Hot Pot Night!

July 1, 2020
Neighbors pool ingredients for a spontaneous potluck meal. As the day ends in this urban building, residents in four separate apartments ask: "What's for dinner?" An olive-skinned child suggests hot pot, and the action kicks into high gear. The olive-skinned, brown-haired host produces an electric tabletop cooker as a brown-skinned pair shows up with the broth, followed by a fair-skinned, white-haired woman who brings meat and a brown-skinned, brown-haired man with vegetables he has grown. Together, everyone cheerfully preps the meal; even the dog is excited about this communal activity. The animated spreads have a cartoony energy while the short, energetic sentences invite reading out loud. The illustrations offer little depth or dimension, however, and the assorted ingredients (vegetables, tofu, lotus root, seafood, etc.) scattered across the front and back endpapers resemble artificial food models stocking a toy kitchen. Although the main story names no specific racial or ethnic details, readers knowledgeable about Chinese culture will recognize the quintessential roundness of hot pot--as a vessel shape, as a way to eat, and as a symbol of harmonious reunions. The meal leaves the diners wanting more, and the story concludes with the promise of future hot-pot nights. (This book was reviewed digitally with 9.5-by-19-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.) Flat, unsubtle artwork dilutes a potent concept and weakens the taste for this picture book promoting community and sharing. (author's note, recipe) (Picture book. 2-5)

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August 1, 2020

PreS-K-The story opens with four families in an apartment building asking the eternal question, "What's for dinner?" One little boy's enthusiastic answer of "Hot pot!" is met with jubilation and spurs immediate action. One family provides the hot pot, another the broth, while the remaining two families bring the meat and vegetables. With broad digital illustrations and minimal text, readers witness the whole feast come to life. All of the neighbors heartily dig in with chopsticks and eat to their hearts' content. When there is no more they all pitch in to wash the dishes. As the neighbors return to their own apartments, they agree to do it again but alternate who will bring the pot and who will host. A recipe at the end is the ideal finishing touch. VERDICT A delightful celebration of food and community in the vein of the European stone soup folktale, with a Taiwanese twist.-Amy Nolan, St. Joseph P.L., MI

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