Here are two delightful and engaging books for younger readers – both of which draw from the authors’/illustrators’ experiences growing up in families that immigrated to the United States. Qing Zhuang was born in China and moved to New York City as a young girl. In Rainbow Shopping, Zhuang tells the story of a young girl waking up on a rainy Saturday in New York City feeling as gray inside as the clouds outside. But today is special – the whole family will be home for dinner and it is time to go shopping for all the ingredients for a big delicious meal for everyone! The young girl’s mom pulls her out of bed like one of the root vegetables they are headed to the store to buy. Zhuang’s watercolor illustrations shares the sights of the city as mother and daughter travel along the subway and then into the streets of Chinatown where they visit first a bakery for treats before heading to the grocery store. The reader experiences the wonder and delight of all the different offerings along with the young girl: the fruits “like jewels inside a treasure chest” and “mysterious mushrooms…that curl like thunderclouds”. I laughed as the girl protests the bitter melon her mother picks out – I had the same reaction when MY mother served me bitter melon when I was a child and my mother gave the very same pronouncement as this girl’s mother: “bitter things are good for you”.
The fun is not over when the shopping is – the young girl and her mother ride home on the subway with the other interesting subway straphangers and arrive home to deliver all the yummy ingredients to the young girl’s dad, who “steams, boils, fries, and stir-fries” a delicious dinner for all. That night the young girl falls asleep tucked in with her grandmother, dreaming of being surrounded by the warmth and love of all the generations of her family around her.
In Night Market Rescue, Cheng, who has herself rescued a dog, tells the story from the point of view of GoGo, a small stray dog who finds himself in a magical place – a night market in Taipei. He has fun exploring this new place and eventually befriends a young girl who has gotten lost in the night market. GoGo delights in showing his newfound friend the sights of the night market, until finally they run into the young girl’s parents who are relieved to be united with their daughter. Poor GoGo slinks off…alone again…but it’s a happy ending – the girl and her family want GoGo to come home with them! Cheng’s story is simple but touching and satisfying, sure to lift the heart of the reader, with Ren’s illustrations showing the reader the wonders and bustle of a Taipei night market.
