Laolao’s Dumplings

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.