Bella’s Recipe for Success is about a girl who can’t seem to figure out what she’s good at. Her brother plays piano excellently and her sister is a brilliant gymnast, but Bella can’t do either of those things well. She decides, though, that she’s going to bake, but it turns out baking isn’t that easy and her first recipe is a bust. But just before she gives up, her abuela steps in to teach her and Bella learns that learning new things — and becoming good at them — takes time and effort.
Picture Book Friday: Dumplings for Lili
Nai Nai is making her favorite dumplings for Lili. Lili walks readers through each step, until the final one when Nai Nai realizes that she’s run out of cabbage! She sends Lili up to the 6th floor to see if the Polish grandma (Babcia) has any cabbage. This is where the story gets even more interesting.
It turns out that Babcia does have cabbage, but she’s also missing an ingredient for the pierogies she’s making. Lili’s one errand becomes several as she shuttles between a Jamaican grandma (Granma), a Pakistani grandma (Teta), an Italian grandma (Nonna), and a Latina grandma (Abuela) — all in Nai Nai’s building picking up and dropping off ingredients. Will Nai Nai finally make her dumplings?
Picture Book Friday: 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.
Picture Book Love: Sunday Funday in Koreatown
Aram Kim’s Sunday Funday in Koreatown follows Yoomi, whom you may already know from No Kimchi for Me. The latter was a hit for picky eaters and readers who love fun food books. In this picture book, Yoomi wakes up excited for her usual Sunday funday festivities, but this Sunday is not so… fun. First, she can’t watch the morning show she likes, thanks to her brothers, then she can’t wear her favorite shirt because it’s still wet from the wash! But then, she’s still going to Koreatown with her dad, so maybe there’s hope yet?