Laolao's Dumplings

Starred review from October 9, 2023
A grandchild takes on a cultural culinary tradition in this quietly moving tale about intergenerational and community bonds. One spring day during a visit with Laolao, young narrator Millie, who’s of Chinese descent, requests dumplings, and the two take the subway to Chinatown for ingredients. There, Laolao knows every vendor, and animated garlic chives and lychee appear to dance in the air. At home, the two work together, an act that reprises as Laolao, who has begun to move slowly, “tells me all the steps to her best dishes” and one day gives Millie her rolling pin. When Laolao requests dumplings, Millie heads to Chinatown to buy groceries from the woman’s extended community, discovering a ripple effect of caring and connection. Moon’s highly detailed, thin-lined digital illustrations capture the bustle of Chinatown and the sensory details of creating dumplings as a grandparent’s knowledge in turn becomes a way of caring for her. A dumpling recipe concludes. Ages 4–8.

October 15, 2023
Millie and Laolao love to cook dumplings together, but one day Laolao can't make them anymore. Millie, a child with straight black hair and tawny skin, is dropped off at Laolao's (Mandarin Chinese for grandmother) by Mama, who is Chinese, and brown-skinned Papi. Millie suggests they make dumplings, so the two head to Chinatown for ingredients. Laolao knows everyone there, and all the "aunties" and "uncles," though not related to Millie or Laolao, feel like family. Millie spends the summer visiting Laolao, but Laolao is slowing down. One day, Laolao is too tired to make dumplings. The two spend the fall snuggling by the window, and by winter, Millie's parents are bringing Laolao's meals to her. They're good, but everyone misses Laolao's dumplings. Millie has an idea, and Mama, Papi, and Millie head to Chinatown. There, all of Laolao's friends express their concern, sending best wishes and special ingredients back with the family. Then it's Millie, Mama, and Papi who get to work in the kitchen, a new generation of dumpling-makers creating delicious memories to share with Laolao. Moon's digital art incorporates bright colors inside black outlines, reminiscent of graphic novels. Varied layouts and compositions create visual interest, albeit sometimes at the expense of consistency. The realistic scenes full of detail most strongly convey the strength of community and family. A sweet story that brings connections and food traditions to a satisfying full circle. (recipe for dumplings) (Picture book. 4-8)

COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

November 1, 2023

K-Gr 2-Readers will savor the vivid illustrations that depict the loving connections between family and community, as shared through the makings of a dish of homemade dumplings. A girl named Millie loves spending time cooking with Laolao, her maternal grandmother, who teaches her delicious recipes and takes her on grocery shopping trips through their local, busy Chinatown. The lively descriptions of a shopping trip and subsequent cooking showcase a heartfelt regard for the tradition of making and sharing dumplings with loved ones, as does the cultural practice of calling close friends and neighbors "aunt" or "uncle" to honor the close connections. Readers will appreciate the flow of the story that repeats its cycle of events as Millie and her parents make their own dumplings to bring to Laolao when she becomes tired. In the wake of Laolao's declining health, the community rallies to her side, and Millie draws on her coveted memories of Laolao's dumplings to prepare the dish for her, with her parents' help. There is little exploration of Millie's emotional response to these changes; readers who feel distress about Laolao's decline may benefit from guidance that strengthens their understanding of the family and friends' actions to support and honor the older woman. Moon's digital artwork presents striking compositions full of bold outlines and highly saturated colors filling the forms of diverse characters, as well as the details in Laolao's kitchen and the streets of Chinatown. VERDICT Strong colors and precise lines abound across the pages of this story about family and community support, inspired by a food that fills the heart.-Rachel Mulligan

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2023
Grades K-3 In this heartwarming story of a grandma's delicious family recipe and tradition, Laolao has a lively kitchen, showered in the aroma of fresh jasmine tea. When Millie asks for yummy dumplings, she and Laolao venture to a market for fresh ingredients, like chives and shrimp. Every vendor they meet is like family, and every selection is memorable. They return home and work together to knead, mince, peel, whisk, roll, and fill the dumplings, using the special rolling pin Laolao got from her own mother. When Laolao is old enough that making dumplings is too hard, Millie takes the lead, picking out fresh ingredients from their local market and, with her parents, making the dumplings. Now it is Laolao's turn to be spoiled with delicious food. Moon's warm, expressive artwork nicely depicts the liveliness of Chinatown in scenes packed with detail, particularly the clearly drawn ingredients and (occasionally lumpy!) dumplings. An author's note and a dumpling recipe close out this cozy intergenerational story about the important food traditions that bring families and communities together.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from January 1, 2024
Millie visits her laolao (grandmother) in spring, and together they make Millie's favorite dish -- homemade dumplings. To get the right ingredients, the pair heads to Chinatown to visit several lively neighborhood markets, buying vegetables and shrimp as well as lychee for a special treat. Back home, they prepare the filling; fold and cook the dumplings; and share a tasty meal and a poignant moment. As the seasons go by, however, Laolao's strength and cognition wane, and she becomes "too tired" for all that preparation. In winter, Millie leads her parents to the markets, and the three of them make dumplings for Laolao, accompanied by gifts from the shopkeepers -- flowers, medicinal roots, a lucky scroll, and more. Eye-catching illustrations feature expansive double-page spreads of the neighborhood shops, drawing readers in to explore each tiny detail. The pictures resonate with love, complementing the predominant theme of family closeness and the book's casual diversity (Mom is Chinese; Dad is Black). Between the warm palette and the close-ups of Laolao's and Millie's faces, it's clear that joy comes through food for these two, and they share this special bond. This book does a gentle yet superb job of showing the effects of older family members experiencing age-related issues, but from the child's perspective -- what they see and feel and how they try to help as best they can. An author's note provides background information and the author's own ("no longer secret") family dumpling recipe. J. Elizabeth Mills

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

January 1, 2024
Millie visits her laolao (grandmother) in spring, and together they make Millie's favorite dish -- homemade dumplings. To get the right ingredients, the pair heads to Chinatown to visit several lively neighborhood markets, buying vegetables and shrimp as well as lychee for a special treat. Back home, they prepare the filling; fold and cook the dumplings; and share a tasty meal and a poignant moment. As the seasons go by, however, Laolao's strength and cognition wane, and she becomes "too tired" for all that preparation. In winter, Millie leads her parents to the markets, and the three of them make dumplings for Laolao, accompanied by gifts from the shopkeepers -- flowers, medicinal roots, a lucky scroll, and more. Eye-catching illustrations feature expansive double-page spreads of the neighborhood shops, drawing readers in to explore each tiny detail. The pictures resonate with love, complementing the predominant theme of family closeness and the book's casual diversity (Mom is Chinese; Dad is Black). Between the warm palette and the close-ups of Laolao's and Millie's faces, it's clear that joy comes through food for these two, and they share this special bond. This book does a gentle yet superb job of showing the effects of older family members experiencing age-related issues, but from the child's perspective -- what they see and feel and how they try to help as best they can. An author's note provides background information and the author's own ("no longer secret") family dumpling recipe.

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)