Everyone Loves Lunchtime but Zia
Written by Jenny Liao
Illustrated by Dream Chen
Published by Random House Children's Books
Everyone loves lunchtime. Everyone, that is, but Zia.
At school, the other kids are eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, cheese and crackers, and apples on the side. But Zia’s always nervous about opening her lunchbox. Her dumpling and noodle dishes look different and smell different. She dreads lunchtime.
Then, during her birthday week, her parents pack her a different Cantonese dish each day and explain what the food represents: a roast pork bun to bring treasure, soy sauce chicken to bring success, and more. At first, Zia doesn’t want to eat her lunch, but once she starts, she just may realize her food could bring her good fortune after all!
Primary ISBN: 9780593425428
Publication Date: February 2023
Available As: Hardcover, eBook
Picture Book , Age 03 or older
Community Represented: Chinese/Chinese American
Themes: Cultural Empowerment & Joy: Celebrations & Traditions, Cultural Empowerment & Joy: Food, Family Relationship: Parents, Identity: Multilingual, Own Voices/Lived Experience, Welcoming by School
Setting: Unspecified
Character's Place in the Immigration Journey: Unknown Arrival
Book Creator(s) Connection to the Community Represented: Own Voices/Lived Experience
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