Boy Dumplings: A Tasty Chinese Tale

by Ying Chang Compestine, James Yamaski (Illustrator)

Overview

A hungry ghost in old Beijing meets his match in a crafty boy. Tongue-in-check scary fun like Halloween with a bilingual Chinese translation.


Recipe for a Delicious Story:

1. Begin with one hungry ghost.

2. Add a tasty looking boy.

3. Mix them for an outrageous result!

Long ago in China, a ghost can’t wait to sink his teeth into his next meal — a plump boy! The child will need to think fast if he doesn’t want to turn into a midnight snack. What will happen when the boy convinces the ghost to make the mouthwatering “Boy Dumplings” recipe?

This hilarious tale is redesigned, featuring revised illustrations and a new bilingual simplified Chinese translation. Inspired by her son who enjoyed making dumplings, author Compestine adds a clever young protagonist who can befuddle any spirit! Plus Yamasaki's colorful art mines comedy from seemingly scary circumstances.

Every fall, the Ghosts Festival is like the Chinese Halloween: people leave offerings of food at night for hungry ghosts. Boy Dumplings plays with this cultural tradition and adds a humorous twist. The Chinese translation is ideal for students and teachers of language classes, schools, and immersion programs. The book includes an author’s note on the history of China’s Ghosts Festival, plus a delicious dumplings recipe.

"Exciting storytelling and Chinese culinary traditions create a delicious book for young readers”

- San Francisco Chronicle

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781597021197
Publisher:	Immedium
Publication date:	04/05/2016
Edition description:	Bilingual
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	9.30(w) x 10.20(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	3 - 8 Years

About the Author

Ying Compestine: Ying's dozens of children’s books have won many awards, including spots on the "best lists" from the ALA, Bank Street, Book Sense, and New York Times. She visits schools and teaches workshops internationally. She has written for magazines such as Cooking Light, Self, Men's Health, and Martha Stewart's Whole Living. Her website is www.yingc.com.

James Yamaski: James has illustrated for magazines (Wired, National Geographic Kids), newspapers (Seattle's The Stranger), and companies (Kelloggs, Nickelodeon). He studied at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena and now teaches at the Academy of Art in San Francisco. His website is www.jamesyamasaki.com.

Editorial Reviews

05/01/2016
K-Gr 2—A new, bilingual edition of 2009's Boy Dumplings adds Chinese text in simplified characters, changes where page breaks occur, includes some minor wording edits, and adds a new spread of Yamasaki's illustrations. In the streets of Old Beijing, a desperate, hungry ghost finds a nice plump boy, perfect for eating. The child provides the ghost with his recipe for the perfect boy dumplings, which occupies the ghost for the rest of the night. He is still not finished with the complex dish when the sun rises, and the boy is able to trap the ghost and escape. The end of the book has an author's note about the Chinese ghost festival and a much tastier dumpling recipe than the one the ghost tries to make. (Compestine has authored several cookbooks.) Yamasaki's cartoon illustrations have a palette full of dark blues and bright yellows, contrasting not only day and night but also the creepy ghost and the ingenious boy. VERDICT A fun, slightly spooky twist on the classic tale of a small child outwitting a villain, but the updates are not worth replacing the original edition, except where there is a demand for materials in Chinese.—Jennifer Rothschild, Arlington County Public Libraries, VA

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