Night Market Rescue

by Charlotte Cheng, Amber Ren (Illustrator)

Overview

A stray dog stumbles upon the gift of friendship -- and maybe even the promise of home -- while wandering the delight-filled night market in Taipei.

While resting on a stoop, Gogo smells something sweet and spicy on the breeze. It leads him to a place he's never been—a bustling night market where vendors sell delicious treats. As he wanders, sniffing for scraps, GoGo discovers something else as well: a little girl who has gotten separated from her parents. He knows he can help and guides her through the market . . . to where her worried parents wait for her—with open arms for their daughter and GoGo, their new pet!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593531723
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	05/02/2023
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	1,061,853
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Charlotte Cheng’s writing credits include Explore China: A Mulan Discovery Book and BoBo Loves Dumplings, and she has illustrated the picture books Silly McGilly and A Moment in Time. In the field of education, she has written and illustrated K-12 curriculum for a variety of companies such as LeapFrog, Disney, and Wonder Workshop. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, daughter, and two dogs.

Amber Ren spent the first half of her life in China and the second half in America. She is heavily influenced by her bicultural background and enjoys animation and illustration from both the East and the West. Amber graduated from CalArts in 2015 and is currently working in the animation industry (and illustrating picture books in her free time). Her debut picture book Because (written by Mo Willems is a New York Times Best Seller.)

Editorial Reviews

04/03/2023

Roused by a “sweet and spicy” scent on a cooling breeze, black-furred stray GoGo wanders solo on a hot summer’s evening into unknown territory: one of Taipei’s bustling night markets. Vendors line the streets with various treats, and GoGo dodges scooters and strangers, helping himself to “tasty, tender sausage bites/ while slurping ginger tea.” Passersby pay him no mind as he maneuvers the stalls, snacking on scraps as they drop. While capitalizing on a fallen watermelon, he encounters a “scared lost stranger”—a child who quickly becomes a friend. Eager to show his new companion all he’s discovered, GoGo guides the girl through the market, unwittingly leading her back to her parents’ embrace. Cheng (A Moment in Time) draws on her own memories of Taiwanese night markets to write a lively readaloud about finding one’s way home. Capturing a perhaps surprisingly subdued atmosphere, neat digital illustrations from Ren (Because) glow brightly in iridescent hues that grow more vibrant as the story reaches a happy ending for the solitary pooch. Ages 4–7. Author’s agent: Karen Grencik, Red Fox Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Jennifer Rofé, Andrea Brown Literary. (May)

Publishers Weekly

"The Taipei night market makes a fun setting for this familiar story of friendship and found family. Ren’s vibrant illustrations glow with warmth and color . . . Those familiar with Taiwanese night markets and street food will have fun recognizing the different vendor offerings, and others will enjoy the feeling of visiting a new country." —Kirkus

"GoGo’s an undeniably cute pooch, but the star here is the Night Market, gleaming with red lanterns, sparkling with luminescent colors, and peopled with a delightful assortment of characters that viewers can track through the pages. Shifts in perspectives and varied compositions bring the audience right into the hustle and bustle of the street." —BCCB

"Cheng draws on her own memories of Taiwanese night markets to write a lively readaloud about finding one’s way home . . .  neat digital illustrations from Ren glow brightly in iridescent hues that grow more vibrant as the story reaches a happy ending for the solitary pooch." —Publishers Weekly

"Simple text and colorful illustrations bring to life the energy and spirit of a street market. Young children will enjoy both the warm story of a child finding a friend and of a pup finding a home." —School Library Journal

“[S]weet . . . Such a charming book, and the vibrant illustrations brought the night market alive.” —Book Riot
 
“Warm, rich colors, and a nice story about reaching out to help others.” —Wacky Mommy
 
“Charlotte Cheng’s Night Market Rescue aims to expand kids’ palates. Her picture book was inspired by the vivid sights, sounds and smells of the Taiwanese night markets and meals of her childhood.” —Berkeleyside

From the Publisher

05/26/2023

PreS-Gr 3—The vibrant colors and aromas of a Taipei food market come to life in this warm story of friendship and delivery. GoGo, a lean and homeless dog, is sheltering from the heat of a summer night when his nose leads him to a night food market. He delights in the scraps left by careless shoppers and enjoys the small pleasures of chasing a cat and rolling a fallen watermelon. But when he finds a lost and lonely child he also finds a temporary friend and is eager to show her all he has discovered. When she is reunited with her frantic parents, GoGo is again alone. But not for long. Friendship turns to love and a home and GoGo has found a family. Simple text and colorful illustrations bring to life the energy and spirit of a street market. Young children will enjoy both the warm story of a child finding a friend and of a pup finding a home. Recommended as a read-aloud. VERDICT A simple story of friendship and love between a child and a dog.—Eva Elisabeth VonAncken

School Library Journal

2023-02-25
A stray dog makes a friend in a Taipei night market.

It’s a hot, sticky summer evening when GoGo, a lean, dark-furred pooch who is sheltering from the heat, is woken by a breeze carrying a delicious smell. Following the spicy, sweet scent, he finds a market of stands selling fruits, vegetables, and street foods. GoGo dodges scooters, samples the foods, chases a cat…and comes across a small girl who is all alone. The two become immediate friends, but as GoGo leads her through the market, she suddenly stops following. She has found a couple who embrace her, leaving GoGo alone again. Or is he? The Taipei night market makes a fun setting for this familiar story of friendship and found family. Ren’s vibrant illustrations glow with warmth and color, but they often lack the energy of the text. The delicately outlined inked drawings are charming and sweet but a bit too polished and precise to bring to life the bustling night market. Those familiar with Taiwanese night markets and street food will have fun recognizing the different vendor offerings, and others will enjoy the feeling of visiting a new country. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A low-key friendship story. (Picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews