Presents a song set to the tune of "The wheels on the bus," where a multigenerational family enjoys a culturally rich meal. - (Baker & Taylor)

A culturally inspired celebration of the food, laughter and love of a multigenerational family meal depicts busy relatives who gather to prepare food, slurp noodles, press tofu and tap chopsticks to the tune of “The Wheels on the Bus.” Illustrations. - (Baker & Taylor)

Sing along to this delicious twist on "The Wheels on the Bus" and celebrate the food, laughter, and love of a multigenerational family meal!

* "Artfully brings an authentic expression of family love...an utterly charming [twist] to a familiar tune." -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review

The rice in the pot goes round and round,

Round and round, round and round,

The rice in the pot goes round and round

At the table where my family gathers round...

At the table where this family gathers, they share food, laughter, and, most of all, love. Readers of all ages are sure to delight in this joyful, expressive sing-along, slurping noodles, squishing tofu, and tapping chopsticks as they sing along to this familiar tune.

Rhythmic text from The Great Wall of Lucy Wu author and Asian/Pacific American Library Association Award winner Wendy Wan-Long Shang, and vibrant, playful illustrations from artist Lorian Tu bring this heartwarming, mouth-watering story to life. Informative back matter includes a food glossary and etiquette guidelines that are sure to delight and engage young readers.

Lorian Tu is a former art and special education teacher for elementary school kids, and currently a fulltime maker of kid-lit and kid-lit-art. A mom and an art teacher, her greatest inspiration comes from her sons and her students, as well as from her mixed-race, multi-ethnic childhood and adult life. She is the illustrator of Dress Like a Girl, written by Patricia Toht; May God Bless You and Keep You, written by Sarah Raymond Cunningham; and Stay Through the Storm, written by Joanna Rowland.
Wendy Wan-Long Shang is the author of The Great Wall of Lucy Wu, which was awarded the Asian/Pacific American Award for Children's Literature; The Way Home Looks Now, an Amelia Bloomer Project List selection and a CCBC Choices List selection; The Secret Battle of Evan Pao, which received multiple starred reviews; Sydney Taylor Honor Book This Is Just a Test, which she cowrote with Madelyn Rosenberg; and Not Your All-American Girl, a Tablet Magazine Best Children's Book, also cowritten with Madelyn Rosenberg. She lives with her family in the suburbs of Washington, DC. - (Scholastic)

Kirkus Reviews

A young Chinese family enjoys a visit to their grandparents’ house. Modeled after "The Wheels on the Bus," the narrative opens with, "When my family gets together we laugh and sing, / laugh and sing, laugh and sing." The grandparents along with their small white dog give a warm welcome to their extended family. The four grandchildren are two grade schoolers, a tutu-wearing toddler, and a baby. The dinner table is stacked with bamboo steamers and numerous dishes, with a lazy susan in the center. As the story progresses, each family member is addressed in Chinese and associated with a traditional dish. "Nai Nai drinks her tea with a hoo, hoo, hoo" (the kids’ grandmother is evidently blowing on the hot liquid); "Ye Ye eats noodles going slurp, slurp, slurp" (the grandfather slurps a comically long noodle); and "Ba Ba takes a pancake to roll up the duck" (the dad happily munches Peking duck). The repetitive stanzas and delectable onomatopoeia establish a rhythmic pace that irresistibly begs for participation. Tu’s illustrations elevate the joyful tone with brightly colored cartoons filled with textures and lively details. Shang follows up with a detailed glossary explaining food, family titles, and dining etiquette. The explanations are thorough, accompanied by characters in both Traditional and Simplified Chinese and Romanized spellings. This deceptively simple story artfully brings an authentic expression of family love. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at 90.3% of actual size.) An utterly charming Asian twist to a familiar tune. (author's note, illustrator's note) (Picture book. 3-5) Copyright Kirkus 2021 Kirkus/BPI Communications. All rights reserved.

School Library Journal Reviews

PreS-Gr 3—Whether or not the tune of "The Wheels on the Bus" hits readers' ears when they first see the title, what unfolds in Shang's pages will soon have them humming along. A joyful Chinese family, as shown in Tu's funny and irascible illustrations, celebrates meal time at large round tables with lazy Susans making every single dish available to all. Nai Nai sips her tea with a "hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo," and there is eating with a "yum, yum, yum, yum, yum, yum." It works beautifully and young listeners won't need much of a cue to jump in and celebrate, too. A guide to Chinese dining etiquette explains the correctness of an appreciative slurp and the possible problems of cleaning your plate (a host or cook may fret that you have not had enough to eat!), followed by notes from both author and illustrator, cementing this book's ode to memory and eating as shared family bonds. VERDICT With a food glossary included, this is a take-along book for restaurant dining, or a book to start children discussing their own food memories and festivities. And please, bring snacks.—Kimberly Olson Fakih, School Library Journal