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White Pumpkin Seed
Vanessa, the daughter of Australian parents, grows up in Taiwan adopted by local farmers. The story follows her journey from 1978 to '89. She experiences a childhood surrounded by love, death, poverty, and beautiful nature. Vanessa discovers music to express her joy and grief. She puts her soul into the music notes melting her listeners’ hearts. Music brings her into the larger world and on a journey to a surprise discovery.
Discover the Taiwanese culture in this heart touching and uplifting story.
Discover the Taiwanese culture in this heart touching and uplifting story.
- GenresFiction
133 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 27, 2014
87 people are currently reading
121 people want to read
About the author
Annie Wang
3 books4 followersAnnie Wang grew up in Taiwan's countryside. She received a Bachelor in Music Teaching from the University of Western Australia in Perth and taught piano in Australia, Taiwan, Germany, and the USA. White Pumpkin Seed is her first novel.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
August 16, 2020
A Lovely Little Book
Oh what a nice little book! I enjoyed having a taste of Taiwanese culture and following the story that had such a lovely ending after some ups and downs.
I realize this is not a New York Times bestseller but it really is a special book to touch as one’s heart. If you get a chance, I would recommend finding it. As for me,I got it free. What a treasure!
Oh what a nice little book! I enjoyed having a taste of Taiwanese culture and following the story that had such a lovely ending after some ups and downs.
I realize this is not a New York Times bestseller but it really is a special book to touch as one’s heart. If you get a chance, I would recommend finding it. As for me,I got it free. What a treasure!
August 19, 2020
This book which I bought from a free e-book site is written for young people about a girl who was born in Austraila and adopted as a baby by a childless couple in a village in the countryside of Taiwan. It reminded me of the short children's books with chapters that I used to read with my friend acr=oss the street. I would sit with her on my front porch swing with a big pile of books between us, reading for hours.
The chapters are very short but have memorable but have memorable stories like the story about a boy who got bite by a dangerous snake, the 10 pace snake. The name was because if a man was bite by that snake, he could only walk 10 paces and he would die.
Most of the stories took place in 1978 on her parents geese farm of 10,000 geese.The story of The Pigeon Contest which told the story of why she an Australian baby came to be adopted by the Taiwanese couple. There are tales of the child abuse that her childroom friend endured to the great moments of happiness living on Taiwan.
The chapters are very short but have memorable but have memorable stories like the story about a boy who got bite by a dangerous snake, the 10 pace snake. The name was because if a man was bite by that snake, he could only walk 10 paces and he would die.
Most of the stories took place in 1978 on her parents geese farm of 10,000 geese.The story of The Pigeon Contest which told the story of why she an Australian baby came to be adopted by the Taiwanese couple. There are tales of the child abuse that her childroom friend endured to the great moments of happiness living on Taiwan.
January 30, 2025
Fantastic and emotional!
I wasn't expecting to ditch my whole afternoon to have to finish this! I had tears in my eyes several times.
Annie Wang was a household name at my place for 30 years because I used the rainbow book as a homeschool mom to teach all three of my kids. At a certain point with my mobility issues and confidence issues in piano I also rebuilt my technique from ground up using the Rainbow book to improvise.
I even got friends kids interested in music using the rainbow book. So I've been curious about Annie and her family. I had no idea that her story would be such a page turner though! I hope she will do another book of part 2 with her family and her son who was a piano prodigy. I would love an update on the other people in the book too.
I wasn't expecting to ditch my whole afternoon to have to finish this! I had tears in my eyes several times.
Annie Wang was a household name at my place for 30 years because I used the rainbow book as a homeschool mom to teach all three of my kids. At a certain point with my mobility issues and confidence issues in piano I also rebuilt my technique from ground up using the Rainbow book to improvise.
I even got friends kids interested in music using the rainbow book. So I've been curious about Annie and her family. I had no idea that her story would be such a page turner though! I hope she will do another book of part 2 with her family and her son who was a piano prodigy. I would love an update on the other people in the book too.
January 3, 2018
White Pumpkin SeedddEdetingd
This is a well written story about a girl born in Australia and adopted by a couple in Taiwan. It seems almost like it was taken from a dairy and the young girl is telling her story.. The characters are very good. The story is good. I feel it is real. Very short and to the point about a young girl and the road of life she has traveled up to her teenage years. Very interesting to read how others live.
This is a well written story about a girl born in Australia and adopted by a couple in Taiwan. It seems almost like it was taken from a dairy and the young girl is telling her story.. The characters are very good. The story is good. I feel it is real. Very short and to the point about a young girl and the road of life she has traveled up to her teenage years. Very interesting to read how others live.
November 15, 2019
Eye Opener
This was really a sweet story. Gave me new insight as to what it feels like to be someone different then the culture in which a person lives. I never thought about it so much considering kids from other countries being adopted to American families. But it was a new experience to think about what it would be like to be a Westerner adopted into a different culture. This is a good good, a little slow in the beginning but in the end it really grabbed me.
This was really a sweet story. Gave me new insight as to what it feels like to be someone different then the culture in which a person lives. I never thought about it so much considering kids from other countries being adopted to American families. But it was a new experience to think about what it would be like to be a Westerner adopted into a different culture. This is a good good, a little slow in the beginning but in the end it really grabbed me.
May 14, 2020
White Pumpkin Seed
I enjoyed reading "White Pumpkin Seed" very much. It was an interesting story about a blond girl recalling her life growing up in Taiwan after being adopted by Chinese goose farmers. Her parents have her take English lesson from an Australian tutor
because she was born in Australia. This helps her when she goes to Australia when she's twenty to meet her birth mother. The story takes an unexpected twist there which I liked a lot.
I enjoyed reading "White Pumpkin Seed" very much. It was an interesting story about a blond girl recalling her life growing up in Taiwan after being adopted by Chinese goose farmers. Her parents have her take English lesson from an Australian tutor
because she was born in Australia. This helps her when she goes to Australia when she's twenty to meet her birth mother. The story takes an unexpected twist there which I liked a lot.
August 17, 2020
Enjoyable...Shares a bit of Taiwanese culture
This was a short read and I enjoyed it. It taught me a bit about Taiwan culture with it's goose farm and rice fields. It is also about the love given in this warm and loving adoptive and supportive parents and the courage and determination of Vanessa, the adoptive daughter. This fictional story is told simply and straightforward. I will be looking for more of Annie Wong & Hello Hoffman's books.
This was a short read and I enjoyed it. It taught me a bit about Taiwan culture with it's goose farm and rice fields. It is also about the love given in this warm and loving adoptive and supportive parents and the courage and determination of Vanessa, the adoptive daughter. This fictional story is told simply and straightforward. I will be looking for more of Annie Wong & Hello Hoffman's books.
January 16, 2018
I enjoyed reading this story because I knew next to nothing about the Taiwanese culture. Also, the construction of the story and the storytelling were pretty good. What made me stop and wonder were the coincidences and the unbelievability factor of some of the plot turns. Other than that, I read the book in one sitting at late night and had a pretty good time doing that.
January 31, 2020
I forgave much of the writing as I went through this book because I was somehow under the impression that it was a memoir written by a very young adult. I was fascinated by the unique and unlikely adoption story and the paternity surprise at the end. It wasn’t until I finished the book that I realized it was a work of fiction. I’m glad it was short so I didn’t waste too much time on it.
April 6, 2020
This was a quick read and I enjoyed it a!!. One of the things I noticed about the characters of this book was that they were very grateful. There were sad events and happy ones. Over all it was a very uplifting story.
This book would be just right for those of us who do not want vulgarity or violence in our books
This book would be just right for those of us who do not want vulgarity or violence in our books
July 13, 2021
Real Parents
The people we grow up with are our real family. The people who give birth to us are also our family even though we may never know them to a full extent. Ali had a good life and yearned for nothing except for trying to find good for her friends who sometimes had a tough life. I truly liked this story and surprised myself for that.
The people we grow up with are our real family. The people who give birth to us are also our family even though we may never know them to a full extent. Ali had a good life and yearned for nothing except for trying to find good for her friends who sometimes had a tough life. I truly liked this story and surprised myself for that.
July 15, 2021
This story is written very simplistically in first person from a young girl’s perspective. It’s interesting enough, but was lacking in character emotion, and also many of the scenes lacked depth. There was a lot of ‘telling’ vs ‘showing’. The characters were likable enough to keep wanting to read more. The ending had a nice surprise.
April 12, 2018
Very interesting
This is a well written and interesting book. I felt like I could experience growing up in Taiwan through Vanessa. The outcome of the story is a surprise and heartwarming.
This is a well written and interesting book. I felt like I could experience growing up in Taiwan through Vanessa. The outcome of the story is a surprise and heartwarming.
April 20, 2020
Another beautiful story!
When I got the book, didn't realize that it wasted story. I really enjoyed the people in the stoey, especially the main character. A story of an orphan and her adoption to parents in another country.
When I got the book, didn't realize that it wasted story. I really enjoyed the people in the stoey, especially the main character. A story of an orphan and her adoption to parents in another country.
November 17, 2022
👏👏
The complexity yet innocence found within a children's book will always amaze me. This read was quick and easy, but utterly powerful at the same time. I love reading to my children, especially when it's something meaningful and worthwhile.
The complexity yet innocence found within a children's book will always amaze me. This read was quick and easy, but utterly powerful at the same time. I love reading to my children, especially when it's something meaningful and worthwhile.
March 30, 2018
White Pumpkin Seed
An interesting story of adoption, friendships and traditions. A surprising twist between teacher and student. I enjoyed her reaction to the music she played
An interesting story of adoption, friendships and traditions. A surprising twist between teacher and student. I enjoyed her reaction to the music she played
October 5, 2019
Good read
I found this an interesting gentle read. I stayed very interested in the story. I was sorry for her heart breaks and found joy in her triumphs.
Rita Bennett
I found this an interesting gentle read. I stayed very interested in the story. I was sorry for her heart breaks and found joy in her triumphs.
Rita Bennett
November 20, 2019
Stunning
Written with great imagination, this story of family love and friendship will warm your heart and maybe even teach you a bit about classical music.
Written with great imagination, this story of family love and friendship will warm your heart and maybe even teach you a bit about classical music.
July 29, 2020
An insight into the mind of a young women born in Australia and adopted into Thailand by a couple from there. Follow her early life
August 23, 2020
Interesting reading
Beautiful story! She is a very strong young lady and even a hard life but she made it a good life. A thoroughly good read.
Beautiful story! She is a very strong young lady and even a hard life but she made it a good life. A thoroughly good read.
November 5, 2020
The life of a young girl adopted from Australia by a Taiwanese couple written with exquisite thought and emotion.
September 23, 2018
This book is fiction.
It’s so frustrating to read along, thinking a book is non-fiction, only to discover it isn’t. Otherwise, I enjoyed this little story very much.
It’s so frustrating to read along, thinking a book is non-fiction, only to discover it isn’t. Otherwise, I enjoyed this little story very much.
December 11, 2014
This young adult novel was about a young Australian girl who was adopted by local farmers in Taiwan. It seems to be the reverse of most adoption stories I have read.
It was a heartwarming story of growing up as a blond Taiwanese, in a small farming village, where she was very loved and had great friends. Music became her way of expressing herself, putting all of her emotions into the pieces she played on the piano. Through this gift, she was eventually able to find out who her birth parents were. Wonderful descriptions of how she and her friends would entertain themselves and of the areas around where she lived, and of the people that were a part of her life.
It was a heartwarming story of growing up as a blond Taiwanese, in a small farming village, where she was very loved and had great friends. Music became her way of expressing herself, putting all of her emotions into the pieces she played on the piano. Through this gift, she was eventually able to find out who her birth parents were. Wonderful descriptions of how she and her friends would entertain themselves and of the areas around where she lived, and of the people that were a part of her life.
May 21, 2015
I really loved this story. Though the chapters were sometimes a little abrupt, it really didn't take away from the amazing story of an Australian girl adopted and raised by a family in Taiwan. I loved all the explanations of different cultural traditions and beliefs. I highly recommend this to anyone interested in other cultures, especially Taiwanese. This story really pulled at my heartstrings. It is a fictional work based on the author's childhood experiences, and it makes me wonder which parts were fictional, and which parts were real.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews