Dim Sum Palace

by X. Fang

A little girl's love of dim sum spills over into her dreams, taking her on a fantastical food-filled adventure, in this picture book love letter to Maurice Sendak's In the Night Kitchen. Beautifully illustrated with a gold foil cover, this is the perfect gift for foodies of all ages.

Liddy is so excited about going to the Dim Sum Palace tomorrow with her family that she can't sleep. So when a delicious smell wafts into her room, she hops out of bed, opens her door and steps into . . . an actual palace of dim sum! There are dumplings, baos, buns and more delicious treats than one girl can possibly eat. Liddy just has to take a bite, but she slips and falls . . . into a bowl of dumpling filling. The chefs are so busy rolling, folding and pinching dough that they don't notice they've prepared a most unusual dumpling for the Empress — a Liddy dumpling! Worst of all, she looks good enough to eat . . .

This deliciously humorous debut picture book, inspired by X. Fang's memories as a child of epic dim sum feasts, is a dreamworld adventure that is at once a glorious celebration of the sensory world of childhood and a loving helping of food, family and culture.

Genres: Picture Books, Food, Childrens, Fantasy, Fiction, Storytime, Asian Literature

48 pages, Hardcover

First published September 12, 2023

About the author

Hello! I’m X. Fang. I am a visual artist and maker of books for young readers. I was born in Taiwan, raised in Atlanta, Georgia, bounced around Brooklyn and Philly before settling down in Midcoast Maine with my husband, son, and dog.

Reviews

[Mai H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liddy dreams of dim sum. Same. This book made me so hungry. I need Cantonese food now. My soy allergy unfortunately says otherwise.

📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Tundra Books

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dim Sum Palace is a very cute little picture book showing us a young girl, in her excitement for going to the Dim Sum Palace the next day, has vivid dreams that night of going to a real dim sum palace with an empress and delicious food. It's an uncomplicated story with a simple rhythm and it delivers lots of easy fun. The illustrations are cute too. It's worth the read for anyone looking for a cute, stress-free, fun food story.

[Karen Witzler · Rating 2 out of 5]

Neither the story nor the illustrations appealed. I did love the endpapers which are a pictorial menu of the offerings of the Dim Sum Palace.

Reviews likened it to In the Night Kitchen - but I found it lacked the detail and primal quality of that masterwork. Not read to children - just by my aging self.

[Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé]

Dim Sum Palace was such a delightful read. I picked it up on a whim while in Foyles earlier this month and then I had a bookseller tell me that he loved this book and actually gifted it to some friends for Christmas.

I used to read a lot of picture books during undergrad while I was taking a children's literature module for my English degree and I really miss reading them!

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's giving In the Night Kitchen while still feeling new and fresh.

[Barbara Glynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful!! Beautiful illustrations and a sweet, lovely story.

[Miki · Rating 3 out of 5]

In an effort to find books to get for my nephew, I borrowed X. Fang's debut children's book Dim Sum Palace from the library. I love the illustrations, the story, and the character Liddy, but I didn't love the ambiguous pronoun reference towards the end of the story. I know I'm being picky, but this book retails for $24.99(CAD) plus tax, so I have high expectations. While I think it would be great to expose my nephew to different cultural and culinary delights (I LOVE DIM SUM), I don't know how I feel parting with an almost $30 book that has even one grammatical error in it—especially when it's a children's book and this error should have been caught and corrected prior to publication. My feelings of frustration are directed at the publisher, not Fang because it's the publisher's job to proofread and edit the manuscript. Anyhow, this is likely only something that bothers me, but I can say that I wouldn't buy this for my friends' kids and if I bought it for my nephew, I would only buy this book when it's on sale or with a discount.

[Physical, borrowed from library]

[Dawn Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an adorable book about a little girl who is so excited to be going to someplace new that she can barely sleep [or so she thinks] and finds herself taking a little trip [in her dreams]. Filled with fun illustrations and a lovely story about having to wait and the rewards that come from that, littles and adults alike will love this book and it will make them really HUNGRY by the end [which has a lovely little page of illustrations of food that you can find at a Dim Sum restaurant]!! Well done!!

Thank you to NetGalley, X. Fang, and Penguin Random House Canada/Tundra Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Peacegal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shades of IN THE NIGHT KITCHEN with this fun and fantastical story of a little girl who dreams of visiting a surreal Dim Sum Palace.

Veg*n families note: While animal products aren't mentioned specifically in the text (and I found this awesome and refreshing--as dim sum can be made plant-based too, just like every other food product) the endpapers do depict images of items including a disembodied chicken's foot. Veg families can easily skip that unpleasantness and be inspired by this book to make their own veggie dim sum!

[Heaven · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was such a sweet book, the art style was so cozy and just made me feel like a child again reading a picture book. i have to say that the expression on libby’s face as they prepared the dumpling with her in it made me giggle but also her waking up and craving the food?? that is so me it’s not even funny.

[Chloe Ritchie]

Dim Sum Palace is a beautiful and important picture book that is filled to the brim with humour and child-like wonder. I throughly enjoyed reading it, the plot and the story are quite simple but it packs a very tasty punch. The illustrations are absolutely beautiful and I loved the details behind in the endpapers.

[Johnnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was sooo close to a 5 star for me! If it was just a few pages longer haha! But it was very cute, also read to me by my friend for the book club which made it even better!

[Sirah · Rating 4 out of 5]

The night before the family's trip to the Dim Sum Palace, a little girl can't sleep. She has a wild dream of dim sum that doesn't quite match the actual restaurant.

This story is playful and silly and made me hungry. It doesn't have much of a plot, though.

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations, cute and intriguing . Beautiful end papers too. A sweet story takes a turn when Liddy finds herself dishes up as a dumpling 🥟 Dreamlike , charming and funny , will make you hungry 😋

[Jennifer Li · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations. Simple yet delightful story that will capture the imagination (little people as well as grown ups!). It will also make you want to have dim sum immediately!!

[Kevin Warman · Rating 3 out of 5]

An adorable story, Libby dreams of the Dim Sum Palace. What she wakes up to is a delicious meal with her family. I enjoyed the illustrations and colors.

[Bistra Ivanova · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one! Lovely artwork and a cute story about the girl who dreams about going to the Dim Sum Palace and some adventures happen there... Beautiful story about the Chinese cuisine.

[Guilherme Semionato · Rating 2 out of 5]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QC3G...

[GBC]

Read to by momma

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little girl is so excited about her family's plans to visit the Dim Sum Palace tomorrow that her dreams are filled with fantastical visions of what it will be like. Giant chefs cook up bao and dumplings and soup for the giant Empress of Dim Sum Palace. When Liddy is baked into one of the dumplings and served up to the Empress, she almost becomes dinner herself. Fortunately, the Empress doesn't eat little girls, even when they're baked into dumplings. And even though the real Dim Sum Palace is entirely different than Liddy imagined when they go the next day, she thinks it's just as good.

The illustrations in this picture book were so luscious and definitely had my stomach rumbling. I loved how X. Fang brought the magic of visiting a new place and eating great food as a kid back to life. Everything is wonderfully larger than life.

[Amanda Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm reminded of In the Night Kitchen, that dark turn when a child might actually be eaten. It's just a dream. You will crave dim sum

[ℛ. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A simple yet cute story.

[Ancilla · Rating 4 out of 5]

11. Read a picture book published in the last five years.

Wish I had this book when I was 5 years old!

[Lata · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liddy is so excited to go to the Dim Sum Palace the next day that she dreams about food and meeting an empress.
The illustrations are cute, and I got hungry reading this sweet story.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Penguin Random House Canada for this ARC in exchange for my review.

[Shoshanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable!!! I want to be fed giant dumplings by a giant Empress too!!!

[Aolund · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delicious and beautifully illustrated dream adventure, a la In The Night Kitchen, where Liddy travels to the Dim Sum Palace, gets cooked into a dumpling, and meets the Empress, before waking up and enjoying some real life wonderful Dim Sum with her family the next day.

Themes: Food, Dreams
Age range: Toddler-Kindergarten

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was really fun. Child is going on adventure tomorrow to the dim sum palace. They have never been and they dream at night of going to this palace and getting stuck in the food and becoming dinner. The real palace is nothing like their dreams but the food is even better.

[wordjellyreview · Rating 5 out of 5]

DIM SUM PALACE By author illustrator X. FANG

Dim Sum Palace is a fantastical story of a girl whose obsession for dim sums and dumplings takes her on a magical adventure into a Dim Sum palace, where she ends up becoming a dumpling herself.

Liddy is going to go to Dim Sum palace with her family the next day. Her feverish excitement almost leads her into sleeplessness. And at bedtime, she is drawn into an aromatic whiff of dumplings, leading her all the way to Dim Sum palace and straight into the chef’s kitchen. Barely noticed by the busy chef, Liddy accidentally rolls into the filling and becomes a dumpling herself.

At the Dim Sum palace, the empress is hungry for dumplings. Will the empress get a bite of the most remarkable dumpling of all, the ‘Liddy dumpling’? Or will Liddy enjoy a feast of sumptuous dumplings, she had been craving for?

In the book Dim Sum palace, author illustrator, X. Fang has created an adorable character, Liddy who is also inquisitive about how the Dim Sum palace would look like. This inquisition leads her into an imaginative dream, where she conceives a beautiful picture of the palace with the garden and the empress. It is noteworthy to see the imaginative ideas that can be generated in a young child's mind. It is this imagination that gives way to creative thoughts and ideas.

The book Dim Sum palace delves into Liddy’s world, where Liddy is the perfect epitome of a food lover.  The book Dim Sum palace will help its readers engage in its bright precise illustrations along with the various depictions of dim sums, dumplings, bao’s, buns and more. The book represents Liddy’s love for her food and culture. It also portrays Liddy enjoying a hearty meal with her family.

The book Dim Sum palace is about loving your food, family and culture. Above all it’s a great read for all the food lovers and food cravers.

Author illustrator X. Fang is a visual artist and maker of books for young children. This is her debut book. Publisher : Penguin Random House Canada.

[Widad Ahmad · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Dim Sum Palace" is a children's picture book written by an Asian author " X. Fang". The story talks about a young girl named Liddy who wanted to visit a dim sum restaurant with her family. She was so excited to fall asleep so she could try it out the next day. the night before she went to the restaurant the girl dreamed that she went there after she followed the smell of the food. When she arrived she found two chefs making dim sum and the restaurant had all these amazing asian food types and sweet treats. When Liddy tried to get a bite from dim sum , she slipped and fell into a bowl of dumpling filling that the chef was stirring without noticing that she was even there. The chef folded her and she was dumpling and ready to be eaten by the empress . However, the empress noticed her after Liddy yelled and said don't eat me. Liddy ate with the empress so many dim sum to the point that she fell to sleep. She woke up the next day and found that it was all a dream and there was no Dim Sum palace and there was no empress. She also tasted the Dim Sum in the real restaurant and found that it tasted way better than the one she had in her dreams .
I really liked the book because it has a delightful introduction to Chinese cuisine and traditions, filled with vibrant illustrations that bring the experience to life. I will definitely recommend it to any preschool to 2nd grade level teachers because the book makes the students explore the various dishes and the cultural significance of dim sum. I loved how the book was structured and designed because it combines culinary adventure with family bonding. I can also use it in my classroom as a teacher when I talk about culture.

[Christina Barber · Rating 4 out of 5]

X. Fang’s “Dim Sum Palace” is the wonderful adventure of Liddy, the young main character who is excited by the upcoming family outing to the Dim Sum Palace the next morning. In her dreams, Liddy is transported to a real palace, where she is made into a dumpling and served up to an empress. Endearing and sometimes comical illustrations bring Liddy’s journey to life. Reminiscent of Maurice Sendak’s “In the Night Kitchen,” this whimsical story is itself an ode to the delicacies of dim sum and their tempting flavours. As a child, I remember the magic of carts full of baskets and delightful little parcels that tasted as good as they looked. The ambiance of the noisy restaurant and the dance of the carts’ servers in tempting you to try new dishes and to load up on favourites was wonderful and exciting. This book brought back wonderful memories and makes a wonderful story to share with children - both for dim sum aficionados and newbies alike. 

Teacher Tips

* This would make a great Lunar New Year read, talking about the importance of food in different cultures.  

* As part of a collection of books relating the importance of cultural foods, this would make a great addition.  

* The artwork in the front cover shows a great number of classic dim sum dishes. It would be great to bring some into the classroom to try. Or, if you’re a parent, take your kids out for the experience.

* Read along withe Maurice Sendak’s “In the Night Kitchen” - what is the draw of the dream world? Into whose kitchen would your students and children want to be transported? What might they see?