My Day with Gong Gong

K-Gr 2--When May is left to stay with her Gong Gong for the day, she is not quite sure what to expect, mostly because Gong Gong doesn't speak much English and May doesn't speak Cantonese. Once the old gentleman wakes up from his nap, it's off to Chinatown. Grandpa happily waves to all his friends in the neighborhood while May is left to wonder what they are saying. They greet street vendors, stop at a gift shop, and eventually end up at a park where they play cards with Gong Gong's friends. But May has had enough! She is hungry and frustrated. Gong Gong comforts her with a toy and a pork bun; they forge a connection despite the language barrier. The lighting in the watercolor illustrations accompany the changing mood of the day; as May and Gong Gong return home, shopkeepers are closing, and the colors turn dusky. They perfectly capture the mood of the characters and the intentions of the story. VERDICT Featuring a winsome pair, this is a wonderful, sympathetic story, and the bonus is a small glossary of Cantonese words. Pair with Sylvia Liu's A Morning with Grandpa.--Martha Rico, Yselta I.S.D., TX

May, a girl of Chinese descent who only knows English, is nervous about spending the day with her maternal grandfather, who mainly speaks Cantonese. As the duo strolls through Chinatown and Gong Gong converses with neighbors, cashiers, and waitstaff, May grows frustrated (" 'Can we eat?' I ask. He pats my head and smiles, but that's not what I asked for!"). But when errant pigeon poop proves the last straw, Gong Gong shows he may understand May more than she thought. Watercolor and pencil crayon illustrations referencing various Chinatowns conjure a dreamlike authenticity in the neighborhood's bustling, vibrant nature, finely balancing realistic backdrops with sweetly cartoonish characters, including May's genuine, youthful first-person perspective. A glossary featuring traditional Cantonese characters and phonetic English pronunciations concludes this gentle, resonant portrayal of the way love can overcome language barriers. Ages 4-7. (Sept.)