Astrid and Apollo and the Magic Pepper Read online

  “I love that story,” said Astrid.

  “So do I. Please tell us another one!” said Apollo.

  Grandma pointed at Uncle Meng. “I can tell you about why Uncle Meng loves magic.”

  Apollo sat up. “Why?”

  Grandma spoke softly. “Uncle Meng helps me pick vegetables, but he is always looking for something else.”

  “I saw him do that when he was picking green beans!” said Astrid.

  “Me too, Grandma!” said Apollo. “At first I thought he was looking for beans. But he looked like he was really trying to find another thing.”

  Grandma put a finger to her lips.

  “Uncle Meng is shy about it. But he wants to find a special pepper!”

  Astrid thought of Uncle Meng always talking about magic. “A magic pepper?” she asked.

  “Yes,” said Grandma. “When Uncle Meng was little, he read a story about a boy and magic beans. He didn’t like beans, but he liked peppers. So he wished to find a long, red pepper. He said that could be like a magic bean.”

  “You mean the pepper could make a big pepper plant? Like a giant beanstalk?” Apollo asked.

  Grandma nodded.

  “Does he really believe that?” Astrid asked.

  Grandma smiled. “He did when he was a little boy. Uncle Meng is a man now, but sometimes, he still looks for the red pepper, just for fun.”

  “Why doesn’t he look for it when picking peppers?” said Apollo.

  “Yes, why look for it with the beans?” asked Astrid.

  Grandma laughed. “So many questions! Uncle Meng said the magic red pepper might grow anywhere, not just with peppers. So he looks for it everywhere.”

  “What does the pepper look like?” said Apollo.

  “It’s long and bright red,” said Grandma.

  “That’s a fun story!” Astrid smiled at Apollo. He smiled back.

  Grandma stood up. “Now it’s time to get back to work. Come, let’s go pick watermelons.”

  Astrid and Apollo stood up too.

  Grandma looked at Uncle Meng. “Meng, time to wake up!”

  CHAPTER 4

  Thump-Thump

  Uncle Meng shook in his chair and woke up.

  Astrid and Apollo helped Grandma fold the lay and pack up the lunch.

  Uncle Meng stood up and stretched. He opened the van and showed them a big wagon in the back.

  “This is for watermelons,” he said.

  Apollo helped Uncle Meng lift the wagon from the van. Apollo really wanted to ask him about the magic pepper, but he didn’t.

  As they walked toward the field of watermelons, Astrid smiled. She liked thinking about Uncle Meng wishing for a magic pepper. And she liked thinking about Grandma as a little girl gardening on a hill.

  Apollo was smiling too. He whispered, “I wonder where that magic red pepper is. And I wonder what happened to that big watermelon!”

  Soon they got to the field. Watermelons were everywhere!

  Grandma said, “If you find a watermelon that’s too heavy, tell your uncle. He’ll help you put it in the wagon.”

  “How do we know it’s ready to pick?” asked Astrid.

  Uncle Meng pointed to a big watermelon on the ground. “See this curly part sticking out of the stem? Make sure it’s brown. Also look for a flat yellow spot on the bottom.” He showed them the spot.

  “I see it!” said Apollo.

  “Now tap on the watermelon. Listen for a sound like a knock on the door.” Uncle Meng tapped on it and said, “Hear that?”

  Astrid and Apollo heard thump-thump! They nodded.

  “This one’s ready,” said Uncle Meng.

  Apollo saw a round watermelon nearby.

  The curly top of the stem looked brown. He turned the heavy melon over to find the flat yellow spot. Then he tapped the watermelon.

  “I hear the sound!” Apollo said.

  Uncle Meng checked it and said, “Good job!”

  Next Astrid tried to find one. She saw a large watermelon next to a small one. She looked for the brown part of the stem. She found the yellow spot. She tapped the watermelon and said, “Here’s another one!”

  Uncle Meng looked at it. “You got it!” he said.

  That afternoon, Astrid and Apollo walked all over the field. They looked for brown curly stems and yellow spots. They tapped the melons and listened for the thump-thump sound. Then they filled the wagon with many, many watermelons.

  Every time they saw Uncle Meng checking under the leaves, they grinned.

  “I wish we could find a red pepper for Uncle Meng,” Astrid whispered.

  “That would be cool!” said Apollo.

  When they were finally done picking watermelons, they helped Uncle Meng wheel the wagon back to the van.

  “We picked so many watermelons and cucumbers today,” said Apollo.

  “We will have many to sell at the market tomorrow!” said Grandma.

  CHAPTER 5

  Magic Melon

  The next morning, the whole family met Grandma and Uncle Meng at the farmers market.

  Dad parked next to Uncle Meng’s van. He helped him set up a big tent for shade. Apollo helped Mom put up a long table. Astrid and Grandma went to the van to get the cucumbers.

  Eliana sat in her stroller. She watched everyone get ready.

  Astrid put little baskets of cucumbers on the table. Uncle Meng rolled the wagon with watermelons to the front of the table. Apollo and Dad carried the green beans to put on the table too.

  The market was bright and colorful. The air felt hot. Cars drove past on the busy street nearby. It was noisy out. Soon customers came. Everyone was excited to look at the fresh fruits and vegetables.

  Astrid and Apollo looked at the other tables. They saw farmers selling purple eggplants and small green Thai eggplants. They saw tables with big white onions and bright orange carrots.

  They saw tables with lemongrass, red tomatoes, and sweet yellow corn.

  Customers stopped at Grandma’s table. One man bought two baskets of cucumbers for his kids and grandchildren. A woman picked five bags of green beans for her restaurant. A family wanted three of the biggest watermelons for a picnic.

  Astrid and Apollo helped Grandma as more people lined up. The customers liked everything on the table.

  After they left, Apollo said, “People are buying a lot!”

  Astrid counted the money from the customers. “It’s fun to pick, but more fun to sell!”

  Eliana touched the watermelons. “Nia Thy, dee lia!” she said.

  Grandma nodded. “Yes, dee lia for watermelon. Dee for cucumbers.”

  Eliana picked up a cucumber and said, “Dee!”

  Dad looked at the cucumbers up close. “These are the greatest dee I’ve ever seen.”

  “Gao Nou and Nou Kou are good luck. They helped me pick the best,” said Grandma.

  Mom put her arms around them.

  “Nice job, kids,” Mom said. “Do you know that when Grandma was little, she gave away cucumbers—”

  “Because they were too heavy!” Astrid and Apollo said.

  “You know that story?” asked Mom.

  Astrid and Apollo nodded happily.

  Dad lifted a watermelon out of the wagon. “These are really big! Astrid and Apollo, you picked all these too?”

  “They sure did,” said Uncle Meng, “Those are probably the sweetest watermelons in the market!”

  “I’m sure they are. Kids, did you hear about Grandma’s watermelon that rolled away?” said Mom.

  “Yes, and it’s still rolling today!” Astrid and Apollo said.

  “Maybe it was a magic melon!” said Uncle Meng.

  Just then a woman walked by carrying a bag of red peppers.

  Astrid turned to Apollo. “I have an idea!”

  “I think I know what it is!” Apollo said.

  “Mom, can we look at other tables?” Astrid asked.

  “Yes, but don’t go far,” said Mom.

  Astrid and Apollo walked
around the market until they saw it.

  A Hmong farmer was selling packs of hot peppers. He had round bell peppers and skinny chili peppers. He had short, spicy peppers and long, curly peppers.

  Apollo said, “Look!”

  “I see it!” said Astrid.

  They bought a pack and hurried back to Grandma’s table. Then Apollo gave Eliana something. Astrid whispered to her.

  Eliana held her arm behind her back. She walked up to Uncle Meng and put her hand behind his ear.

  “Dah-dah!” she said and pulled out a long red pepper.

  “Wow!” said Uncle Meng in surprise. “It is magic!”

  Everybody laughed. Grandma looked over at Astrid and Apollo and smiled.

  Facts About the Hmong

  Hmong people first lived in southern China. Many of them moved to Southeast Asia in the 1800s. Some Hmong decided to stay in the country of Laos (pronounced LAH-ohs).

  In the 1950s, a war called the Vietnam War started in Southeast Asia. The United States joined this war. They asked the Hmong in Laos to help them. When the U.S. lost the war, Hmong people had to leave Laos.

  After 1975, many Hmong came to the U.S. as refugees. Refugees are people who escape from their country to find a new, safe place to live. Today, Minnesota is home to around 85,000 Hmong.

  Many Hmong American families enjoy outdoor activities like camping, boating, and fishing.

  More About Hmong Farmers

  In Laos, Hmong people lived in the mountains and not on flat land. Because of this, many Hmong farmers used the land on the hillsides to farm.

  Many Hmong people carried their crops on their backs using a karr, a Hmong basket. Today some Hmong farmers still use these baskets.

  Hmong American farmers make up more than half of the farmers at the farmers markets in the Twin Cities in Minnesota.

  Often many members of one family may help at the farm. This means grandparents and grandchildren can work together to pick fruits and vegetables, just like Astrid and Apollo did with their grandmother!

  Some fruits and vegetables that Hmong farmers sell at the farmers market include snow peas, long green beans, cucumbers, bitter melon, tomatoes, cilantro, corn, and spicy red peppers called Hmong peppers!

  Glossary

  beef jerky (BEEF JUR-kee) —

  meat that has been cut into strips and dried

  cucumber (KYOO-kuhm-bur) —

  a long, green vegetable that grows on a vine and has a lot of seeds

  customer (KUHS-tuh-muhr) —

  a person who buys goods or services

  eggplant (EG-plant) —

  a purple vegetable with white flesh and tiny seeds

  farmers market (FAHR-murz MAHR-kit) —

  a gathering of people for the purpose of buying or selling goods such as vegetables and fruits

  lemongrass (LEM-uhn-gras) —

  a grass that smells like lemons and is used as a seasoning

  picnic (PIK-nik) —

  a meal that is eaten outside, often at a park

  scold (SKOHLD) —

  to tell someone in an angry way that he or she has done something wrong

  sunscreen (SUHN-skreen) —

  a lotion that protects your skin from the sun

  Vietnam (vee-et-NAHM) —

  a country in southeastern Asia

  watermelon (WAW-tur-mel-uhn) —

  a large, juicy fruit that grows on vines

  Talk About It

  Astrid and Apollo helped Grandma pick cucumbers and watermelons at the farm. Have you ever picked fruits or vegetables from a garden or farm before? Share what that was like.

  Grandma said farming in Laos is different than in the U.S. How? What did Astrid think about when Grandma said that?

  Why did Uncle Meng want to find a red pepper? What story made him think a pepper could be magic?

  Write It Down

  What happened to the big watermelon Grandma picked when she was a little girl? Draw a picture of Grandma chasing it.

  Uncle Meng told Astrid and Apollo to check for three things when looking for a good watermelon. Make a list of the things he said they should look for.

  Astrid and Apollo saw different kinds of fruits and vegetables at the farmers market. Write a paragraph about the fruits and vegetables you see at the market.

  About the Author

  V.T. Bidania has been writing stories ever since she was five years old. She was born in Laos and grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota, right where Astrid and Apollo live! She has an MFA in Creative Writing from The New School and won a Loft Mirrors and Windows Fellowship. She now lives outside of the Twin Cities and spends her free time reading all the books she can find, writing more stories, and playing with her family’s sweet Morkie.

  About the Illustrator

  Evelt Yanait is a freelance children’s digital artist from Barcelona, Spain, where she grew up drawing and reading wonderful illustrated books. After working as a journalist for an NGO for many years, she decided to focus on illustration, her true passion. She loves to learn, write, travel, and watch documentaries, discovering and capturing new lifestyles and stories whenever she can. She also does social work with children and youth, and she’s currently earning a Social Education degree.

  Astrid and Apollo is published by Picture Window Books, an imprint of Capstone.

  1710 Roe Crest Drive

  North Mankato, Minnesota 56003

  capstonepub.com

  Text copyright © 2021 by V.T. Bidania.

  Illustrations copyright © 2021 by Capstone.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Names: Bidania, V.T., author. | Yanait, Evelt, illustrator.

  Title: Astrid and Apollo and the magic pepper / by V.T. Bidania ; illustrated by Evelt Yanait.

  Description: North Mankato, Minnesota : Picture Window Books, [2021] | Series: Astrid and Apollo | Audience: Ages 6-8. | Audience: Grades K-1. | Summary: During their trip to the farm, Astrid and Apollo enjoy Grandma’s funny stories and Uncle Meng’s magic tricks while picking vegetables to sell at the farmers’ market. Includes facts about the Hmong.

  Identifiers: LCCN 2021002463 (print) | LCCN 2021002464 (ebook) | ISBN 9781515882077 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781515883173 (paperback) | ISBN 9781515891741 (ebook pdf) | ISBN 9781515893301 (ebook)

  Subjects: CYAC: Twins—Fiction. | Brothers and sisters—Fiction. | Grandmothers—Fiction. | Uncles—Fiction. | Gardens—Fiction. | Hmong Americans—Fiction.

  Classification: LCC PZ7.1.B5333 Ap 2021 (print) | LCC PZ7.1.B5333 (ebook) | DDC [E]—dc23

  LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021002463

  LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/20210024

  Designer: Kay Fraser

  Design Elements: Shutterstock: Ingo Menhard, 60, Yangxiong (pattern), 5 and throughout