LaoLao’s Dumplings

Written by Dane Liu
Illustration by ShinYeon Moon
Henry Holt and Company/Macmillan
©2023

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About This Book

”Millie loves to help LaoLao cook, especially her favorite dish. Dumplings! They gather fresh ingredients from Chinatown. Chives from Auntie Lim, shrimp from Uncle Lee, and juicy, fragrant lychees that make their days together so sweet.

As the seasons change, LaoLao feels more and more tired, too tired to make dumplings. But can Millie make them without LaoLao? And will her dumplings come out delicious, and make LaoLao happy, too?

Full of humor, heart, and wholly original illustrations, this story is a timeless celebration of family, food, community, and the different ways we share love.”

“Moon’s highly detailed, thin-lined digital illustrations capture the bustle of Chinatown and the sensory details of creating dumplings as a grandparent’s knowledge in turn becomes a way of caring for her.” —Publisher’s Weekly, Starred Review

“It’s an endearing picture book with lovely, warm, realistic illustrations.” —Book Riot, 9 Of The Best New Children’s Books Out December 2023

“Eye-catching illustrations feature expansive double-page spreads of the neighborhood shops, drawing readers in to explore each tiny detail. The pictures resonate with love, complementing the predominant theme of family closeness and the book’s casual diversity.”
— Starred Review from Horn Books

”Above all, ShinYeon Moon’s depictions of Chinatown stand out with vibrant, energetic streets pleasantly bustling with shoppers and vendors of all kinds. Intricately detailed with signs and stores and produce, Moon’s Chinatown is so full of life it’s impossible to not feel a connection.”
— BookPage

“Moon's art enhances Liu's text with additional elements that perhaps only pictures can relay without awkward over-explication. The front endpapers are filled with colorful platters of various dumplings; the back endpapers show enjoyed, emptied plates.”
— Shelf Awareness

“Shinyeon Moon’s pastel-toned illustrations offer a touch of whimsy and playfulness to a somewhat common story’…’Neighborhood scenes show a wide range of family: interracial couples, queer couples, a father with a child, a woman with a dog. Moon clearly recognizes that representation matters.”
— Mochi Magazine