School Library Journal Starred Review (Sun Oct 01 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

K-Gr 3— This insightful picture book begins with an introduction to the oracle bone inscriptions which are believed to be the origins of Chinese characters and then efficiently introduces Lulu, her wise grandpa, and Dumpling, her devoted dog. The story unfolds through Lulu's lively speech bubbles. Imagination, adventure, and art collide while Grandpa is napping. As he sleeps, Lulu, brush in hand, draws a door which begins to glow. Unable to resist, she enters and discovers a pictograph world replete with friendly people, interesting landscapes, and a dangerous Chinese fire dragon. In a book that will be compared to Crockett Johnson's Harold and the Purple Crayon and Aaron Becker's Journey , readers are plunged into an enchanted world where drawing skills and creative problem-solving hold the key to a favorable outcome. The illustrations—a blend of watercolor, colored pencils, and traditional Chinese ink—capture the essence of the tale. Readers are introduced to the featured Chinese characters depicted in red boxes on each page with their English meanings, providing an opportunity to explore both language and culture. The story serves as a heartwarming reminder of the power of resourcefulness and kindness, ultimately conveying the message that these virtues can save the day even in the most unusual circumstances. The author's note provides context concerning the vastness of the Chinese written language, highlighting the existence of over 50,000 characters, encouraging an appreciation of the rich cultural heritage embedded in the narrative. VERDICT A masterful integration of storytelling, an introduction to a complex language, and cross-cultural understanding make this an excellent addition to any elementary library.— Lynne Stover

ALA Booklist

After her grandpa demonstrates the Chinese character for "bird," Lulu is eager to learn more. While drawing the character for "door," she unexpectedly activates a portal into another world! There, Lulu follows a bird into a village where everything is made of the characters her grandpa drew earlier. She enjoys exploring the village with her dog, Dumpling, until they encounter a fire dragon, and Lulu quickly draws characters for "cloud," "thunder," and "rain" to defend against it. Finally, the character for "river" calms the dragon by quenching its thirst. This charming story utilizing a comics format will engage readers with its blend of history, language learning, and adventure. An author's note highlights that the Chinese language has over 50,000 characters whose shapes have evolved over centuries. The illustrations, done in watercolor, colored pencil, and Chinese ink, feature a neutral color palette with red accents that keep the reader's focus on both the Chinese characters and the main character. This picture book would work well for storytime, especially with an art or dragon theme.

Kirkus Reviews

A girl embarks on a fantastical adventure through a landscape permeated with calligraphy.After a brief introduction that explains that the art form originated thousands of years ago in ancient China, when people carved pictographs into bones and shells, the story switches to the present day as Lulu watches Grandpa (both of whom are cued Chinese) draw on a large scroll. He shows her how ancient characters such as those for bird or mountain mimic the ideas they represent. When Lulu tries her hand at drawing, her character for door begins to glow, and the pictograph swings open. Lulu steps into a mysterious world, led by the same bird character that Grandpa had drawn. In this land, people and objects are illustrated using black-inked Chinese characters dancing among watercolor details and backgrounds-characters for grass are drawn clumped together in a green field, and the character for child bows to greet Lulu. The climax occurs when Lulu meets a calligraphic fire-breathing dragon and, using her brush like Harold's purple crayon, draws her way to safety with the Chinese characters she needs. Much of the story is told in appealing vignettes and speech bubbles, and at the top of every page, readers will find pictures of the characters used in the illustration along with their English meanings, allowing kids to match the characters with their roles in the scene. (This book was reviewed digitally.)A fun and clever introduction to an ancient art form. (author's note) (Picture book. 4-8)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

A girl of Chinese descent finds adventure via a calligraphy brush in Li’s clever debut, which kicks off with a description of Chinese characters’ believed origins. Lulu and her dog Dumpling watch Grandpa paint on a scroll as he explains, “Our ancestors created many characters just like drawings.” With Grandpa napping in a nearby chair, Lulu accidentally knocks a large scroll to the floor, creating a blank expanse that inspires her to paint the Chinese character for door. When it unexpectedly animates, Lulu enters and meets the character for bird, which guides her through a “village of Chinese characters, like the ones Grandpa drew.” And when danger threatens, Lulu must paint new symbols to protect herself and Dumpling. Chinese characters embellished with color and detail illustrate ideogram-based language, and red seals at the top of each page smartly introduce each new term and its meaning. Hand-rendered watercolor, colored pencil, and Chinese ink art offers a visual feast via energetic brushwork and transparent pools of color. An author’s note concludes. Ages 4–8. (Sept.)