Luna's Yum Yum Dim Sum, Natasha Yim, Violet Kim (Picture Book Review)

Summary: Luna’s Yum Yum Dim Sum

In Luna’s Yum Yum Dim Sum, Luna and her family go out for dim sum on her birthday. When the mouthwatering meal arrives, the kids have six buns which they can share equally, but in her excitement, Luna drops one pork bun, leaving the three kids only five buns to share. As they negotiate using the Lunar calendar, common sense, and math skills, they find a surprising solution to their dilemma.

The Good

The quality of illustrations are really important to me, and can make or break a book, even when the story is engaging. This book has realistic, captivating illustrations both of the characters and the yummy dumplings that Luna and her brothers have to share. I also enjoy books about problem solving, such as Atinuke’s Catch That Chicken! This book integrates both problem solving and math skills as the kids figure out all the ways they can split one bun for a substantial equal share for all parties involved.

At the end of the day culture and sharing are big parts of this story. Each kid makes a case for why they should get the extra bun using everything from the Lunar calendar to their ages. I liked that the parents let the kids figure out the dilemma on their own — and it does make for a more entertaining story after all!

Overall: Luna’s Yum Yum Dim Sum

Luna’s Yum Yum Dim Sum is a clever picture book about food, culture, sibling dynamics, and of course, math! When a dinner outing takes a sad turn, Luna and her brothers have to engage their math and negotiation skills so that they can all get two pork buns each. If you enjoy funny picture books that provide ample opportunity to learn about culture, do some counting, simple addition, subtraction and division, this is an excellent choice!