About the Holiday

Today I’m excited to be a part of Natasha Yim and Violet Kim’s blog tour to share Luna’s Yum Yum Dim Sum, another engaging book in the Storytelling Math series from Charlesbridge that shows children how math occurs naturally in all aspects of their life and invites them to explore and experiment.

Thanks to Charlesbridge for sending me a digital copy of Luna’s Yum Yum Dim Sum for review consideration. All opinions of the book are my own.

Luna’s Yum Yum Dim Sum (Storytelling Math)

Written by Natasha Yim | Illustrated by Violet Kim

For Luna’s birthday, Ma Ma and Ba Ba take Luna and her brothers to a dim sum restaurant. They join the sound of happy voices and chopsticks that go “click, clickety, clack.” Servers wheel trolleys piled with plates and “baskets of dim sum. Warm smells of dumplings, buns, and sweet desserts tickle Luna’s nose.” Ba Ba asks the kids what they would like and Luna exclaims that she wants pork buns. Her older brother calls for two baskets, and her little brother Benji agrees. When the server brings two baskets of char siu bao to the table, the kids open the tops to find three buns in each.

Two buns for each of them, Benji proclaims. They each take a bun from the first basket, but just as Luna lifts hers up, it slips from her hand and falls to the floor— “Splat!” “‘Oh no!’” She takes a bun from the second basket. “‘That’s all you get,’ says Kai, and Benji seconds that. But Luna protests that it’s her birthday and she should get another bun. Benji and Kai gaze into the basket sadly, wondering what to do. Then Kai reminds his siblings that their mom always says they should respect their elders. But Benji remembers her saying “‘older kids should take care of younger kids,’” so he should get one too. And Luna? She exclaims that she’s the “‘birthday girl!’”

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Image copyright Violet Kim, 2020, text copyright Natasha Yim, 2020. Courtesy of Charlesbridge.

The three kids stare each other down. Finally, Luna suggests cutting the two buns in half, and they do. But who will get the extra half, Benji wonders. Kai and Benji both have reasons they should get it. And Luna? She exclaims that she’s the “‘birthday girl!’” Kai thinks they should divide the half in half, but Luna tells him they’d just be back to the beginning. Kai and Benji like the idea of using their animals from the lunar calendar to choose who gets the pieces, but each has a valid claim to a half. Luna has one more suggestion that makes the division fair but the pieces tiny. Then Luna looks around and sees a hungry little boy at the next table and knows just what to do with the extra half.

Backmatter includes a description of Dim Sum and the Chinese Zodiac as well as a paragraph that explores the math found in the story and four activities to get kids working with math.

Natasha Yim’s charming tale will captivate readers with her funny and realistic competition between the siblings for the remaining two pork buns after Luna drops one. Her pitch-perfect dialogue invites kids to try and figure out how to divide the buns along with Luna, Kai, and Benji. Yim’s storytelling organically incorporates important concepts of one and two while also introducing the idea of one half in a way that they can—and will want to—replicate at home. Through Kai, Luna, and Benji’s challenges to each other, kids also learn about superlatives and comparatives “oldest and older” and “tallest and shortest” as well as “bigger” and “bravest.” Luna’s solution to their dilemma is sweet and will entice kids to enjoy dim sum themselves.

Violet Kim’s vibrant illustrations take kids into a bustling dim sum restaurant, where they can see—and almost hear—happy diners and busy servers with their carts. By changing the perspective of her images, Kim allows kids to clearly see the buns in the baskets and take part in deciding how they can be divided. Children can also count chopsticks, tea cups, and other items on the table as well as the contents of baskets stacked on carts. Kim envisions the siblings’ competitions in humorous images that also demonstrate superlatives and comparatives that provide both math and language lessons. Readers will also empathize with Luna, Kai, and Benji as they debate, their facial expressions depicting their thought processes, doubts, and frustrations.

An enchanting read that combines math with familiar family dynamics, Luna’s Yum Yum Dim Sum is a story that will spark mathematical experimentation and understanding both at home and in the classroom, making the book an excellent choice for family, school, and public libraries.

Ages 3 – 6

Charlesbridge, 2021 | ISBN 978-1623541996

Discover more about Natasha Yim and her books on her website.

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To learn more about Violet Kim, her books, and her art, visit her website.

Storytelling Math Chat

You’re invited to listen to authors Natasha Yim, Sara Levine, and Ana Crespo as well as Charlesbridge editor Alyssa Mito Pusey and math expert Marlene Kliman talk about the math, diversity, and importance of storytelling in Storytelling Math..