The story begins with a simple introduction to reading comics and a more complex introduction for adults to read aloud, explaining the Chinese and Taiwanese words used by Geraldine and her family. I liked the presentation of this, that explained simple that "some" of Geraldine's family used to live in Taiwan.
Geraldine's favorite part of school is lunch - especially the yummy lunches her Amah packs in Biandang, her lunch box. But when new boy Nico shows up, he loudly calls Geraldine's tasty yellow curry "gross." The other kids quickly follow his lead, and Geraldine - and her lunch - are being called names and made fun of. Geraldine tries to get her grandmother to pack her sandwiches, but the tasty bao she gets results in more teasing. Geraldine is angry and hurt, and stays awake all night worrying about what will happen the next day, when she takes leftovers to school, including her favorite stinky tofu. She's bracing herself for Nico's mean remarks, but then he turns on another kid, Deven, who has brought something different too.
Geraldine gathers all her courage, joins Deven, and asks to try his "yucky" food, which turns out to be a Caribbean fruit called "stinky toe." The other children look on in surprise, but the teasing stops as Deven and Geraldine enjoy their "STINKIN' good" food together.
Additional notes for adults to read at the end talks about different names; showing that "Pu" is a real last name for many people and a little more information on some of the foods eaten in the book. Biandang, Geraldine's lunch box, encourages readers to try new things and, even if they don't like them, "Just be careful not to say 'Yuck!' to someone else's 'Yum!' and keep an open mind." There's also a recipe for steamed pork baos.
Chang's art is open and friendly, focusing on an array of faces in school and Geraldine's changing emotions, with light pastel colors and against the warm background of her family. The visual art is a little more complicated than the lower level Ready-to-Read Graphics, combining narrative and dialogue, and readers will need to follow more subtle emotions and denser text. However, the text itself is still fairly simple to allow readers to understand the more complex art structure.
Verdict: This is an excellent choice for readers getting ready to transition to chapter books and those who enjoy realistic stories. It's also a welcome diverse addition to an animal and cartoon-heavy format. Hand this to readers not yet ready for the myriad of school chapter books and read together in your classrooms to spark discussion and reflection on accepting and celebrating our cultures, likes, and dislikes.
ISBN: 9781534484696; Published June 2021 by Simon Spotlight; Review copy provided by publisher
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