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A delicious picture book about multiculturalism and community, complete with a tasty recipe for "Grandma's Buns".
Make it together with your child!
Lily, who lives in the apartment, is making steamed buns with her grandmother.
While wrapping, I realized I was missing one ingredient!
They ran up and down the stairs to borrow from the neighbors.
It turns out everyone was also preparing different kinds of cultural snacks:
Polish dumplings, Jamaican beef patties, Mexican tamales
Italian ravioli, and Lebanese pie!
The author is a third-generation Asian immigrant living in the United States.
She enjoys cooking with her children.
I also like to use food to connect with friends and family!
In the end, the neighbors from different immigrant backgrounds happily gathered for a meal, each bringing their own cultural cuisine.
This is a delicious picture book about multiculturalism and community.
Includes a delicious steamed bun recipe; read the story and make steamed buns together!
Let food connect us.
*with phonetic symbols
Awards Record
● Chicago Public Library's Book of the Year ● Charlotte Hack Award from the National Association of Teachers of English Language Teaching ● Amazon Editors' Choice for Best Picture Book for Ages 6-8 ● Starred Recommendation from Publishers Weekly and Booklist Magazine
Recommendations from all sectors and positive reviews from the media
Do you all have memories of cooking with your family in the kitchen? The process is both hard and fun, making it unforgettable.
Lily loves making steamed buns with her grandma, but today there was a little mishap. She had to run up and down stairs to help everyone solve the ingredient problem. Reading slowly, it felt like you were running up and down the stairs with her, panting for breath!
This is a really fun picture book that cleverly incorporates food education concepts (parent-child cooking together and using whole ingredients), introduces "steamed bun-like" foods from different countries, and has a heartwarming ending. It makes me want to make steamed buns with my child tomorrow!
--Li Meiling / Chairperson of the Taiwan Children's Food Education Association
Like a good dough filled with a pastry, this story convincingly combines familiar elements... The textured, brightly colored illustrations exude warmth throughout.
—Kirkus Reviews
It depicts intergenerational care and resonates deeply; it celebrates how food connects a multicultural community and is mouthwatering.
—Publishers Weekly Star Recommendation
Author Introduction
Melissa Iwai / Author
She is the author and illustrator of *Soup Day* and *Pizza Day*. Throughout her career, she has illustrated over 30 works, including *30 Minutes Over Oregon*, which won the Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction. She frequently blends traditional and digital media in her art and loves incorporating the joy of cooking with children into her work. "I'm a passionate foodie and have always believed in using food to connect family and friends," she says. "As a third-generation Asian American, I'm deeply fascinated by how immigrants celebrate and glorify their culture through traditional cooking. Discovering that small dough balls filled with sweet or savory fillings (collectively known as dumplings) appear in so many food cultures around the world inspired me to create the story 'Lily Makes Dumplings.' I feel they are the perfect food to celebrate multiculturalism and community." When not busy with art, she often cooks and develops her own recipes. She lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband, son, and Shiba Inu Nikki—the whole family loves all kinds of dough-filled pastries.
Translated by Huang Xiaoyin
Adjunct Lecturer, Department of Foreign Languages, National Taiwan University. Completed doctoral studies (Literature Group), Graduate Institute of English, National Taiwan Normal University. Previously worked as an editor, translating over 300 picture books and young adult novels. Served as a judge for the Ministry of Culture's Outstanding Extracurricular Reading Materials for Elementary and Secondary Schools and the Jiuge Children's Literature Award. In recent years, also writes columns to promote picture book literature and young adult novels. Loves the warm and bright atmosphere conveyed in "Lily Makes Buns" and hopes everyone can discover what they love through reading.