  | Dumplings for Lili Author: Iwai, Melissa | |
| Price: $23.06 | ||
Summary:
Lili loves to cook little dumplings called baos with her grandmother, but when cabbage is needed, Lili races up and down the stairs of her grandmother's apartment building to find the ingredient and help the other grandmothers borrow ingredients for different dumplings, from Jamaican meat patties and Italian ravioli to Lebanese fatayer and more.
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (05/15/21)
Booklist (+) (05/01/21)
The Hornbook (00/09/21)
Full Text Reviews:
Booklist - 05/01/2021 *Starred Review* Lili is visiting Nai Nai, her grandmother, who lives in a six-story apartment building with a granny on every floor. Today, each is preparing her own special dumplings, but Nai Nai needs cabbage leaves for making bao (steamed buns). Lili runs upstairs and borrows some from Babcia. On the second floor, Granma gives Lili potatoes for Babcia’s pierogi. Going upstairs and down repeatedly, Lili fetches garlic from Abuela for Granma’s beef patties, cumin from Nonna for Abuela’s tamales, and for Nonna’s ravioli, olive oil from Teta, who’s making fatayer. The six grandmothers take “their little dumpling treasures” to a feast in the garden. And when Lili’s parents arrive with her new baby brother, they all celebrate together. This colorful picture book combines intergenerational affection with international culinary traditions. Lili’s first-person narrative reads aloud well. Created with both traditional and digital media, the many bright, dynamic scenes showing Lili with the grandmothers are summed up in an appealing, board game–like diagram detailing her errands. From the intriguing picture of the tall, narrow apartment building to the final image of Lili holding her baby brother, the artwork radiates warmth and charm. A sunny picture book in which neighbors gather to welcome the newborn to their close-knit, multicultural community. - Copyright 2021 Booklist.
