Grandpa grumps

Daisy's Yeh-Yeh is visiting from China. She has exciting plans for all that she and her grandpa will do together, but he arrives very grumpy. What will make him smile? Tiara tea parties? Playing in the snow? Singing karaoke? Nothing seems to make his grumpiness go away, until Daisy finds a box of his Chinese recipes and asks if they can make fried rice together. As they eat it, she finally gets the smile from Yeh-Yeh that she's been waiting for. This precious story celebrates how love can transcend both generations and cultures. The language barrier with a foreign relative is expertly and affectionately portrayed, and both the story and its illustrations are fluidly multicultural, with Chinese lanterns and calligraphy and vases tucked throughout a household that's eating spaghetti and meatballs with forks. Yan's delightful artwork has all the humor and detail and sunlight of a Pixar film. Many children will certainly relate to this sweet child with a big heart who just wants to make her elder happy--and does.

Love can be expressed in many different ways. Young, bubbly Daisy eagerly awaits the arrival of her paternal grandfather from China. She's already made a list of activities to make sure "This will be the best week ever!" When Yeh-Yeh finally arrives, Daisy notices that "Grandpa isn't jolly"--even after she gives him a hug. "Would you like some tea?" Daisy offers. Although she arranges a full tea party complete with stuffed animals, Yeh-Yeh reacts only with a stern "Harrumph." Undeterred, Daisy brings him one of her books to read. Yeh-Yeh attempts to communicate with Daisy, suggesting in Mandarin that she read his Chinese newspaper; misunderstanding, she takes it as a request for an art session. Yan's cartoons have the look of modern animation; rendered in bright blended colors, they are sure to elicit giggles with their portrayals of Daisy's failed attempts to engage her grandfather. A discouraged Daisy asks, "Mama, why is Yeh-Yeh such a grump?" Mama answers, "He shows love in other ways." Shifting paradigms, Daisy and Yeh-Yeh finally make headway through a shared love of food (recipe appended). Daisy and her family are Chinese, and a handful of romanized Chinese appears within the well-structured text, with many Chinese characters in the illustrations. Both characters and romanized Chinese appear with their English translations on the endpapers in a decorative picture dictionary. Comical and heartwarming, this title should spark discussions of relationships and understanding (Picture book. 4-7) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.