BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) – OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: SEVERAL
Zia doesn’t like lunchtime
because the other children make fun of her home-cooked Cantonese dishes. They
look and smell unfamiliar to everyone except Zia, who secretly loves them. When
she asks her parents for lunches that resemble those of the other kids, her
parents promise to give her a week full of meals with special meanings. Monday
is tong yun (rice dumplings) which represent togetherness. Tuesday is cha siu bao
(barbecued pork buns) which represent treasure, and so on. Each day, Zia gets a
little more comfortable eating her food during lunch and attributes subsequent events
during the day to that food’s message. By Thursday, she is sharing her meal
with a friend, and on Friday, her parents bring a feast for everyone in her
class to enjoy.
This is a familiar story with Cantonese
dishes taking center stage. I wish I could have had a bite of each dish Zia
brings for lunch throughout the week as I read along. If you like Chinese food,
do not read this book hungry! It is a loving tribute to the author’s childhood memories
of eating these dishes (which she explains in an Author’s Note) while encouraging
young readers to learn more about a culture through its food. Back matter also includes
a recipe for Lucky Yi Mein (noodles) and a list and description of the featured
Cantonese dishes.
--Reviewer: P.K. Foster, MLS,
elementary school teacher-librarian
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