Summary
Lili loves to cook with her Nai Nai who’s taught her all the secrets to cooking good baos. However, Nai Nai realizes they’re out of cabbage, so she sends Lili up to Babcia’s apartment to get some. Babcia happily gives Lili her cabbage, but she needs potatoes for her pierogis. This starts a continuous cycle of Lili running around her apartment building helping all the grandmothers out. In the end, all the grandmothers meet outside with their dumping treasures as Lili gets to meet her new brother.
Theme(s):
Helping elders, Respecting others, Embracing our differences
Personal Response
I thought this was an adorable book. It’s comical how we see Lili running all around her apartment building dropping off ingredients. However, readers get to learn how Lili is helping out the grandmother’s in her building and how they all help one another out by borrowing ingredients. I love how this book not only references asian culture, but multiple cultures through their different dumpling treasures. This is a joyful story of sharing food, friendship, and love for all.
Teaching Ideas
I would definitely read this book to my class. After reading this story aloud, I would ask my class for personality traits of Lily. I would ask how they know she’s caring and helpful. Then I would ask what they noticed about each of the grandmothers? Each grandmother had a different name such as Nonna, Abuela, and each one was making something that represented their culture.
Recommended Reading Level
Birth-PreK, Grade 01, Grade 02
