Customer Reviews

Happy Belly, Happy Smile

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

My two year old LOVES this book. The illustrations are very imaginative and the story flow, from page to page, is perfect for a toddler.

I am so not looking forward to returning this book to the library. Looks like we are going to have to purchase a copy. Something I am more than happy to do given the joy it has brought to our reading-time.

This book reminds me of two of my daughter's favorite author's / illustrators all rolled into one book. The illustrations are not illustrations but actually like the very famous Eric Carl's painted paper collage pages and also some of Amy Wilson Sanger who uses bits and pieces of actual pictures of objects and menus.

This is the story of Louie a young Chinese-American boy who goes every Friday to visit his Grandpa Sam's Chinese Restaurant. He visits not only his grandfather, but his friends who work for grandpa in the kitchen chef, or delivering the yummy food to the table or to people at home.

Rachel Isadora's oil painted paper is bright and colorful and also includes some Oragami paper, photos of actual items like menus and clip art. I love her Chinese lanterns and the big Lion Dancer costume that hangs in the restaurant. Lots of hard and detail work went into making each delightful page!

From a general point of view, the book is fine...pretty good illustrations, simple to read. From an Asian point of view this book is an incredible stereotype of what apparently the author thinks is Asian culture. It sounds more like it was to be written from the point of view of a non-Asian character exploring the world of Chinese cuisine in America, so why is the main character Chinese? If for instance she had used the black kid from the story as the main character, this all would've made more sense.

They eat stereotypical American-Chinese inventions like shrimp chow mein and spareribs, and on top of that the Chinese boy claims to not know ho to use chopsticks and is disgusted when the waiter brings out a fish with the head on it. Again, it sounds like the main character is not supposed to be Chinese, yet he is. And just when you think the stereotypes are done, grandpa breaks out the fortune cookies (another completely non-Asian, totally American invention) and reads in typical broken grammar you'd come to expect from an immigrant, "Happy belly, happy smile."

The insult is that this non-Asian author tried to write a story from the point of view of an Asian family, and employed all kinds of stereotypes that actual Asians like myself find hilarious. Publishers, please. Next time you want to do stories about certain cultures find someone of that culture to write it, or at least even be an advisor on it. Otherwise you'll end up with a story about a Mexican kid who goes to Taco Bell and is fascinated by all the cultural wonders and cuisine there.

This book is adorable in the artistic portrayal of a Chinese restaurant. Contrary to other reviews, this book is NOT as stereotypical as some would lead you to believe. Yes, the main character is a Chinese-American and he visits his grandpa's Chinese restaurant in Chinatown. I think that is the point being missed here. The reason there are so many "American created" items, like fortune cookies and shrimp chow mein is that the story takes place in America. I cannot recall ever going to a Chinese restaurant that did not serve both of these items. Also, the little boy does not say he has problems using chopsticks, he simply says that "My grandpa and I eat with chopsticks, but most of the time at home I use a fork, knife, and spoon".

In my opinion, this is an adorable story that illustrates the cultural differences between generations. Grandpa seems as if he was born and raised in China and Louie (the main character) is a born-and-raised-in-America boy, who doesn't eat fish with the head still attached and uses silverware when not eating Chinese food. Seems more stereotypical to assume that ALL Chinese-American eat fish with the head intact and use chopsticks to eat their meals. The storyline is simple, yet interesting. The artwork is beautiful and a unique combination of painted, paper art and real images (peas, menus, spoons).