A superficial take on culture and diversity when the conversation has moved beyond such surface explorations.
When Little Dumpling accidentally rolls away from her salty broth at a dumpling festival, she discovers that nearly every cuisine features some kind of dumpling.
Her adventures lead her to encounters with Ghanaian fufu—she samples the thick West African stew and finds it tasty—Chinese shumai, Italian ravioli, Japanese gyoza, and more, observing all the differences among them. “Patted, pinched, filled, folded, poached, pan-fried, steamed, sauced!” the narration exclaims. Little Dumpling realizes she “had no idea there were so many ways to be a dumpling!” When Little Dumpling is reunited with her sibling dumplings (who are revealed to be knaidels, from Central and Eastern Europe), she is happy to be home but also curious whether there are “even more new friends to meet.” On the book’s final spread, Little Dumpling is seen on the back of a fusion food truck, waving to her siblings. The book aims to be a diversity primer but leans on tired food metaphors to do so. Occasionally, Brooke also uses othering language, such as describing a Mexican chochoyote as a “creature.” Pang’s illustrations are whimsical and the highlight of this otherwise unremarkable book; her dumpling characters are expressive and distinctive, with attention to culinary details. The cheery endpapers provide a guide to the dumplings introduced, naming each of them and supplying their country of origin.
A superficial take on culture and diversity when the conversation has moved beyond such surface explorations. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: July 6, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5037-5710-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sunbird Books
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
Readers who’ve never been to Mumbai will want to visit while those who love it will smile.
An ode to urbanism and a love letter to India’s largest city.
When Doma, from Ladakh, a special administrative region in the disputed territory of Kashmir, visits her friend Veda in Mumbai, she misses the mountains of her home. “Tell me something,” asks Veda. “Do the mountains have to be exactly like the ones in Ladakh? Big, brown triangles?” Doma is incredulous; how else would a mountain look? Veda takes her friend by the hand and leads her on a tour of the megalopolis featuring views of both rooftops and a city street from above. Veda takes Doma up a seemingly endless spiral staircase and onto a terrace, from which the pair looks out on Marine Drive, a promenade and beach abutting the Arabian Sea. “Yes! Yes! Yes! We are on top of a mountain in Mumbai,” Doma cheers. Jain’s watercolor paintings are vivid and detailed, reveling in the bustle of the city. The unusual trim—double-page spreads measure 7 inches high by 28 inches wide—gives a sense of sweeping panoramas. One particularly effective spread demands a 90-degree turn of the book to fully appreciate the staircase the girls ascend. Veda and Doma’s journey is punctuated with recognizable landmarks (e.g., the Bandra-Worli Sea Link bridge), making this an excellent book for the armchair traveler as well.
Readers who’ve never been to Mumbai will want to visit while those who love it will smile. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-81-936542-9-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Karadi Tales
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2020
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