Children's Book Review: Dumpling Days by Grace Lin

(8+)

FOOD. That is the focus of Dumpling Days. A beautiful, detailed, delicious story of a yummy food adventure in Taiwan. In particular, dumplings - soup dumplings, Japanese gyozas, Chinese dumpling soup and mochi dumplings are all part of this wonderful story, teaching children about the cultural heritage surrounding these well-loved dishes.

Dumpling Days by Grace Lin is a fantastic book which teaches children about difference and diversity. Following a young girl (Pacy) and her family during an epic holiday in Asia, the story sees Pacy struggle with her Asian-American identity, ashamed of feeling different in both Taiwan and the U.S. The author cleverly urges us to be sympathetic towards her protagonist through heartfelt writing and charming pictures, encouraging us to open our minds, and our taste-buds, to every culture, religion and cuisine!

Be ready to sample the colourful detail of Taiwan’s street artists, markets, music and cafes, which will fill your child’s desire to explore and meet people from all walks of life.

Coupled with charming illustrations and a dumpling recipe, I imagine any child reading this book will want to eat their way through every dish!