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Dumpling Dreams: How Joyce Chen Brought the Dumpling from Beijing to Cambridge
In this picture book biography, get to know Chef Joyce Chen who is famous for popularizing Chinese food in the northeastern United States.
How far can an apron,
a bowl, or a book
take one small Chinese girl
with a passion to cook?
From peach blossom Beijing,
to crisp Cambridge snow,
how far will her dumpling dreams
help Joyce Chen go?
Carrie Clickard tells the story of how Joyce Chen, a girl born in Communist China, immigrated to the United States and popularized Chinese cooking.
How far can an apron,
a bowl, or a book
take one small Chinese girl
with a passion to cook?
From peach blossom Beijing,
to crisp Cambridge snow,
how far will her dumpling dreams
help Joyce Chen go?
Carrie Clickard tells the story of how Joyce Chen, a girl born in Communist China, immigrated to the United States and popularized Chinese cooking.
48 pages, Hardcover
Published September 5, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
March 28, 2018
Our kid asks to read this at least twice before bedtime. And today in the frozen food aisle, he demanded that we get dumplings and egg rolls because of this book.
It's a history that I didn't know anything about, and a humbling reminder of how much China went through over the past 100 years. That said, it's mostly a story about hard work, perseverance, and adaptation - and not done in a rah-rah way for the woman at it's center. You get a sense of her humble integrity and hard work just in the narrative and, for parents, very much so in the timeline of her life at the end of the book.
Also, I think it's fun the author included dumpling recipes at the back, which would be really fun to make with kids older than ours.
It's a history that I didn't know anything about, and a humbling reminder of how much China went through over the past 100 years. That said, it's mostly a story about hard work, perseverance, and adaptation - and not done in a rah-rah way for the woman at it's center. You get a sense of her humble integrity and hard work just in the narrative and, for parents, very much so in the timeline of her life at the end of the book.
Also, I think it's fun the author included dumpling recipes at the back, which would be really fun to make with kids older than ours.
May 4, 2018
I just read this story to a whole class of 1st graders, and they LOVED it!
Not only is the book about food, but also how a mother did her favorite things and succeeded.
The books are also very much about the whereabouts of Cambridge, MA, a place near by and the children can easily connect with.
Not only is the book about food, but also how a mother did her favorite things and succeeded.
The books are also very much about the whereabouts of Cambridge, MA, a place near by and the children can easily connect with.
October 25, 2020
The whole family loves this book. The pictures are delicious! I like how the story talks about not giving up even when you are out of you comfort zone. I also really like children's books that have diversity. This book touches on that. People trying new food....and loving it. Also comes with a yummy recipe!
December 7, 2017
I like how this picture book biography tracks Chen's love of food and her efforts to duplicate favorite recipes to please those she loved. Eventually, she perfects a recipe for her beloved dumplings, which she brings to the U.S. and renames Peking Ravioli. The rhyming text in a simple, spare style presents her life in food and her personal life, including her flight from China, making this book a good selection for new readers. Back matter includes a timeline, a glossary of Chinese food terms, a bibliography, and a recipe for her famous dumplings. The digital illustrations are colorful and appealing. I remember going to the Joyce Chen Restaurant in Cambridge in the 1990's, so it was fun for me to read of her beginnings as a chef.
October 18, 2017
Rhyming verse tell the real-life story of Joyce Chen. The back matter is complete with a timeline, glossary, and of course, the recipe for her famous dumplings!
December 14, 2017
Lovely rhyming bio of Joyce Chen. Beautiful illustrations and good source notes.
January 19, 2018
Complete with recipes, timeline, and chinese word glossary- the true story of chef and author Joyce Chen.
January 18, 2018
A rhyming picture book biography of Chinese chef Joyce Chen who eventually opened several popular restaurants in the States and had her own cooking show.
It is quite amazing how much the author was able to convey about Joyce through just short phrases in rhyme. It's an impressive feat of summarizing. The illustrations match the tone and subject quite well. There's a timeline in the back that provides a few more details about Joyce Chen. We got this in our library just in time for the lead up to Chinese New Year, which seems the perfect time to read it. Recommended for little foodies, those interested in women entrepreneurs or famous people of Chinese heritage.
It is quite amazing how much the author was able to convey about Joyce through just short phrases in rhyme. It's an impressive feat of summarizing. The illustrations match the tone and subject quite well. There's a timeline in the back that provides a few more details about Joyce Chen. We got this in our library just in time for the lead up to Chinese New Year, which seems the perfect time to read it. Recommended for little foodies, those interested in women entrepreneurs or famous people of Chinese heritage.
February 23, 2018
This is the yummy story of how Joyce Chen brought one of my favorite foods to America!
Carrie Clickard writes this non-fiction picture book called Dumpling Dreams- How Joyce Chen Brought The Dumpling from Beijing to Cambridge. It is the story of Joyce’s life from childhood through her successful career in having her own restaurant, cookbook and tv show. Katy’s pictures are fun and colorful. The story is told in rhyme and isn’t a lot of text on each page. I think children of all ages can enjoy and learn about Joyce’s life. There is also a timeline, glossary, and recipes in the back of the book.
This book will leave you satisfied with information but hungry to eat some dumplings
Carrie Clickard writes this non-fiction picture book called Dumpling Dreams- How Joyce Chen Brought The Dumpling from Beijing to Cambridge. It is the story of Joyce’s life from childhood through her successful career in having her own restaurant, cookbook and tv show. Katy’s pictures are fun and colorful. The story is told in rhyme and isn’t a lot of text on each page. I think children of all ages can enjoy and learn about Joyce’s life. There is also a timeline, glossary, and recipes in the back of the book.
This book will leave you satisfied with information but hungry to eat some dumplings
September 15, 2017
This lovely biography tells the story of Joyce Chen with cheerful rhymes. The story moves a bit fast so younger students will need a bit of clarification as Jia (who adopts the name Joyce) becomes an adult. Joyce learns to cook as a child in China. When she moves to the United States, other parents are delighted with her egg rolls and encourage her to open a restaurant. From there, she teaches others to cook, writes a cookbook, and hosts a cooking show. An inspirational story that shows how hard work and perseverance brought beloved traditions to America.
September 20, 2017
This rhyming picture book biography had my mouth watering as I read about how Joyce Chen introduced some of the most delicious food from her homeland to friends and neighbors in her new hometown. Joyce Chen grew up in China, but war forced her family to come to America to live. In Cambridge, her food was so popular that she opened a restaurant and starred in her own cooking show on TV. There is a timeline and a list of resources at the back of the book for further research. This would be a great nonfiction resource to have in an elementary classroom library.
July 4, 2022
I found this book in the bargain bin for $6 at Meijer. It sounded familiar and when I got home I saw it was already on my to-read list!
This was such a cute book. It was the story of Joyce Chen and how she came to the US from China and worked through challenges to raise her family and bring her dumplings here.
It rhymes well and doesn’t have a ton of words per page, so it makes for a great read-aloud. I look forward to reading this to my class this fall!
This was such a cute book. It was the story of Joyce Chen and how she came to the US from China and worked through challenges to raise her family and bring her dumplings here.
It rhymes well and doesn’t have a ton of words per page, so it makes for a great read-aloud. I look forward to reading this to my class this fall!
October 5, 2017
I feel awful that I have literally never heard of Joyce Chen before today. So I'm really glad this book came across my desk!
It's told in simple rhymes, with brightly colored illustrations - and OH BOY am I hungry now!
It's told in simple rhymes, with brightly colored illustrations - and OH BOY am I hungry now!
October 30, 2017
This is a very interesting non-fiction biography about Joyce Chen, a famous TV chef and restaurant owner.
The illustrations are colorful and fun.
It’s a fairly quick, rhyming read if you don’t read the backmatter. The backmatter is interesting for older children.
Kids enjoyed this book.
The illustrations are colorful and fun.
It’s a fairly quick, rhyming read if you don’t read the backmatter. The backmatter is interesting for older children.
Kids enjoyed this book.
November 15, 2017
I really liked this book. It's on our new book shelf in my library and it caught my eye since I'm a huge dumpling fan. It just seems that every new book is written in rhyme. Can we change it up a little? Otherwise, definitely liked this a lot!
December 18, 2017
Clever title - good example for young writers!
I wonder why the illustrations are inconsistent in showing that the people are Chinese - on at least one page, her husband does not look at all that he is Chinese.
I wonder why the illustrations are inconsistent in showing that the people are Chinese - on at least one page, her husband does not look at all that he is Chinese.
October 10, 2017
I LOVE dumplings, but I had never even heard of Joyce Chen. Discovering this book on the shelf at my local independent bookstore was a delicious treat!
October 27, 2017
Interesting story of how Joyce Chen escaped civil war in her native China, fled to the United States, and created a cooking empire...all for children to understand.
January 4, 2018
well done, simple text- origin story of dumplings! good for inventions/ multicultural
November 10, 2018
Wow! I had no idea about her! Love this book!
May 5, 2019
One less star for me. Not a fan of rhyming text.
December 8, 2019
A cute story the whole family enjoyed. While the rhyming text was a bit much at times, the illustrations and subject were interesting and sure to make a reader hungry.
December 1, 2020
A little breathless, but a fun read with engaging illustrations
September 5, 2022
3.5 stars
November 21, 2022
Perfect to read to your foodie child
July 12, 2023
It was interested to learn about Joyce Chen, but the author didn't have a section after the story that told more about Joyce's life. I had to use the internet to find out more!
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October 25, 2017Review: This book is based on the life of Joyce Chen, who moved to Cambridge from Beijing, China in order to get away from the Chinese Civil War. She grew up loving dumplings and learning how to cook them for holidays and special events. She got married and had children and moved to America as an adult when the war started. She often made dumplings when she felt homesick or sad, because they were comforting to her. Eventually, people around her started to fall in love with them and word spread. Then she started her own business, The Joyce Chen Restaurant, and even had a cooking show.
Activity: I would use this for a social studies lesson. I would have my students think of a special food that their family makes. Maybe it's for a certain holiday they celebrate, a family tradition, or an original recipe. I would have them write about what it is and why it's special and then if they could start their own restaurant, what they would call it/what it would look like. I'd have them make a mini poster or a keynote presentation. Then I would set up a food day where each of them can bring in their special food and present it to the class.
Clickard, C., & Wu, K. (2017). Dumpling Dreams: How Joyce Chen Brought the Dumpling from Beijing to Cambridge. Simon & Schuster.
Activity: I would use this for a social studies lesson. I would have my students think of a special food that their family makes. Maybe it's for a certain holiday they celebrate, a family tradition, or an original recipe. I would have them write about what it is and why it's special and then if they could start their own restaurant, what they would call it/what it would look like. I'd have them make a mini poster or a keynote presentation. Then I would set up a food day where each of them can bring in their special food and present it to the class.
Clickard, C., & Wu, K. (2017). Dumpling Dreams: How Joyce Chen Brought the Dumpling from Beijing to Cambridge. Simon & Schuster.
May 8, 2020
Dumpling Dreams: How Joyce Chen Brought the Dumpling from Beijing to Cambridge is a children's picture book written by Carrie Clickard and illustrated by Katy Wu. It chronicles the story of how a young Joyce Chen brought her culture in food to the United States and popularized in the small town that she immigrated to.
May, at least in my part of the world is Asian Heritage Month, which I plan to read one children's book, particularly a biography, which pertains to the subject everyday this month. Therefore, I thought that this book would be apropos for today.
Joyce Chen (née Liao Chia-ai) was a Chinese-American chef, restaurateur, author, television personality, and entrepreneur. She was credited with popularizing northern-style Chinese cuisine in the United States, inventing and holding the patent to the flat bottom wok with handle (also known as a stir fry pan), and developing the first line of bottled Chinese stir fry sauces for the US market.
Clickard's text is rather simplistic, straightforward, lyrical, and informative. With simple rhyme, the narrative dives into Chen’s childhood and how she brought Chinese food to the masses when she immigrated to the United States. In the back there is a timeline, glossary, additional reading, and recipes for further study. Wu's illustrations are drawn and complemented the text rather well.
The premise of the book is rather straightforward. It begins with a young Joyce Chen as she grew up in Beijing and learned from her father the love of cooking. Eventually, she would leave China and immigrated to Cambridge, Massachusetts, where she took her love for cooking and became the chef that would popularize Chinese food.
All in all, Dumpling Dreams: How Joyce Chen Brought the Dumpling from Beijing to Cambridge is a wonderful book about a little girl born in Communist China, immigrated to the United States, and popularized Chinese food for the region.
May, at least in my part of the world is Asian Heritage Month, which I plan to read one children's book, particularly a biography, which pertains to the subject everyday this month. Therefore, I thought that this book would be apropos for today.
Joyce Chen (née Liao Chia-ai) was a Chinese-American chef, restaurateur, author, television personality, and entrepreneur. She was credited with popularizing northern-style Chinese cuisine in the United States, inventing and holding the patent to the flat bottom wok with handle (also known as a stir fry pan), and developing the first line of bottled Chinese stir fry sauces for the US market.
Clickard's text is rather simplistic, straightforward, lyrical, and informative. With simple rhyme, the narrative dives into Chen’s childhood and how she brought Chinese food to the masses when she immigrated to the United States. In the back there is a timeline, glossary, additional reading, and recipes for further study. Wu's illustrations are drawn and complemented the text rather well.
The premise of the book is rather straightforward. It begins with a young Joyce Chen as she grew up in Beijing and learned from her father the love of cooking. Eventually, she would leave China and immigrated to Cambridge, Massachusetts, where she took her love for cooking and became the chef that would popularize Chinese food.
All in all, Dumpling Dreams: How Joyce Chen Brought the Dumpling from Beijing to Cambridge is a wonderful book about a little girl born in Communist China, immigrated to the United States, and popularized Chinese food for the region.
January 7, 2018
This book caught my eye because I own a fantastic pair of Joyce Chen kitchen shears. Those things can cut through chicken bones! I never knew the amazing life story of the actual Joyce Chen! Everyone knows Julia Child, more folks would benefit from also knowing about Joyce Chen!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews