Astrid and Apollo and the Magic Pepper Read online

  To my mom, who took us gardening —VTB

  Table of Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Meet Astrid & Apollo

  Hmong Words

  Chapter 1: Nia Thy Is Here!

  Chapter 2: Uncle Meng’s Mystery

  Chapter 3: The Red Pepper

  Chapter 4: Thump-Thump

  Chapter 5: Magic Melon

  Facts About the Hmong

  More About Hmong Farmers

  Glossary

  Talk About It

  Write It Down

  About the Author

  About the Illustrator

  Copyright

  Back Cover

  Cover

  Title Page

  Table of Contents

  Start of Content

  Main Body

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  back cover

  Meet Astrid & Apollo

  Hi, I’m Astrid. My twin brother is Apollo, and we were born in Minnesota. We live here with our mom, dad, and little sister, Eliana.

  Hi, I’m Apollo! Our mom and dad were both born in Laos. They came to the United States when they were very young and grew up here.

  Hmong Words

  dee (DEE) —

  cucumber. Hmong spelling: dib

  dee lia (DEE lee-YAH) —

  watermelon. Hmong spelling: dib liab

  Gao Chee (GOW chee) —

  shiny girl. Hmong spelling: Nkauj Ci

  Gao Hlee (GOW lee) —

  moon girl. Hmong spelling: Nkauj Hlis

  Gao Nou (GOW new) —

  sun girl. Hmong spelling: Nkauj Hnub

  gao (GOW) —

  girl; it is often placed in front of a girl’s name. Hmong spelling: nkauj

  Hmong (MONG) —

  a group of people who came to the U.S. from Laos. Many Hmong from Laos now live in Minnesota. Hmong spelling: Hmoob

  karr (KAW-er) —

  a bamboo basket with straps that is worn on a person’s back. Hmong spelling: kawm

  lay (LAY) —

  a woven mat from Southeast Asia. Hmong spelling: lev

  naw maw (NAW maw) —

  to eat. Hmong spelling: noj mov

  Nia Thy (nee-YAH thy) —

  grandmother on the mother’s side. Hmong spelling: Niam Tais

  Nou Kou (NEW koo) —

  star. Hmong spelling: Hnub Qub

  tou (TOO) —

  boy or son; it is often placed in front of a boy’s name. Hmong spelling: tub

  CHAPTER 1

  Nia Thy Is Here!

  Eliana was sitting next to Astrid and Apollo outside their house. She pointed at a blue van driving down the street. “Nia Thy!” she said.

  “It’s Uncle Meng’s van,” said Apollo.

  “Eliana, you were right!” said Astrid.

  Mom and Dad came out of the house. “Yes, Grandma and Uncle Meng are visiting today,” said Mom.

  “They’re bringing fruits and vegetables from Grandma’s farm,” Dad said.

  Eliana said, “Nia Thy is here!”

  Everyone waited as Uncle Meng parked in the driveway.

  “Hi, Uncle Meng!” Apollo walked over to the van. Astrid and Eliana followed him.

  “Hi!” said Uncle Meng as he stepped out of the van.

  Grandma stepped out of the other side.

  “Grandma, we missed you!” said Astrid.

  “Hi, Grandma!” said Apollo.

  Eliana ran up to Grandma. “Hi, Nia Thy!”

  Grandma hugged the kids. “Nia Thy missed you too! Even if I just saw you last week,” said Grandma.

  Uncle Meng opened the van’s side door. A cucumber dropped onto the ground.

  “Coo-coo-ber!” said Eliana.

  Apollo picked up the cucumber.

  “Here’s more!” Uncle Meng reached in the van and took out a large paper bag. “Grandma and I picked them today.”

  “Are they for the farmers market?” Mom asked.

  Uncle Meng gave Dad the bag. “These ones are for you to eat.”

  Dad looked in the bag. “This is a lot of cucumbers!”

  Uncle Meng nodded. “We still have a big field of cucumbers left. Kids, want to help us pick them tomorrow? We’ll be selling them at the farmers market on Saturday.”

  “Oh, I love going to the farmers market! And I want to visit Grandma’s farm!” said Astrid.

  “Me too!” Apollo said.

  “That’s a great idea,” said Dad.

  Mom agreed. “I like that. Now let’s go inside and taste these cucumbers!”

  As they walked into the house, Uncle Meng said, “I call the farmers market the magic market. What we sell there grew from a seed, like magic! Wait, what’s that?”

  He leaned down and put his hand next to Eliana’s ear. He pulled out a coin and said, “Ta-da! See? Magic!”

  “Wow!” said Eliana. She stared at the coin and everyone laughed.

  The next day, Uncle Meng and Grandma arrived early to pick up the twins. Mom and Dad walked them outside.

  “Have fun!” said Dad.

  “Remember to wear your hats and sunscreen. Also, ask Grandma to tell you stories,” said Mom.

  Astrid and Apollo nodded and climbed into the van.

  “Good morning, you two!” Uncle Meng said.

  “Good morning.” Astrid and Apollo both yawned.

  Grandma smiled from the front seat. “My little Gao Nou and Nou Kou are so tired. You can sleep. It’s a long drive to the farm.”

  The twins slept the whole way. They didn’t wake up until the van went over big bumps in the dirt road.

  “Sorry. The road here is very bumpy,” said Uncle Meng.

  Apollo looked out the window. “This farm is huge!” he said.

  Outside were large green fields. Each field had tall and small plants. Thick stems and leaves grew around them. People were already in the fields, picking fruits and vegetables.

  “Which part is Grandma’s?” Astrid asked.

  “Grandma’s garden is right there. It’s near that little tree,” said Uncle Meng. He parked on the grass by the tree.

  Astrid and Apollo got out of the van.

  Grandma handed them big baskets. “These are for cucumbers,” she said.

  Then Grandma put a karr, a Hmong basket with straps, on her back. Next she put on her big straw hat.

  Astrid and Apollo rubbed sunscreen on their faces and arms. Then they put on their hats. Astrid had a floppy pink gardening hat. Apollo wore Dad’s old blue fishing hat.

  Uncle Meng smiled and
gave them gloves. “You kids look ready to work in your hats.”

  “We don’t want to get sunburned,” said Astrid.

  “That’s smart,” said Uncle Meng. He put on his baseball cap.

  Grandma pointed to the field. “See the cucumbers? We pick from these rows here. When we’re done, we’ll pick watermelons over there,” she said.

  Astrid and Apollo looked at the rows of cucumbers. Wooden poles stood between the plants. Leaves and vines twisted up the poles.

  Then Apollo said, “I see a cucumber!”

  CHAPTER 2

  Uncle Meng’s Mystery

  Apollo pointed to a little cucumber hanging near a big leaf.

  Astrid smiled. “It looks like a pickle.”

  “That one’s not ready yet. Find the long ones. Don’t pull them off. Use these to cut the stem,” said Uncle Meng. He gave them garden scissors.

  “Thanks,” said Astrid and Apollo.

  Uncle Meng pointed all around.

  “Can you feel the magic here?” he asked. “Now you two help Grandma pick cucumbers. I’ll go pick green beans.” He walked to the other side of the farm.

  The twins followed Grandma.

  “Uncle Meng likes talking about magic,” said Apollo.

  “It is magical if you think how everything here came from little seeds,” Astrid said.

  Apollo shrugged. “I guess. Grandma, how do we know which cucumbers to pick?”

  “Look for ones that are six to seven inches long,” said Grandma. She held her hands out to show them. “Make sure it’s dark green all over.”

  Astrid saw a yellow cucumber. “What about yellow?”

  “Yellow means it’s too old. It won’t taste good. It should be a nice green color,” said Grandma.

  “Like this?” Apollo showed Grandma a pretty green cucumber.

  “Yes. Now press on it. If it’s hard, it’s ready. If it’s soft, it’s no good,” said Grandma.

  Apollo pressed down. “It feels hard. I think it’s ready.”

  Grandma took out her scissors. “We cut it off near the top. You don’t want to break the stem or no more cucumbers will grow from it.” She cut the cucumber and put it in Apollo’s basket.

  “Thanks, Grandma,” said Apollo.

  Astrid watched them and smiled. It was nice and quiet on the farm. The sun was hot, but she had shade from her floppy hat. Warm breezes blew by. The leaves on the plants moved in the wind. The air smelled clean.

  “It’s peaceful here, Grandma. Is that why you like farming?” asked Astrid.

  Grandma walked between the rows of cucumbers. “It reminds me of when I was a little girl. In Laos, I helped my grandmother on her farm every day.”

  “What was that like?” asked Apollo.

  He saw a long cucumber. It was a nice green color. He pushed on it. It felt hard. He cut the stem and put the cucumber in his basket.

  “The land wasn’t flat like this,” said Grandma.

  Astrid and Apollo looked around the farm. The fields were very flat. Above them was the clear blue sky. In the distance, they saw the gray highway.

  “Was it hilly?” Astrid asked. She saw a dark green cucumber. She pushed on it. It was hard on her fingers. She cut the stem and dropped the cucumber in her basket.

  “We had mountains. We didn’t grow fruits and vegetables on flat land. We farmed on hills,” said Grandma.

  Astrid wondered what it would be like to farm on a hill. Would she fall down it?

  “Did you pick cucumbers?” Apollo asked.

  Grandma leaned down to cut three cucumbers. “Yes. My grandmother and I carried them all the way home from the farm.”

  “Were they heavy?” asked Astrid.

  “Very heavy! I carried them in my karr. It was just like the one I have now,” said Grandma.

  “Did you sell the cucumbers at the market?” said Apollo.

  “I wanted to! But we walked far to get home. They were so heavy on my back that I always gave them away to people we met along the way. When we got home, my karr was almost empty. So I couldn’t sell them!” Grandma laughed.

  Astrid looked at her in surprise. “Did your grandma get mad?”

  “Never once,” said Grandma.

  Astrid and Apollo smiled.

  “Grandma looks so happy,” Astrid whispered.

  Apollo nodded. “I like it when she tells stories.”

  Grandma looked around. “So many cucumbers! Let’s finish picking these. Then we can start on the watermelons.”

  For the rest of the morning, Astrid and Apollo helped Grandma pick cucumbers. When their baskets were full, Astrid went to the van to get more baskets.

  She saw Uncle Meng on the other side of the farm. He was picking green beans. But he also looked like he was doing something else. He kept moving plants to the side and peeking at the ground.

  “Hi, Uncle Meng!” Astrid called.

  Uncle Meng waved.

  When they ran out of baskets again, Apollo went to get more. This time Uncle Meng was on another side of the farm. He looked like he was trying to find something in the leaves.

  “Hi, Uncle Meng!” Apollo said.

  Uncle Meng waved again.

  What is he doing? Apollo wondered.

  “I feel like Uncle Meng is looking for something,” Apollo said to Astrid when he got back.

  “I thought that too!” said Astrid. “But what?”

  “I don’t know,” said Apollo.

  “Maybe he’s just picking leaves. But I’m not sure why he would do that,” said Astrid.

  “We have to figure out what he is doing,” said Apollo.

  “Hurry, kids,” called Grandma.

  They moved along and picked more cucumbers.

  “Maybe he’s looking for bugs?” said Astrid.

  “Or worms?” Apollo said.

  “Look!” Astrid said, pointing.

  Uncle Meng was digging in the plants again.

  “Uncle Meng is a mystery,” said Apollo, and they laughed.

  When they were done picking cucumbers, they had each filled three baskets to the top. Grandma had filled her karr and two baskets.

  “Let’s bring them to the van,” said Grandma.

  “These are heavy, just like in Grandma’s story!” said Astrid. She couldn’t carry her basket.

  “What if we carry them together? I’ll hold one handle and you hold the other,” said Apollo.

  “Teamwork!” said Astrid.

  Together they carried all the baskets back to the van.

  Grandma looked at each basket. “We will sell these at the farmers market. And we can bring some home to eat. Let’s rest now and have lunch,” she said.

  “Yay!” said Astrid. She took off her hat and wiped her forehead. “Farming can be fun, but …”

  Apollo took off his hat too. “It’s hard work!”

  CHAPTER 3

  The Red Pepper

  Astrid and Apollo got a water bottle and soap from the van. They washed their hands while Grandma put a colorful mat under the tree.

  “Sit on this. It’s called a lay. In Laos we sat on these all the time,” she said.

  Astrid and Apollo sat next to Grandma. She opened the bags of lunch Mom had packed for them. She set the food out on the lay.

  Uncle Meng unfolded a fishing chair. He put it by the back of the van. He sat down and stretched out his legs.

  “Uncle Meng, don’t you want to eat lunch with us?” Astrid asked.

  He showed them a banana peel. “Thanks. I already ate. I’m taking a nap now,” he said. He put his baseball cap over his face and closed his eyes.

  Grandma laughed. “The sun makes Uncle Meng sleepy,” she said.

  Astrid and Apollo looked at him. He was already asleep!

  “Naw maw. Eat,” said Grandma.

  She gave them sticky rice. Then she unwrapped a pack of beef jerky.

  “There’s a spicy one and a sweet one,” Grandma said.

  “Is it the beef jerky from the Hmong restaurant?
” asked Apollo.

  “Yes, your mom told me she bought it yesterday,” Grandma said.

  Apollo bit into the chewy beef. “This spicy one is the best!”

  Astrid took a bite of hers. “I got the yummy sweet one!”

  “Drink water and have corn,” said Grandma. She gave them water and corn on the cob.

  Astrid ate the corn. “This corn is good!”

  Grandma pointed at the fields. “Hmong farmers grow corn here too,” she said.

  Astrid and Apollo saw the other farmers still picking fruits and vegetables. Their big hats moved up and down as they worked.

  A breeze blew past them. Nearby, Uncle Meng was snoring softly. The sun was hot. It was very quiet. Astrid and Apollo felt calm and happy.

  Apollo sat back and rubbed his stomach. “That was a great lunch.”

  Grandma peeled an orange and passed out slices. “Eat these. They’re as sweet as sugar.”

  Apollo ate a slice of orange and said, “Grandma, can you tell us another story from when you were little?”

  “We want to hear more!” said Astrid.

  Grandma smiled. “One time I saw a giant watermelon at the farm.”

  “How big was it?” asked Apollo.

  “It was the biggest, fattest one I ever saw!” she said. “My grandmother helped me cut it from the stem. But when I tried to pick it up, it was too big!”

  “What happened?” Apollo asked.

  “I dropped it!” Grandma said.

  “Did it break?” asked Astrid.

  Grandma laughed. “It didn’t break. But it rolled down the hill!”

  “Oh no!” Astrid said. She pictured Grandma chasing a watermelon down a hill.

  Apollo thought of Grandma looking everywhere for it. “Did you find it?” he asked.

  Grandma shook her head. “When we got to the bottom of the hill, it was gone!” she said. “We went to every village. We asked everyone, ‘Did you see a big watermelon roll by?’”

  “And what did they say?” asked Apollo.

  Grandma shrugged. “No one had seen it. My grandmother said maybe it rolled all the way to Vietnam. Or maybe up to China. Maybe it’s still rolling today!”

  Astrid and Apollo laughed. Grandma laughed too.

  “When we got home, no one believed I had found the biggest watermelon. But my grandmother didn’t scold me.” Grandma said.