THE TRAY OF TOGETHERNESS

The story of a treasured holiday item.

In anticipation, a child with one Chinese parent and one parent who presents as White looks out of their apartment window on a snowy urban landscape. The young narrator announces that their family is having “a New Year party” as they excitedly greet their grandmother at the door. Grandma tells the child that they are “celebrating the new moon that begins each brand-new year,” so they must prepare a feast including “the lucky sweets” in their special “Tray of Togetherness,” a decorated, sectioned item brimming with treats that symbolize various good wishes. Bold colors and subtle textures make for a bustling Chinese market where the child and their family pick up ingredients. Along the way, the narrator explains that “tangerines mean gold,” and you eat “pistachios for happiness.” Appealing dishes of other confectionaries, like candied kumquats, candied winter melon, and watermelon seeds, stretch along the page accompanied by their meanings. The spare, upbeat narrative explains that each special food is a wish that you share with others as the child hands a passing peer a treat. As the protagonist’s extended family and neighbors of ethnically diverse backgrounds arrive and settle in for a large feast, the child once again looks over the tray. Further explanation of the Chinese or, more specifically, Cantonese tradition of the Tray of Togetherness follows. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A delectably delightful celebration.