Is there a special home cooked meal that represents your family's cultural background as well as mother's taste? The answer is positive for Jade from Elisa Stad's picture book Mama's Love Language: Sometimes Love Tastes Like Hainan Chicken Rice. Enter to win a signed copy as well as a $50 Amazon gift card, just in time for Mother's Day!
My Review:
Inspired by the author's family history and personal experience, Mama's Love Language hosts a heartening celebration of cultural diversity and self-discovery. Born into a multicultural family, Jade feels confused about her real identity. Unlike her American dad who hugs her goodbye and kisses her goodnight, her mama, a Chinese immigrant who speaks English with an accent, seems to be concerned primarily about whether Jade has eaten all her food and finished all her homework. Driven by her desire to be more American like her dad, Jade draws herself as a blonde girl in her self-portrait and refuses to eat her favorite Hainan Chicken Rice for dinner. After mama shares her unusual life story however, Jade starts to undertand mama's special love language. The delicious dish mama cooks tastes better than ever!
Told from a little girl's perspective, the well-paced first-person narrative brings out strong emotions that many of us can relate to. As they follow Jade's anxious search for her cultural identity, young readers become aware of cultural differences in food, traditions, ways of thinking and expressions of love. While Jade's initial inclination to identify with just one culture reflects the societal and peer pressure to assimilate, her transition to acceptance of both cultures encourages everyone to embrace their own cultural heritages, American or not. Meanwhile, it helps multicultural parents realize the challenges their children have to grapple with and urges them to proactively familiarize the little ones with their family history and legacy. Food stands out as an enjoyable and effective way to discover and preserve one's cultural heritage and identity.
By comparing and contrasting the parenting styles of Jade's mama and dad, the story makes the point that love language can be unique and universal at the same time. Love can be communicated verbally and passionately or gently and subtly. No form has to be considered superior to another.
Employing vibrant colors and lifelike, expressive drawings, the book's illustrations help readers empathize and connect with the characters, while exhibiting the beauty of love, family and diversity.
Endearing and empowering, Mama's Love Language makes a timely read for Mother's Day and a cherishable addition to any culturally conscious family's book collection.
About the Book:
Ages 5-10 | 31 Pages
Publisher: Ginger Lotus Press | ISBN-13: 9798988378518
Jade is a girl who lives in two worlds and, coming from a multicultural family, she’s on a quest to understand her identity and where she truly belongs.
She is trying to find her place in the world but feels different from the other kids at school. Back home, Jade’s parents have their unique approach to love and care. Sometimes Jade is embarrassed by Mama’s accent and she can’t understand why she is not just like any other mother she knows.
The real adventure unfolds when Jade starts rebelling against her mother’s traditional ways of showing love, especially through food. It’s a struggle that takes her on a path of discovery, as she learns about her family’s rich heritage and her mother’s challenging past in Vietnam and as an immigrant.
Jade then discovers that even though Mama doesn’t hug or say I love you, the healing aroma of ginger, green onions, and chicken broth does.
“Mama’s Love Language” is a heartwarming children’s book that addresses the universal theme of belonging and the beauty of cultural diversity. Through Jade’s story, children will learn that being different is not only okay but something to be celebrated, and that love can come in many shapes and forms.
Purchase link: Amazon
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