Book
Dumpling Soup written by Jama Kim Rattigan
About the book
A story about celebrating New Year's in Hawaii, illustrated by Lillian Hsu-Flanders
Author's Remarks
DUMPLING SOUP is my first published picture book for children. It is based on my childhood experiences of celebrating New Year's in Hawaii. After I moved to the mainland I discovered that New Year's Eve was geared toward adults, who partied all night while waiting for the ball to drop in Times Square. In Hawaii New Year's was always family oriented, a time for enjoying large quantities of food and basking in cultural traditions. I wanted children to know that New Year's could be even more fun than Christmas, and to show them why it was my favorite holiday.
All the main characters in DUMPLING SOUP are based on real people, most of whom still live in Hawaii. Marisa's brother Hiram is based on my older brother, Newton. Grandma is an important character in the story, as my own maternal grandmother represented the heart of the Yang family. She in essence raised Newton and me while my parents worked. The aunts, Elsie, Ruth, and Grace, are really three of my mother's four sisters.
Now that I am grown, I miss these New Year's celebrations, which stopped shortly after my grandmother passed away.
Ages: 6 - 7 years old
Other books by this author
Truman's Aunt Farm
About the author
Jama Kim Rattigan, a third-generation Korean-American, was born and raised on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. She lives in Herndon, Virginia.
|
