A tale of best friends, one a human child and one a very anthropomorphized boar named Buddy. The strong, expressive gouache paintings with an unusual palette of blue, brown and orange have a hip, contemporary look. Visually appealing and wryly amusing.

—Kirkus Reviews

It's the brash expressive gouache paintings, with their unusual palette of blue, brown and orange, that provide the vibrant colour and comical expressions which carry this humorous and appealing story about the importance of friendship.

—Outside In World

The illustrations are child friendly and the emotion is very clearly expressed on the characters’ faces.

—Youth Services Book Review

But they’re still your mate and they’ve stuck by you so long, so you GUESS they can tag along.

—HoneyKids Asia

“Candied Plums showcases the variety and art of China's children's literature at a time when the United States receives precious little exposure to the vibrancy of contemporary Chinese culture. The books can be used as educational tools to learn about Chinese language about culture, but most crucially stand alone as unique, captivating stories with universal appeal. They are beautifully produced and deserve to be read by children (and adults) the world over.”

—Michael Buening

Director of Public Programs at China Institute

I've known Buddy since the first day of kindergarten. I think he's so annoying when he can't keep up, when he is too fast, and when he talks or not. It's just that I sometimes forget to be annoyed. However having someone around to keep you company and annoy you is a wonderful thing.

Wenzheng Fu is an art professor as well as a picture book creator. Buddy Is So Annoying won the 2014 China's Excellent Children's Book Award.

Adam Lanphier grew up in Washington, D.C., and graduated from Oberlin College with a B.A. in East Asian Studies. He lived in Beijing from 2005 until 2008, where he worked as a writer and freelance translator. Adam currently teaches and translates Mandarin in New York City. He travels whenever he can.