Starred Review ALA Booklist

Starred Review Historical fiction, at its best, makes the specific universal. Here that happens in the story of two sisters, Jinyi and Pei, who live in a small Indiana town in the 1950s. Some of their best times come during visits to their mother's sister, Auntie Yang, and her family near Chicago. With so few other Chinese families living in the Midwest at the time, the sisters want their children to be like four soybeans in a soybean pod. But real soybeans, a Chinese delicacy, seem impossible to come by until one day, the families are driving through farmland and are shocked to see a soybean field. The soybeans were being grown as animal feed, but after the farmer gives the family enough to take home, the aunts make boiled soybeans, which everyone enjoys at a picnic. The next year, Auntie Yang invites several other Chinese families over, and as the years go on, more than 200 friends and families join the festivities. This heartfelt story (based on the author's and illustrator's childhoods) is absolutely delicious. Readers will feel a kinship with the young cousins, who are isolated at first but soon become the center of an annual tradition. Adding an extra layer of delight to the story is the unique artwork. Beth Lo is a ceramic artist, and she painted the illustrations on plates that fill the pages. The winsome pictures, drawn with a childlike charm, capture the warmth of family, friendship, and food. The afterword, with photos, is a bonus.

Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews

More warm family memories from the Chinese-American creators of Mahjong All Day Long (2005), with cheery illustrations painted on ceramic plates. The treasured weekend visits with Auntie and Uncle Yang that help an immigrant family cope with feelings of isolation take on a new wrinkle when Auntie Yang spots a field of soybeans on a Sunday drive. Mao dou were considered animal food in this country at the time but widely consumed in China. The armloads of plants that the friendly farmer allows her to bring home begin an annual picnic tradition. It eventually expands to include many Chicago-area families with, as the young narrator notes, "lots of kids just our ages who all spoke Chinese as badly as we did!" Years later, a long-awaited reunion between Auntie Yang and her sibs from China closes these memories of good times and mouth-watering Chinese food on a joyful note. The simply drawn scenes of busy, festive groups reflect the narrative's happy tone, and they are capped with old snapshots from past gatherings in the afterword. The pleasure of finding unexpected links between a new country and the old suffuses this autobiographical outing. (glossary) (Picture book/memoir. 6-8)

School Library Journal Starred Review

Gr 1-4 Ginnie Lo draws on her own memories to share a sunny tale about the value of family and community. After coming to America in the 1940s for their education, Lo's parents and Aunt and Uncle Yang were unable to return to China due to war. Isolated and far from home, the two families visited often. The children looked forward to Chinese games, cooking, and language lessons on these visits, along with universal childhood pasttimes like playing hide-and-seek. Out for a drive, the families are delighted to find an isolated soybean field—a food virtually unknown in the U.S. They ask to pick some of the vegetables and excitedly prepare a traditional Chinese feast. The following year they do the same, but invite a few more families. This annual picnic grows until it becomes an important cultural event for Chinese-immigrant families in the Midwest. Adding fullness to the narrative, wonderfully appropriate to the content, and paying homage to China's rich art history, Beth Lo's series of hand-painted porcelain plates serve as the book's illustrations. The soft, rounded compositions and earthy shades create feelings of easy comfort and warmth, and are a joy to behold. An author's note, information about soybeans, family photos, and a glossary/pronunciation guide are included. This is a stellar title that will rest comfortably next to acclaimed picture-book memoirs by Allen Say, Peter S&7;s, and Uri Shulevitz.— Anna Haase Krueger, Antigo Public Library, WI

Horn Book

Author and illustrator (sisters) retell how their aunt, a Chinese immigrant to the Midwest, created a family tradition. On a family outing in the 1950s, Auntie Yang discovers a field of soybeans--and a way to overcome homesickness for China while sharing a very special food. The heartfelt story is accompanied by enamel on porcelain art carefully drawn with colored glazes. Glos.

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

More warm family memories from the Chinese-American creators of Mahjong All Day Long (2005), with cheery illustrations painted on ceramic plates. The treasured weekend visits with Auntie and Uncle Yang that help an immigrant family cope with feelings of isolation take on a new wrinkle when Auntie Yang spots a field of soybeans on a Sunday drive. Mao dou were considered animal food in this country at the time but widely consumed in China. The armloads of plants that the friendly farmer allows her to bring home begin an annual picnic tradition. It eventually expands to include many Chicago-area families with, as the young narrator notes, "lots of kids just our ages who all spoke Chinese as badly as we did!" Years later, a long-awaited reunion between Auntie Yang and her sibs from China closes these memories of good times and mouth-watering Chinese food on a joyful note. The simply drawn scenes of busy, festive groups reflect the narrative's happy tone, and they are capped with old snapshots from past gatherings in the afterword. The pleasure of finding unexpected links between a new country and the old suffuses this autobiographical outing. (glossary) (Picture book/memoir. 6-8)