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Rainbow Shopping

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Rainbow Shopping

Hardcover

$18.99

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Hardcover
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Overview

Sharing a delicious meal helps a child feel loved in this heartfelt 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 City, Mom, Dad, and Grandma have been very busy working. But a trip to Mom’s favorite Chinatown store to find the best produce, seafood, and spices for dinner just might turn the girl's day around.

Later on, Dad steams, boils, fries, and stir-fries all the ingredients while girl and Grandma taste-test. After cozy goodnights, 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 warmth and details of city life, this story about a working-class family is one readers can return to again and again.

A New York Public Library Best Book of the Year
An NPR Book We Love
A BookPage Best Picture Book of the Year

Product Details
About the Author

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780823449774
Publisher:	Holiday House
Publication date:	03/07/2023
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	450,906
Product dimensions:	8.89(w) x 11.32(h) x 0.37(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Qing Zhuang has always wanted to be an artist of one kind or another. Born in Fuzhou City, China, Qing moved to New York City when she was seven years old. Like many immigrants and children of immigrants, Qing tried very hard to fit in and embody both cultures. However, the world of books and art is where Qing totally and naturally feels like herself. She is the illustrator of How Long Is Forever?, which Kirkus Reviews called "warm and expressive." Rainbow Shopping is Qing’s debut as author-illustrator. On most days, when not drawing, you will find Qing getting messy making art with children as an elementary school art teacher and enjoying all the new children’s books in the library. She lives with her wonderful husband in Queens, New York.

From the B&N Reads Blog

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Editorial Reviews

02/27/2023
Zhuang’s solo debut follows a child who has recently emigrated from China traveling from a muted New York City neighborhood where “I feel gray as a pigeon” to a bustling Chinatown where there’s much to observe. Candid narration and expressive drawings depict the child’s family life—“Mom is always sewing at the factory. Dad is always delivering food for a restaurant. Grandma is always nannying in a big house.” One day, though, the protagonist is pulled out of bed like “a giant turnip” by Mom; since everyone will be home for dinner, they take a train to Chinatown for ingredients. Once there, the subdued landscape gives way to vivid hues as the two shop amid a kaleidoscope of fruits, vegetables, seafood, and sweets. Colored pencil, crayon, and watercolor applied in a personal sketchbook style communicate the feel of New York City sights and sounds, transporting the protagonist into rainbow dreams and making the stylized city illustrations feel achingly real. Ages 4–8. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

03/01/2023
Gr 2–4—On a rainy day, a young Chinese girl accompanies her mother on a shopping trip in New York City. They wander Chinatown and purchase food, candy, and other goods. After riding home on the subway, the young girl has dinner with her mom, dad, and grandma, who lives with the family. Grandma shares stories of her mother, prompting our protagonist to ponder her family history. Based on the author's lived experience as a first-generation Chinese American, the sometimes text heavy story touches on themes that will resonate with many readers—exploration, immigration, family, childhood. Much like the busy streets of Chinatown, there is a lot to take in: shopping trip, subway, stories, family history. The vibrant illustrations convey the hustle and bustle of the city, where there is always something intriguing to look at. Colored pencils and watercolors are used to create crowded city streets and markets. Vegetables and traditional Chinese treats are lovingly rendered, as are random New Yorkers on the scene, from a man in green Crocs to another with a small Labradoodle in a baby carrier. VERDICT A celebration of family, heritage, and home, this book is a worthy addition to any collection.—Chance Lee Joyner

School Library Journal

2022-10-27
A gray day is brightened by the colors of a Chinatown shopping trip.
The only child of a family that has recently emigrated from China to New York City laments that Mom, Dad, and Grandma are always busy working now. But the promise of a family dinner immediately makes the day better. After a long subway ride, Mom and the narrator arrive in Chinatown to pick out the freshest herbs, fruits, and vegetables, fill a bag with black mushrooms, and select a fish, all in vibrant hues. They can’t find everything they want, but back at home, Dad works his “kitchen kung fu,” and soon the table is filled with dishes that are delicious though different from how they would be made in China. After a snuggly evening of family stories, the child dreams that they all “walk together in rainbow rain.” Watercolor textures and comforting colors transform an everyday activity into a joyful adventure. The diversity of Chinatown is depicted with signs in English and Chinese and small, specific setting details. The endpapers are a delightful, collagelike representation of the day’s shopping but also past and present influences in the child’s life. While the concept of “rainbow shopping” doesn’t quite come together, the simple narrative sparkles with gentle humor and reassuring imagery. This day-in-the-life story is a celebration of food as connection, comfort, and inspiration and a way to honor our heritage as we walk into the future. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A culturally specific ode to the cozy deliciousness of food and family. (Picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews

★ "[A] touching portrait of a family’s love for one another. . . . Zhuang’s artwork is as warm and inviting as her story. Her watercolor, crayon and colored pencil illustrations burst with detail, allowing for new discoveries with each read."—BookPage, Starred Review

"Inspired by the author's own childhood experiences, the story beautifully reflects how it feels to relocate to a completely different country and still try to feel at home."—The Horn Book

"Colored pencil, crayon, and watercolor applied in a personal sketchbook style communicate the feel of New York City sights and sounds, transporting the protagonist into rainbow dreams and making the stylized city illustrations feel achingly real."—Publishers Weekly

"[The] story touches on themes that will resonate with many readers—exploration, immigration, family, childhood. . . . The vibrant illustrations convey the hustle and bustle of the city, where there is always something intriguing to look at. . . . A celebration of family, heritage, and home, this book is a worthy addition to any collection."—School Library Journal

"This engaging picture book is perfect for storytimes centered on family traditions or the comfort of familiar food."—Booklist

"Watercolor textures and comforting colors transform an everyday activity into a joyful adventure. . . . The simple narrative sparkles with gentle humor and reassuring imagery. This day-in-the-life story is a celebration of food as connection, comfort, and inspiration and a way to honor our heritage as we walk into the future."—Kirkus Reviews

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