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Dumpling Soup
The food and family love are equally warm in this gorgeously illustrated and delicious tale that celebrates mixed families.
Marisa gets to help make dumplings this year to celebrate the New Year. But she worries if anyone will eat her funny-looking dumplings. Set in the Hawaiian islands, this story celebrates the joyful mix of food, customs, and languages from many cultures.
Marisa gets to help make dumplings this year to celebrate the New Year. But she worries if anyone will eat her funny-looking dumplings. Set in the Hawaiian islands, this story celebrates the joyful mix of food, customs, and languages from many cultures.
32 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1993
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381 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 111 reviews
May 24, 2021
Korean family in Hawaii celebrating the New Year with the whole extended family. Main character's first year getting to help her grandma, mom, and aunties make the dumplings for the traditional soup.
September 25, 2016
This story was about a seven year old Asian-American girl whose name is Marisa and she is from Hawaii and all her New Year family traditions. Every year on New Year, Marisa’s family comes together from all over Hawaii to eat dumpling soup and on New Year’s Eve, all the women in the family get together to make the dumplings for the dumpling soup and they all have their own style and their own way of making them. This same year, Marisa gets to prepare her own dumplings! Through out the book the author uses phrases in Korean and Hawaiian to describe the traditions of their New Year. I loved and enjoyed reading this book so much, because it related to me on a personal level. I am from Hispanic background, and women are usually the ones in the kitchen cooking and I know I have always told myself that one day I hope to be able to cook really good tamales and pozole like my mom. It gave me a sincere, warm feeling.
November 7, 2020
The blurb says it all, but too calmly. This is a full book, describing lots of customs etc. And it's so fun, it's worth the time it would take to read it to littles. The illustrations could be redone and it would sell better now, almost 3 decades on. A recipe would be fun, but I suppose there are so many dumpling recipes that the fact that the technique is described is sufficient. The glossary has to use four different languages to include all the terms that might be unfamiliar to mainland white American children. I really want some dumplings now (but I like them as potstickers, fried up a bit to give a little bit of char).
September 17, 2012
I liked how this book gave me insight into a variety of cultures, but I don't know that it would be as informative for it's intended audience, a kid. The impressionistic illustrations are beautiful.
September 28, 2017
What a marvelous example of a multicultural children’s book! “Dumpling Soup” is about a seven-year-old girl, Marisa and how her family, which is composed of those of Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Hawaiian, and haole (Hawaiian for white people) descent, celebrates on New Year’s Eve. The book goes through their process of how they make food, the most important being the dumplings, and the traditions of their family such as lining up to give grandma a hug and staying up all night.
This book would serve as a great literature lead up to how-to writing as the character goes through and talks about each step they take to create the dumpling soup and ends on them eating it after midnight on New Year’s Eve. Students could pick something that they make with family members or something they do with their family that is a tradition and write about the steps they take to make or do the activity. This book would also serve as an excellent literature example when talking about diverse families and cultures. It would be a great conversation starter for discussing how those that make up families may not all look the same and may speak different languages or come from different cultures. For younger children, this book could also be used in a social skills lesson about not giving up and that you may not be great at something the first time you try. In the book, Marisa does not make beautiful dumplings that stick together well like the rest of her family members, but she does not give up and she does not get upset. Overall, this was a wonderfully written book that could be utilized for both instruction and lessons in the classroom.
This book would serve as a great literature lead up to how-to writing as the character goes through and talks about each step they take to create the dumpling soup and ends on them eating it after midnight on New Year’s Eve. Students could pick something that they make with family members or something they do with their family that is a tradition and write about the steps they take to make or do the activity. This book would also serve as an excellent literature example when talking about diverse families and cultures. It would be a great conversation starter for discussing how those that make up families may not all look the same and may speak different languages or come from different cultures. For younger children, this book could also be used in a social skills lesson about not giving up and that you may not be great at something the first time you try. In the book, Marisa does not make beautiful dumplings that stick together well like the rest of her family members, but she does not give up and she does not get upset. Overall, this was a wonderfully written book that could be utilized for both instruction and lessons in the classroom.
January 16, 2023
We enjoyed this as part of our New Year's picture book fare. As with the others we've read, this ones shows how food brings families together at New Year's. The sentiments may be the same, but the setting here was different enough from others we've read that it stood out. Here, we follow a Korean-American family living in Hawaii (along with extended family and friends of different backgrounds) as the little girl is able to help prepare the dumplings for the special New Year's soup for the first time in her seven years. Her dumplings may not be "perfect" -- but they are perfectly delicious :-)
October 28, 2017
This story was interesting. It shows the lives of people who may differ from my students. I liked how in the end they ate her dumplings even though they were a little lop sided. You can tell by the story that it made her happy.
February 20, 2021
A story about a multicultural, mostly Korean-American, family living in Hawaii and celebrating their new year with a mix of traditions. The story didn't really "grab" me - kind of "meh" really - but it wasn't bad, anyway . . .
November 22, 2023
My child is five and is was a bit over his head. The story and history around new year was beautiful.
I would recommend this book for any hapa blended child and family.
I would recommend this book for any hapa blended child and family.
October 31, 2016
Dumpling Soup is about a girl named Marisa who is Korean and has a big family. She has family from all different places. Some are Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Hawaiian, and haole. They are a big mixed family that all come together on New Years. Marisa can’t wait for New Years, she loves seeing all her family, playing fun games, and setting off fireworks. But this year she is mostly excited about getting to help her grandma make dumpling soup. On New Years Eve, she goes over to her grandmas house and helps wrap the dumplings. Her grandma, mom, and her aunties are all also helping. They all make perfect dumplings, but hers are oddly shaped and don’t look perfect like the others. She worries that hers won’t be good enough for the dumpling soup.
Dumpling Soup is a multicultural book, that gives lots of insights of traditions from other cultures around the world. In this book we can see what kinds of tradition’s Maria’s family does for New Years. One big one is making dumpling soup for the New Year. This year Maria gets to help make the dumplings. But her dumplings all look different, and are oddly shaped. They aren’t perfect like her grandmothers dumplings. But in the end her dumplings taste just as good as all the other ones. This is a good example of a multicultural book, not only for showing other culture’s traditions, but also for the theme of the book. The theme of this book is very clearly that even though people can be different on the outside, at the end of the day, we are all people and are all the same on the inside. The theme of this book is demonstrated through the dumplings. Maria’s dumplings don’t look like all the other dumplings, and Maria is scared that they won’t be good enough for the soup. But in the end, even though they look different on the outside, they all taste the same and are delicious. The text and the pictures both are important in developing the theme of the book. The text tells the story while the pictures parallel the text and allows the reader to visually see the differences of people from difference cultures.
Dumpling Soup is a multicultural book, that gives lots of insights of traditions from other cultures around the world. In this book we can see what kinds of tradition’s Maria’s family does for New Years. One big one is making dumpling soup for the New Year. This year Maria gets to help make the dumplings. But her dumplings all look different, and are oddly shaped. They aren’t perfect like her grandmothers dumplings. But in the end her dumplings taste just as good as all the other ones. This is a good example of a multicultural book, not only for showing other culture’s traditions, but also for the theme of the book. The theme of this book is very clearly that even though people can be different on the outside, at the end of the day, we are all people and are all the same on the inside. The theme of this book is demonstrated through the dumplings. Maria’s dumplings don’t look like all the other dumplings, and Maria is scared that they won’t be good enough for the soup. But in the end, even though they look different on the outside, they all taste the same and are delicious. The text and the pictures both are important in developing the theme of the book. The text tells the story while the pictures parallel the text and allows the reader to visually see the differences of people from difference cultures.
February 6, 2015
I love so many things about this realistic fiction book, but the only downside for me is the length. It is quite long, and would be challenging for many young elementary aged students to sit through. Of course, you could read it over 2-4 sittings, but it's probably best for older elementary kids in one sitting.
The story depicts an annual tradition for a Hawaiian girl who lives in Oahu and has family from many different cultures representing the diversity that is Hawaii- Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Hawaiian, and haole (Hawaiian for white people, according to the book:)This text helps give a broader understanding of what it means to be Asian in Hawaii and perhaps in America. In this book, the whole family gathers together to make dumplings. The illustrations and language help depict the rich diversity in this family. Different family members use words and phrases in their native languages, and the little girl translates these back for us the reader to understand. This helps the text feel authentic, and helps readers better understand the events and details. The plot is clear- there is a clear beginning, middle, and end that I think holds young students' interests because the characters and events are identifiable. Many kids can identify with a family celebration and the particular rituals, food, etc. that come along with this. At the end, the author includes a recipe for dumpling soup too! Highly recommended!
The story depicts an annual tradition for a Hawaiian girl who lives in Oahu and has family from many different cultures representing the diversity that is Hawaii- Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Hawaiian, and haole (Hawaiian for white people, according to the book:)This text helps give a broader understanding of what it means to be Asian in Hawaii and perhaps in America. In this book, the whole family gathers together to make dumplings. The illustrations and language help depict the rich diversity in this family. Different family members use words and phrases in their native languages, and the little girl translates these back for us the reader to understand. This helps the text feel authentic, and helps readers better understand the events and details. The plot is clear- there is a clear beginning, middle, and end that I think holds young students' interests because the characters and events are identifiable. Many kids can identify with a family celebration and the particular rituals, food, etc. that come along with this. At the end, the author includes a recipe for dumpling soup too! Highly recommended!
May 27, 2012
This mouth-watering story is told by Marisa Yang, a little Asian-American girl of mixed heritage living in Hawaii. Her family, which gets together each New Year’s Eve for dumpling soup at her Grandma’s, include Koreans, Japanese, Chinese, and Hawaiians. Her grandma calls her family “chop suey,” which means “all mixed up.”
Since Marisa is 7 now, she gets to help make the dumplings, but hers turn out “funny-looking.” She feels quite insecure about it, until members of the family declare that hers taste delicious. She muses: "I think about how much everyone liked the dumpling soup. Even my funny dumplings. Maybe it was because we ate them at Grandma’s, all of us together.”
In the course of the story, we also learn about food from the other traditions in this eclectic family. A glossary, including pronunciations, is at the front of the book, which is very helpful since most glossaries are at the back where readers may not even realize they are included.
The illustrations by Lillian Hsu-Flanders capture the lovely colors of the Hawaiian landscape and diversity of the culture.
As a special bonus, on her web site the author features the "YANG FAMILY DUMPLING SOUP RECIPE." We also learn that the book is based on the author’s own childhood experiences of celebrating New Year's in Hawaii, and that all the main characters are based on real people from her family.
Since Marisa is 7 now, she gets to help make the dumplings, but hers turn out “funny-looking.” She feels quite insecure about it, until members of the family declare that hers taste delicious. She muses: "I think about how much everyone liked the dumpling soup. Even my funny dumplings. Maybe it was because we ate them at Grandma’s, all of us together.”
In the course of the story, we also learn about food from the other traditions in this eclectic family. A glossary, including pronunciations, is at the front of the book, which is very helpful since most glossaries are at the back where readers may not even realize they are included.
The illustrations by Lillian Hsu-Flanders capture the lovely colors of the Hawaiian landscape and diversity of the culture.
As a special bonus, on her web site the author features the "YANG FAMILY DUMPLING SOUP RECIPE." We also learn that the book is based on the author’s own childhood experiences of celebrating New Year's in Hawaii, and that all the main characters are based on real people from her family.
March 2, 2013
Dumpling Soup is a touching children’s book by Jama Kim Rattigan that tell the story of a young girl, named Marisa, and her efforts to make dumplings for her family’s annual New Year’s celebration. Set in Hawai’i, the story shows the rich heritage of a large family that includes food, language, and customs from several cultures- Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Hawaiian, and haole. This book is really great because it shows the importance of celebrating a mixed heritage and having pride in one’s family traditions. From the perspective of a literacy teacher, this is a great book for the classroom. In this day and age, when so many of our students come from such diverse backgrounds, it is important to present them with stories that cherish their diversity. Since the author comes from the same type of diverse background as the main character, the story is more authentic and relatable. The author’s integration of multiple languages is very natural and easily understandable. For the purpose of exploring various family units, this children’s book is exceptional because it fosters a love of diversity and shows how each of the cultures in this particular family are distinct and vital in the family’s identity.
March 5, 2013
Dumpling Soup is a touching children’s book by Jama Kim Rattigan that tell the story of a young girl, named Marisa, and her efforts to make dumplings for her family’s annual New Year’s celebration. Set in Hawai’i, the story shows the rich heritage of a large family that includes food, language, and customs from several cultures- Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Hawaiian, and haole. This book is really great because it shows the importance of celebrating a mixed heritage and having pride in one’s family traditions. From the perspective of a literacy teacher, this is a great book for the classroom. In this day and age, when so many of our students come from such diverse backgrounds, it is important to present them with stories that cherish their diversity. Since the author comes from the same type of diverse background as the main character, the story is more authentic and relatable. The author’s integration of multiple languages is very natural and easily understandable. For the purpose of exploring various family units, this children’s book is exceptional because it fosters a love of diversity and shows how each of the cultures in this particular family are distinct and vital in the family’s identity.
October 30, 2016
What caught my eye with this story was the fact that it was about dumplings. The illustrations are overall what made me choose this book. The characters on the cover just seemed like they had bright personalities and I had a really good feeling about it. I was right to choose this book! This was a heartwarming story of the relationship between a Grandmother and Granddaughter. This story reminded me a lot about my Grandma because she loves to cook and bake and one of her special recipes is actually peach dumplings! The relationship between the two characters really hit home as well because it was identical to the relationship between my cousin and my Grandma. I love this multicultural picture book because it exposes its readers to diverse characters from Hawaii. Children do not know much about the Hawaiian Islands aside from what is in Lilo and Stitch. This is a great book for helping kids get a taste of their culture. When I closed the book, I did not want it to be over. It was so cute how the Granddaughter just wants to make her Grandmother proud. I would recommend this to anyone who is interested in having an enjoyable read. Another great opportunity would be for a Grandma to read this to their grandchildren.
April 10, 2016
I loved reading this book for so many reasons.
This is a multicultural book that depicts the story of a diverse family who gathers at grandma's house to celebrate new year's eve. In this story, grandma represents the center of the family, where everyone gathers to celebrate the new year and make the traditional dumpling soup.
The illustrations and language depict the rich diversity that exists in the family - Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Hawaiian, and Haloe. Different family members use words and phrases in their native languages, which are translated by Marissa, who is seven, (main character of the story) to help readers understand the text.
At the beginning of the story, a glossary is also provided which includes the English definition and pronunciation to different vocabulary words expressed in Hawaiian, Japanese and Korean.
This is a nice story that many children can feel related to because most families have experienced different celebrations that involve particular customs, rituals, food, etc.
This story help us to learn about traditional food from the Asian culture as well as the high value they have for family.
This is a multicultural book that depicts the story of a diverse family who gathers at grandma's house to celebrate new year's eve. In this story, grandma represents the center of the family, where everyone gathers to celebrate the new year and make the traditional dumpling soup.
The illustrations and language depict the rich diversity that exists in the family - Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Hawaiian, and Haloe. Different family members use words and phrases in their native languages, which are translated by Marissa, who is seven, (main character of the story) to help readers understand the text.
At the beginning of the story, a glossary is also provided which includes the English definition and pronunciation to different vocabulary words expressed in Hawaiian, Japanese and Korean.
This is a nice story that many children can feel related to because most families have experienced different celebrations that involve particular customs, rituals, food, etc.
This story help us to learn about traditional food from the Asian culture as well as the high value they have for family.
October 10, 2016
This book has won an award winning award for New Voices, New World. This is also a cultural book about the asian traditions of making dumpling soup. As Marisa tells us about traditions that happens in New Years we notice that her family is big and very diverse. So, in this book it tells about diversity and similarities of her family. The main jist of this story is the dumplings Marisa helps grandmother make for the whole family. As the time goes by the kids make up games in order to stay awake because in a tale her grandmother once said if you slept before midnight on this day your eyebrows will turn white! So the kids make up games and one of the games is to hug grandmother. After a while the kids and adults gather outside and wait until it turns to January 1. Sparklers light up the night and smoke fills in the air. This book was good because it introduced different foods each culture has and it includes vocabulary. I love learning about cultures and understanding their traditions so this can help show kids what kind of food and traditions these cultures have. Kids can write about the tradition their culture has and what food they have during special holidays.
October 19, 2016
This book is about a girl, Marisa, who gets to help her family make dumpling soup. Her family consists of people from Korea, Japan, China, and Hawaii. This is a charming book on the mix of different cultures and how they celebrate their New Years. This book goes with my topic because it shows a diversity of different Asian cultures. My favorite part is when they come all together, you can see the similarities/differences among all of their cultures.
This book had very detailed pictures of the setting and the dumplings they were preparing. The only thing I did not like about the illustration was how every character had the exact same face. In the beginning, it was said that some were Korean, Chinese, Japanese, etc. The characters should not look this similar in my opinion if they all were of different Asian backgrounds. The plot was good because it showed diverse cultures and represented many customs as well. The speech that the grandma used in Korean was very similar to how people would speak in Korea when we make food. This book represented many cultures very well and had realistic enough characters that students can follow along/relate to. This book's genre would be family.
This book had very detailed pictures of the setting and the dumplings they were preparing. The only thing I did not like about the illustration was how every character had the exact same face. In the beginning, it was said that some were Korean, Chinese, Japanese, etc. The characters should not look this similar in my opinion if they all were of different Asian backgrounds. The plot was good because it showed diverse cultures and represented many customs as well. The speech that the grandma used in Korean was very similar to how people would speak in Korea when we make food. This book represented many cultures very well and had realistic enough characters that students can follow along/relate to. This book's genre would be family.
April 15, 2012
It’s almost New Years Eve and Marisa is very excited to celebrate! This is a special time for her and her family as they gather to make dumplings. Marisa comes from a mixed family of Korean, Hawaiian, and Japanese. As her family gathers at Grandma’s house, Marisa is eager to help make dumplings. She is finally allowed to make dumplings with the other women in the kitchen but her dumplings did not come out as nice as she would have liked. She worries that they will not taste good, but when the family takes a bite, they are delicious and Marisa is very proud of herself.
The story is set in Hawaii and readers are introduced to a mixed family. Throughout the story, the reader sees just how Marisa’s family, and others, prepare and cook dumpling soup. A recipe is also included at the end of the book! This is a great book that helps children to learn about other cultures and the foods that they eat.
The story is set in Hawaii and readers are introduced to a mixed family. Throughout the story, the reader sees just how Marisa’s family, and others, prepare and cook dumpling soup. A recipe is also included at the end of the book! This is a great book that helps children to learn about other cultures and the foods that they eat.
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October 22, 2013This story is about a New Years Eve celebration from the perspective of a child. The narrator, Marisa tells the events that happen in preparation for their New Years Eve celebration. The author, Jama Rattigan, captures the voice of a child as she describes her family members, the preparation of dumpling soup and what her family does when the clock strikes 12. As a teacher I will use this book to teach about how families can be very diverse. Also, I would use this book to teach Hawaiian, Japanese, and Korean terms which Rattigan uses fluently throughout the text (Ex. Cha-koo hae bo-ra, Marisa; which means don't worry-keep trying). I also appreciate that Jama Rattigan is Hawaiian and grew up in Hawaii it makes the cultural perspectives she presents very authentic and relatable. The illustrations by Lillian Hsu-Flanders are very life like and detailed which might inspire children to draw what they see with much detail.
January 31, 2023
This is a wonderful tale about a family coming together for the New Year's celebration in Hawaii; having fun, making and eating lots of food, and enjoying the fireworks as the new year turns.
It's a quintessential look into a true "ohana" party in Hawaii and a good representation of what New Year's Eve is like, especially with the multitude of fireworks.
Our girls really enjoyed this book, and with the recipe on the back cover, we now need to go make some dumpling soup! Yum!
This book is one of the books highlighted in the Children's Book Group Picture-Book Club for the January 2023: New Year's Celebrations discussion.
It's a quintessential look into a true "ohana" party in Hawaii and a good representation of what New Year's Eve is like, especially with the multitude of fireworks.
Our girls really enjoyed this book, and with the recipe on the back cover, we now need to go make some dumpling soup! Yum!
This book is one of the books highlighted in the Children's Book Group Picture-Book Club for the January 2023: New Year's Celebrations discussion.
October 19, 2016
Really enjoyed all the cultures featured inside of this book! The illustrations and language used were very rich diversity that exists in the family. Cultures mentioned in the story were Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Hawaiian, and Haloe. Since the author comes from the same type of diverse background as the main character, the story is more authentic and relatable. This story explores different typesof families because it shows an example of diversity along with how each of the cultures in this particular family are distinct . This is a nice story that many children can feel related to because most families have experienced different celebrations that involve particular customs, rituals, food, and more. The book I would say is enjoyable for every age. It is a great book to show children the different types of cultures that make up families, and the world.
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November 25, 2016Summary: Marisa is helping Grandma make dumpling soup for the first time. She is nervous that all of her extended relatives will think it is weird. Soon Marisa learns, that everyone enjoys her soup, not only because it is good, but because everyone has their own weird family heritage traditions.
Review: This book is great because it focuses on many different cultures that can be a part of one family. It teaches children that everyone is different but they still have things in common. This will be a great lesson for students to learn along with the lesson of helping the family.
Books: Two other books that can be read are Everybody Cooks Rice by Norah Dooley and Bee-Bim Bop by Linda Park.
Quote: “Most of them are Korean, but some are Japanese, Chinese, Hawaiian, or haole (Hawaiian for white people).”
Review: This book is great because it focuses on many different cultures that can be a part of one family. It teaches children that everyone is different but they still have things in common. This will be a great lesson for students to learn along with the lesson of helping the family.
Books: Two other books that can be read are Everybody Cooks Rice by Norah Dooley and Bee-Bim Bop by Linda Park.
Quote: “Most of them are Korean, but some are Japanese, Chinese, Hawaiian, or haole (Hawaiian for white people).”
February 20, 2010
Marisa can hardly wait for New Year's Eve. That's when her entire family, Korean, Japanese and Hawaiian, come from all over Oahu to gather at her Grandmother's house for dumpling soup. She's been waiting for her turn to help make dumplings, and this year is special because she can. She gets teased about her lumpy dumplings but, it turns out, that she has made the most delicious ones!
A tender story about family gatherings and the importance of participating in traditions from the perspective of a seven year old. The story includes, on the back flap, a recipe for dumpling soup! Read this with preschool children to early elementary. This story lends itself to a project where children bring in recipes from their family to share.
A tender story about family gatherings and the importance of participating in traditions from the perspective of a seven year old. The story includes, on the back flap, a recipe for dumpling soup! Read this with preschool children to early elementary. This story lends itself to a project where children bring in recipes from their family to share.
July 28, 2012
Beautiful book about a family of varied backgrounds who celebrate the new year with specific ways. The story shows one rite of passage of a young girl who is the main character when she gets to help wrap dumplings for the first time. It's such a loving book showing all the family members gathering on new year's. It includes all the food and other traditions followed faithfully to ensure a good new year. I can see it being used so well after the December holiday break for students to share their own traditions. The illustrations are charming, showing good detail along with the story. For example, there are so many guests that they fill up quite a lot of the porch with their shoes. What do the kids do? They play shoe store! It's a terrific story about this special day.
March 23, 2010
Marisa makes dumplings for hte first time for her family's New Year Celebration. The day starts early as all of the female relatives gather to make the dumplings. Marisa's dumplings aren't as pretty as her older relatives. Grandma puts the dumplings to the side. Marisa worries that they are too bad to be served with the soup. At the late dinner, Marissa's grandmother puts one of Marissa's dumplings in each bowl. They are fantastic and Marissa is a proud little girl. This book is set in Hawaii adn Marissa's family is a blend of many cultures, including Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Hawaiian and Haole.
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April 17, 2012Marisa lives in Hawaii and has a large family of Koreans, Japanese, Chinese, and Hawaiians. She is excited to help her grandmother make dumplings for her family's New Year's Eve celebration. She admires the women in her family who prepare the food for their celebration, and worries that her dumplings are not as perfect looking as theirs. However, her family enjoys her dumplings very much. This book shows how important it is in Marisa's family for her family to get together, as well as how important it is for her to participate in her family traditions. This book can also help readers understand that diversity can exist within a family, not just outside of it.
November 4, 2012
Marissa is the young girl in this story. It is her first time making dumplings for her family's New Year celebration. She fears that her dumplings will not taste right, and that her family members won't want to eat them because of their odd shape, but this is not the case. Her family ends up enjoying her dumplings the most! This book is full of multicultural language that could be introduced to students in grades 1st-5th. The author Jama Kim Rattigan is part of the culture that is in this story. The illustrations are bright and expressive of the Hawaiian, Korean, Japanese, and Chinese cultures that bring this book to it's great potential.
October 30, 2012
This story is about a little girl named Marissa who is finally old enough to help make dumplings for her family's annual gathering for the New Year. Although her dumplings are not as pretty as her grangma's, her family still enjoys them! This book has a glossary of English, Hawaiian, Japanese, and Korean words that are used in this book. As a literacy teacher, this would be a great introductory book to languages. For example, in Korean, dumplings are called mandoo, pronounced muhn-DOO. The author, Jama Kim Rattigan, relates to the culture of the characters in the book. Also, the illustrastions paint life-like descriptions of the text.
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February 9, 2016The story is primarily about the young girl getting to do a particular grownup thing for the first time -- make dumplings for New Years -- and her excitement and nervousness about that.
She is of mixed race in Hawaii, and her description of her family and their preparation and celebration treat it like it's normal -- including non-English words, acknowledging she doesn't know all the words in all the Asian languages her family members speak, never making it into an Issue book about Learning about Difference or anything. (It helps that she's just amongst her family -- narrating this story, but not explicitly narrating it to someone in any specific socio-cultural milieu.)
She is of mixed race in Hawaii, and her description of her family and their preparation and celebration treat it like it's normal -- including non-English words, acknowledging she doesn't know all the words in all the Asian languages her family members speak, never making it into an Issue book about Learning about Difference or anything. (It helps that she's just amongst her family -- narrating this story, but not explicitly narrating it to someone in any specific socio-cultural milieu.)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 111 reviews