Big Jimmy's Kum Kau Chinese Take Out [Hardcover]

Ted Lewin (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 24, 2001 | Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

Even before Kum Kau Chinese Take Out opens, there's so much to do. The deliveryman arrives. The cooks clean the kitchen from top to bottom. Then chop, chop, chop, they slice and dice the fresh meat and vegetables. But when the customers arrive, Kum Kau really comes alive. Woks sizzle. Pots steam. The cooks whip up tantalizing dishes for hungry patrons. A young narrator shares a behind-the-scenes look at the hustle and bustle of a busy Chinese take-out restaurant. Then it's time for his favorite dinner.

Delectable tastes and savory smells will make mouths water as Caldecott Honor artist Ted Lewin takes us to a favorite Chinese restaurant in his Brooklyn neighborhood.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A young narrator takes readers behind the scenes at his family's restaurant, and serves up a surprise in the end, in Big Jimmy's Kum Kau Chinese Take Out by Caldecott Honor artist Ted Lewin. Realistic watercolors depict the food, family and Brooklyn neighborhood with flair. A recipe for "Buddha's Delight," a vegetable dish, is included.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grades 1-3--Irrepressible energy propels a young narrator through a day at his parents' Brooklyn restaurant (a real place), from early morning deliveries to dinnertime. Lewin's photo-realist scenes take viewers from quiet, sun-drenched sidewalks to the gleaming kitchen's busy nether reaches, all to a mouthwatering commentary: "Uncle Ming, Chung, and Wing work side by side, moving around each other like dancers in a ballet. Subgum Chow Mai Fun. Sam Gap Tai. Moo Goo Gai Pan.-Flip. Flip. Flip. Done!" After a day of greeting regulars, handing out menus, and chucking packets of condiments into bags of takeout, "It's time for my favorite dish-PIZZA!" Lewin himself puts in an appearance at the end, happily chowing down on his favorite dish, Buddha's Delight. Serve up this tribute to a neighborhood establishment with the likes of Alexa Brandenberg's Chop, Simmer, Season (Harcourt, 1997) or Marissa Moss's Mel's Diner (BridgeWater, 1996) for a taste-tempting storytime.
John Peters, New York Public Library
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; 1st edition (December 24, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688160263
• ISBN-13: 978-0688160265
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 9.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #263,624 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #47 in Books > Children's Books > Social Situations > Multiculturalism
  • #99 in Books > Children's Books > Travel & Cultures > Multicultural Stories > Asian & Asian American

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Kum Kau, April 6, 2010

By 

Patricia Bailey-Hollon "Library Lady" (Brooklyn, NY, US) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Big Jimmy's Kum Kau Chinese Take Out (Hardcover)

I ordered this book on Amazon as it was out of print. I wanted this book as Kum Kau is a restaurant I frequent as well as it having one of my colleague's brothers featured. The book is in excellent condition.

5.0 out of 5 stars great book, April 29, 2009

By 

S. LIM "tech junkie" (SAN MATEO, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Big Jimmy's Kum Kau Chinese Take Out (Library Binding)

family grew up owning a Chinese rest, but no longer. Great way to show my 2yr old son how I grew up and what his grandfather used to do. Although no longer with us, I can show my son what it was like working and watching my Dad in a Chinese kitchen. My son loves it when I read this to him!

5.0 out of 5 stars Both child and reader will love this book, January 28, 2007

By 

Virginia music lover "cossack" (northern Virginia United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Big Jimmy's Kum Kau Chinese Take Out (Library Binding)

I bought this book because I had read another book illustrated by Ted Lewin and found him to be a remarkable artist.

This book captures the sights and sounds of New York City; the reader will feel he or she is right in the kitchen with the steaming woks.

Most importantly, both the adult reader and the child listening (or reading on the second to third grade level) will be interested. And if your child likes books reread many times, this book will hold up. Among other things, there are so many details and subtleties in the artwork that the adult will be looking at every nook and cranny of the pictures.

I think Ted Lewin as as good an artist as Normal Rockwell.