Jade is a curious nine-year-old who likes to help out at her family’s Chinese restaurant, The Fragrant Garden, after school. Though she is often allowed to help set tables or clean up, she longs to be part of the more exciting tasks such as helping in the kitchen or using the cash register. Her father thinks she is too young for these responsibilities - until a fire breaks out in the kitchen. Jade’s quick-thinking response wins her praise and her father reconsiders her request for more responsibility at the Fragrant Garden. This playful character will win the hearts and minds of all who know and love a lively, precocious youngster.

Day’s Lee was born in Montreal and is the youngest of three children. Her parents, who emigrated from China, operated a Canadian-Chinese restaurant in a Greek and Jewish neighborhood for many years and her memories of working in the family business are the basis for many stories, including The Fragrant Garden. Lee graduated from Concordia University with a BA in Journalism and English Literature. Being a writer was a childhood dream she realized as an adult when her first published short story, ”Tradition“, was a runner-up in a nationwide contest held by Storyteller magazine in 1996. Other awards include runner-up in the 2001 CBC Radio Short Story Contest for ”Warrior Women“, and second place in the Ontario branch of the Canadian Authors Association Short Story and Essay Contest, October 1999, for the short story ”Sisters“. Lee’s Arthur Ellis Award shortlisted stories can also be found in the well-known Ladies’ Killing Circle anthologies, Fit to Die (2001) and When Boomers Go Bad (Fall 2005). Day’s Lee uses her children’s stories as a way to tell her nieces and nephews about family history and Chinese customs and traditions. Currently, she is a freelance writer with feature articles appearing in national magazines such as New Canadian, The Beaver, and Canadian Living.

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The Fragrant Garden