petite is genuinely great. It’s charming, assured and endlessly readable.
So what’s it about?
The book tells the story of a lonely guinea pig named Sweet Petite. She loves pretty clothes, baking and is desperate for a friend. During her quest for a friend, she falls over an egg. She takes the egg home with her and sets about taking care of it – and the resulting chick, of course, becomes the friend she’s been looking for. I read it with my three-year-old, Annie, and we were both charmed by Sweet Petite and her new friend, Mr Tweet. Annie told me that, “Sweet Petite is very funny and clever, because she can look after an egg. Not everyone can look after an egg.” True. Annie also enjoyed the illustrations of Sweet Petite’s cakes and biscuits (she hides them around the house, a character flaw probably consistent with her being a guinea pig, I’d say), although she did add that, “It’s better when there are real cakes, not just pictures of cakes.” Also true.
It’s by Poh – are there any recipes?
Source: Hardie Grant Books
You betcha. There are three recipes in the book – for madeleines, ice-cream cake and a chocolate and strawberry layer cake. They’re all quite simple recipes, perfect for their audience. Annie and I made the chocolate strawberry cake, and the parent in me was pleased to note that the recipe didn’t call for excessive amounts of cocoa or sugar. Annie was able to help me measure out ingredients, mix and then decorate (her favourite part). I asked Annie if she thought Sweet Petite would be happy with our cake. “Yes, I think so,” she told me. “But I think it would be better if it had more sprinkles.” (For the record, the recipe does not call for any sprinkles).
Get the recipe for Sweet Petite's chocolate strawberry cake here.
Source: Hardie Grant Books
Who’s this book for?
As any parent knows, all bedtime reading must be short but substantive. If you can’t read it in three minutes or less, it’s out. Still, you want a story your kid will be entranced by – that’s the entire point, right? Sweet Petite fits the bill and then some. The book is perfect for kids aged two to five, who’ll fall in love with this kind, caring guinea pig who happens to be a dab hand at macarons. The illustrations have a laidback whimsy to them, and the food is vibrantly sketched. If you want to foster a love of baking – or a love of reading – in your kids, this book is a great choice. As in all things, though, the three-year-old gets the last word. “This book is funny and good,” says Annie. “I like it because I didn’t know guinea pigs could make cakes, but now I do.”
