Elementary Library

Amy is determined to make a perfect dumpling like her parents and grandmother do, but hers are always too empty, too full, or not pinched together properly. Discussion prompts: ●​ Why do you think it was so important to Amy to make the perfect bao? ●​ Amy works on making a bao with pork, shrimp, ginger, and mushrooms. Have you tried these ingredients? Can you think of foods from other cultures that are similar? ●​ What is a food that means a lot to your community or family? Have you been taught to cook or make something that is part of a tradition? ●​ Has there been a time when something you wanted to be perfect turned out just as good even though it wasn’t perfect? What happened?

Bilal Cooks Daal by Aisha Saeed (E SAE) Bilal and his father invite his friends to help make his favorite dish, daal, then all must wait patiently for it to be done.

Discussion prompts: ●​ Bilal loves to eat daal. What is your favorite meal to eat and why?

●​ Bilal gets worried his friends may not like his favorite meal of daal. Why do you think he feels this way? Do you ever worry your friends may not like something you do? How does that feel? ●​ Bilal and his friends go on many different adventures while they wait for their meal to be ready. What were some of the thing they did while they waited? What are some things you like to do with your friends? ●​ Have you ever tried to eat something or do something for the very first time? Share what that was like. ●​ Bilal tells his friends that daal takes time, so they have to wait. Patience can be hard when you’re excited to do something or try something. Can you share a time you had to be patient and what that was like? Discussion prompts: ●​ What does fry bread mean to the family in the story, and how does it help them stay connected to their history? ●​ Can you think of a special food in your family that brings people together? How does it make you feel when you eat it? ●​ How do you think it feels to belong to a community that shares the same traditions? Why is it important to remember where we come from? Hot Pot Night by Vincent Chen (E CHE) In this version of the classic Stone Soup tale, nobody in the apartment building has enough ingredients for dinner, so a Taiwanese child suggests that they have a community hot pot night. Everybody contributes something, bringing their diverse community together for a delicious meal. Includes a recipe for hot pot Discussion prompts: ●​ What does hot pot night mean to the family in the story, and how does it help them stay connected? 188 Fry Bread by Kevin Noble Maillard (E MAI) Follows a Native American family as they make fry bread and celebrate their culture.