Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
Sharing a delicious meal helps a family connect in this loving tribute to Chinatown and spending days-off together. On a rainy Saturday, a young girl feels as gray as a pigeon. Since moving from China to New York, Mom, Dad, and Grandma have been busy working to make ends meet. But a trip to Mom's favorite Chinatown stores, where there are "vegetables in a hundred greens" and "silver fish on crunchy white ice," might just be what the girl needs to feel connected again.
After a long day of shopping, they cook up a savory meal of mushroom and bok choy, thin slices of bitter melon, fragrant ponds of broth, and seafood to enjoy together. A final dream spread shows the family walking hand-in-hand in rainbow colors, an affirmation of love and support even on rainy, gray days.
Inspired by Qing Zhuang's experience as a first generation Chinese American, Rainbow Shopping explores a young child's feelings of loneliness and discovery with tenderness and humor. Qing uses watercolor, colored pencil, and crayon to beautifully recreate NYC's Chinatown neighborhood. Filled with details of city life, this is a story readers can return to again and again.