A day in Chinatown takes an unexpected turn when a bored little girl makes a connection with her grandpa.

May isn't having fun on her trip through Chinatown with her grandfather. Gong Gong doesn't speak much English, and May can't understand Chinese. She's hungry, and bored with Gong Gong's errands. Plus, it seems like Gong Gong's friends are making fun of her! But just when May can’t take any more, Gong Gong surprises her with a gift that reveals he’s been paying more attention than she thought.

With lighthearted, expressive illustrations by Elaine Chen, this charming debut expertly captures life in the city and shows how small, shared moments of patience and care—and a dumpling or two—can help a child and grandparent bridge the generational and cultural gaps between them.

A glossary at the end of the book features translations of the Chinese words from the story into Chinese characters and English.

*A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

Sennah Yee is from Toronto, Ontario, where she writes poetry, short stories, and film criticism. Her first book, the creative non-fiction collection How Do I Look?, was published by Metatron Press in 2017.

Sennah Yee's profile page

Elaine Chen is an illustrator, painter, and visual storyteller. She enjoys using her own expressions to capture life's little things and moments that cannot be put into words. Currently, she works as an artist at a video game studio in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Elaine Chen's profile page

• Joint winner, Best Books for Kids & Teens, Canadian Children’s Book Centre
• Nominated, Blue Spruce Award, OLA
• Joint winner, Best Books of 2020, CBC
• Joint winner, Kirkus Best Books List

“An excellent conversation starter and teaching tool for young children growing up in multi-generational families. Highly Recommended.”

CM Reviews, 06/12/20

“An uplifting story about how patience and kindness can encourage the coming together of diverse generations and cultures.”

Canadian Children’s Book News, Fall/20

“Featuring a winsome pair, this is a wonderful, sympathetic story, and the bonus is a small glossary of Cantonese words.”

School Library Journal, 08/20

“Timely and touching.”

Hidden World Books, 09/08/20

“Yee writes the story in simple, accessible language that’s nonetheless musical and fun to say out loud, allowing readers and listeners a chance to explore the sounds and shapes of different words, and the way they fit together like notes in a song.”

Quill & Quire, 10/15/20

“Chen’s watercolor and colored pencil illustrations beam with benevolence from the get-go.”

The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, 11/20

“Through adorable illustrations effused with humor and warmth, this portrait of intergenerational affection is also a tribute to life in Chinatown neighborhoods . . . A multilayered, endearing treasure of a day.”

Kirkus Reviews, *starred review, 06/06/20

“A gentle, resonant portrayal of the way love can overcome language barriers.”

Publishers Weekly, *starred review, 08/19/20

“The empathetic situation, escalating story/tension, and appealing illustrations combine to capture universal emotions and situations.”

Unpacking the Power of Picture Books, 09/24/20

“This is a love story between generations.”

Sal’s Fiction Addiction, 09/09/20

“Yee writes the story in simple, accessible language that’s nonetheless musical and fun to say out loud, allowing readers and listeners a chance to explore the sounds and shapes of different words, and the way they fit together like notes in a song.”

Quill & Quire, 10/15/20

“Yee captures intergenerational love and understanding.”

Butler Children’s Literature Center, 06/05/20