bookshelf

LAOLAO'S DUMPLINGS

Name: LAOLAO'S DUMPLINGS
Author: Dane Liu
ISBN: 9781250778192

by Dane Liu ; illustrated by ShinYeon Moon ‧ RELEASE DATE: Dec. 5, 2023

A sweet story that brings connections and food traditions to a satisfying full circle.

bookshelf

Millie and Laolao love to cook dumplings together, but one day Laolao can’t make them anymore.

Millie, a child with straight black hair and tawny skin, is dropped off at Laolao’s (Mandarin Chinese for grandmother) by Mama, who is Chinese, and brown-skinned Papi. Millie suggests they make dumplings, so the two head to Chinatown for ingredients. Laolao knows everyone there, and all the “aunties” and “uncles,” though not related to Millie or Laolao, feel like family. Millie spends the summer visiting Laolao, but Laolao is slowing down. One day, Laolao is too tired to make dumplings. The two spend the fall snuggling by the window, and by winter, Millie’s parents are bringing Laolao’s meals to her. They’re good, but everyone misses Laolao’s dumplings. Millie has an idea, and Mama, Papi, and Millie head to Chinatown. There, all of Laolao’s friends express their concern, sending best wishes and special ingredients back with the family. Then it’s Millie, Mama, and Papi who get to work in the kitchen, a new generation of dumpling-makers creating delicious memories to share with Laolao. Moon’s digital art incorporates bright colors inside black outlines, reminiscent of graphic novels. Varied layouts and compositions create visual interest, albeit sometimes at the expense of consistency. The realistic scenes full of detail most strongly convey the strength of community and family.

A sweet story that brings connections and food traditions to a satisfying full circle. (recipe for dumplings) (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Dec. 5, 2023

ISBN: 9781250778192

Page Count: 48

Publisher: Godwin Books

Review Posted Online: Sept. 23, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2023

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

- BOOK REVIEW
AMAZING
by Maia Shibutani , Alex Shibutani & Dane Liu ; illustrated by Aaliya Jaleel

- BOOK REVIEW
FRIENDS ARE FRIENDS, FOREVER
by Dane Liu ; illustrated by Lynn Scurfield

bookshelf

THE PUMPKIN THIEF

From the Leaf Thief series

by Alice Hemming ; illustrated by Nicola Slater ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 28, 2026

More fun antics to satisfy returning fans and snag new ones.

bookshelf

Not even the arrival of autumn can cool down this impetuous squirrel.

Although Squirrel is skeptical about Bird’s vegetable patch (“Nothing is HAPPENING!”), Bird does produce five (count them) lovely pumpkins. Squirrel picks out a favorite: “The enormous orange one.” Bird hints that Squirrel might want to help out; Squirrel sets out to fetch some work gloves and returns to find only four pumpkins. The frequently distracted Squirrel notices more gourds disappearing and leaps to the conclusion that a thief is near. And where’s Bird?! Has Squirrel’s pal also been taken? Diligently detecting, Squirrel finds clues—peck marks, footprints, and more—and produces a sketch of the suspect. As readers will guess, each clue turns out to point to one of Squirrel and Bird’s friends. Turns out Bird was delivering pumpkins to their pals while saving the big one to give to “my very best friend,” Squirrel. But why does Squirrel haul it up a tree? “So the Pumpkin Thief can’t find it, of course!” A page of pumpkin facts provides the learning component common to all titles in this series. Once more, readers will enjoy the pleasure of prediction and repetition, Squirrel’s silly persistence, Bird’s generosity, and the vibrant color illustrations, balancing orange with green.

More fun antics to satisfy returning fans and snag new ones. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: July 28, 2026

ISBN: 9781464268076

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2026

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2026

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
THE SUN THIEF
by Alice Hemming ; illustrated by Nicola Slater

- BOOK REVIEW
THE SNOW THIEF
by Alice Hemming ; illustrated by Nicola Slater

- BOOK REVIEW
THE BISON AND THE BUTTERFLY
by Alice Hemming ; illustrated by Nancy Leschnikoff

bookshelf

ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

bookshelf

Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.

The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)