Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao, family, cuisine, and culture

Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao is not a book about babies. My very limited Chinese knowledge knew that bao bao means baby.  Thus, this is obviously a book about Amy and her search for the perfect baby. I was wrong. Had I thought about it for a moment the very large dumpling on the cover should’ve pointed me in the correct direction. Instead, Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao is about a young girl in search of the perfect dumpling. It’s a book about family traditions, good food, not getting discouraged and learning how to do things by yourself.

I teach ESL to children in China. I’ve learned that dumplings are sometimes not called dumplings and that they’re quite the treat. A couple holidays have them as the central, special thing that families look forward to making. Amy We and the Perfect Bao taught me that its pronunciation in Chinese is bao, as in bow, instead of bow-as in the bow on the package.

On the first page we meet Amy Wu. She’s quite the perfectionist and very good at many things. Like many elementary school aged children she confident, enjoys spending time with her family and really wants some treats from the kitchen. The perfect bao is one that her mother, father and grandmother can all create. They’re perfectly pinched, have just the right amount of ingredients and are the perfect size.

Amy’s bao always come out wonky. They’re too small, don’t have enough stuff in them or fall apart. She’s getting frustrated despite the assistance that her family. It’s only when she gets to the brink of a meltdown; not even her eternally chipper can is unable to console her, that she realizes how to make the perfect bao.

Young readers will enjoy the landscape, full color pages of the book. The front cover has Amy sitting beside her cat on top of a huge bao, with massive fireworks exploding in the background. The book takes that energy and uses it throughout the story. There are a handful of sight words for them to practice on, but for the most part this is an illustrated book that ages 4-8 will dig looking at by themselves. Kids don’t need to enjoy cooking, be Asian or know what the heck a bao is in order to enjoy the book.

Most kids won’t identify with all of the variables that Amy Wu has. However, every kid will understand and laugh to themselves about something that they have in common with Wu. It could be the kitchen rituals, problem solving, the fact that it takes multiple attempts to do something or mannerisms that her immediate family has. As a bonus, Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao has the author’s recipe for the perfect bao in the back of the book, just in case you have the skills or want to give it a shot.

There are affiliate links in this post, because, bao.