The review
In the odd and crazy shopping world that is Taobao, I've discovered the books of my dreams.
I can't deny that this is probably one of my most favourite book reviews because this is by far one of the wackiest books I've read with Foolet to date.
Loosely translated as "Rice cakes go to a bathhouse", this is a humorous book that takes anthropomorphism to another level. You join 2 rice cake pals, Ah Nian and Ah Gao as they go on their search for the Holy Grail of Public Baths. Originally a Japanese book, you'll probably observe a lot of scenes not out of the ordinary in Japan (and likely parts of Taiwan and South Korea too) as our friends explore various thematic baths with a twist.
There's a shoyu dip, an oven toaster sauna, a Kinako sand bath, and a hotpot soak. For each scene, witness the trials and tribulations as they endeavor to find the bath of their dreams; some unfortunate, some downright disastrous but all hilarious.
It's well-illustrated - the entrance to the bath house was very well-drawn. The assembly of the scenes are also carefully thought out, the sushi dipping in soy sauce, the dangos rolling gleefully in the Kinako sand, the bread toasting in the oven, the tofu soaking in the hotpot, each scene unfolds in a way that captures reality in its full hilarity.
This book is in traditional Chinese, so you might find it a bit more challenging to read (I did!), but it's well worth the googling. I'm also not particularly fussed that this book is for older children, but take note that you'll need to be the one reading it.