GIGI AND OJIJI FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Gigi and Ojiji are back and trying new foods.

One morning, Gigi, a biracial child whose mother is Japanese and whose father presents white, makes breakfast for her family. She prepares her favorite breakfast—peanut butter, berries, and bananas on toast—but Ojiji, her Japanese grandfather, doesn’t eat it all. Mom says that Ojiji doesn’t like peanut butter, so Gigi asks her to make something people from Japan eat. The following day, they have a traditional Japanese breakfast, which includes salmon, rice, and miso soup. Ojiji and Mom have an additional bowl, which contains natto, fermented soybeans; Gigi thinks that the natto is sticky and slimy and that it smells a bit odd. But when she takes a bite, she lies, saying it tastes good. When her mom includes natto again at dinner, Gigi attempts to hide her food, but Roscoe, her dog, exposes the truth. Highlighting a sweet intergenerational relationship, this is a wonderful addition to the early reader series. Iwai advises readers not to force themselves to like everything even if others love it—what’s important is trying new things. The cartoon art highlights emotions and culture, adding context to help decipher vocabulary. A glossary contains the Japanese words used in the story but no pronunciation guide.

Encouragement to try new things even if we end up disliking them.