Such a special book! I had trouble with the pictures in the digital galley, but luckily I was also able to read the paper copy at my store. The story is funny and relatable (including cross-culturally) and Elaine Chen's pictures are sweet and full of love without ever feeling too gooey. I love what I've read of Yee's adult work, and her style translates beautifully into writing for kids.

My Day with Gong Gong by Sennah Yee and illustrations by Elaine Chan is a book that I adore! Chan's illustrations make Yee's story really come to life. May's trip with Gong Gong is boring and tiresome, but Gong Gong pays attention and surprises May. The bonding between granddaughter and grandfather is so important and this book beautifully describes this. The glossary at the end of the book is also a great addition.

It was an adorable story of a Chinese American girl who learns about her culture on her visit to China Town with Gong gong. I enjoyed reading it.
Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the digital version of the book for honest review.

I liked that this book introduced me to some Cantonese words and depicted Chinese culture in a child-friendly manner. Conversely, I spent too much of the book being annoyed at the Gong Gong for being so aloof and uncommunicative to May. I mean, it's a relief when it's revealed near the end that the Gong Gong has been collecting things for her all day, but it's also slightly more irritating knowing that he's been aware of her desires and frustration all along and never attempted to talk to her. I liked the book for what it attempted, but not so much for the relationship between May and Gong Gong.

In this charming new story author Sennah Yee shows readers what it is like for grandchildren and grandparents when they don’t exactly speak the same language. My Day with Gong Gong, illustrated by Elaine Chen is a beautiful inter generational story about how communication doesn’t necessarily happen just through words.

Gong Gong (mother’s father in Chinese) is taking care of May today but Mayis a little worried because Gong Gong doesn’t speak English and she doesn’t; speak Cantonese. Gong Gong takes her to all of his favourite places in Chinatown and as children do, May gets a little impatient. She doesn’t realize that Gong Gong is watching her the whole time and understands her, even if he doesn;t understand the language.

I’m a total sucker for a good inter generational story. It is so important for readers to see the valuable and loving relationships that they can have with their grandparents and elders. This story is especially poignant as there are many children who may not be able to clearly communicate through language with their grandparents, I myself struggled at times communicating with my grandparents as they are french speakers with limited English and I am an English speaker with limited french, however that didn’t lessen our relationship or the feeling of love I received from them. I particularly love how Gong Gong is sharing some of his favourite things with May in this story. Readers need to see reflections of their lives in the stories they read and understand the diversity all around them whether they live in a big city or a small rural community.

Kind of a cute story of emotions that transcend language. The plot is simple and the illustrations rounded and appealing. Good for very young children more than older ones.

Sweet story that shows love and affection transcend language barriers as a Grandfather and Grandchild spend the day together.

A wonderful story about a granddaughter that spends time with her grandfather and experiences the language and culture of her heritage. This heartwarming story shows how grandparents have a great influence on their grandchildren's lives and are a wonderful resource for teaching children about language and culture. This would make a great bedtime story!
Thank you to NetGalley and Annick Press Ltd. for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

In My Day with Gong Gong by Sennah Yee, May is dropped off at Gong Gong's house to spend the day with him. May is very concerned because she doesn't know how to speak Chinese and Gong Gong doesn't know how to speak English. Throughout the day, May is not having fun with Gong Gong, until something goes wrong and she starts to cry. When Gong Gong shows May that he was actually paying attention to her the entire time, they seem to get along a lot better. May starts having fun and enjoying the rest of the day with Gong Gong.

I love how at the end of this book, it gives the Chinese words in English, so children can learn them. While my family is not Chinese, one of my son's great-grandmas doesn't speak English. I think this is a great book to show that he can still be a part of her life even if they cannot communicate with words well. The story was well written, portraying how May felt throughout the entire book. I thought the illustrations were good and enjoyed the book. I think My Day with Gong Gong is a perfect book for young children to read to learn a little about Chinese culture. It is especially perfect for children with grandparents or great-grandparents who do not speak the same language as they do.

Sweet intergenerational picture book about a little girl who spends the day roaming Chinatown with her cheerful grandfather. He speaks Cantonese (peppered throughout the story) and she does not, and the language barrier exacerbates May’s frustrations as she grows bored and hungry. Gong Gong was listening to her all along, though, and the day ends happily for both.

There were a few illustrative disconnects for me — who sits down at a table in a restaurant when they aren’t dining there, and what happened to those bags of groceries?

Definitely reminds me of my local Chinatown and, sadly, I'm sure the real case of cultural generation gaps. The story is delivered from May's point of view, and because she is a young child only wanting her needs addressed, her whininess and lack of respect does not make her a good role model for my kids. I have a hard time recommending this book, though I am an advocate for more diverse voices, because I don't want kids to think this is ok with their Goong Goongs.

That he gives her gifts that wins her in the end, she likely learns her lesson because her demeanor softens. But because the author does not have May actually voice that Goong Goong's an ok dude to hang with, I feel as if she missed an opportunity to let early readers and families who are reading this aloud to acknowledge there is value in this relationship.

My Day with Gong Gong is a sweet book by Sennah Yee that shows a budding relationship between a Grandfather and Granddaughter. There are some difficulties, since Gong Gong doesn't speak English and little May doesn't speak Chinese, but they learn to get along and have an absolutely wonderful day!

This book is very sweet and a great little read. It's full of adorable pictures and such a sweet story. I highly recommend picking this book up as a sweet, bedtime read.

Four out of five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Annick Press Ltd. for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

I love stories for children that involve the bond they have with a grandparent. In this story we not only learn about this bond, but also witness the culture differences that now divide May and her grandfather, and how these differences can easily be bridged when we take time to learn them. Timely and touching, My Day with Gong Gong is a great addition to picture books.

Review will post to blog on release day.

I received an e-galley of this book from Annick Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I knew that this was a book that I had to read from the moment I read the title and saw the words Gong Gong. It means grandpa in Cantonese Chinese, and while I have never actually had the chance to meet my own grandfathers, I wanted to read this book about a little girl who spends the day with her grandpa.,

May is spending the day with her Gong Gong and she’s worried as she doesn’t speak or understand Chinese. As the two spend the day together, she is frustrated by this lack of communication. Soon she realizes that her grandfather may understand more than he lets on and she learns to embrace him and the Chinese language.

I found this story to be heartwarming and a reminder of what it was like growing up in Canada as ethnic Chinese. While I grew up understanding and speaking the language, there are moments when the culture clashed with the Canadian western culture. It was not always easy embracing my own heritage in those cases. I hope that this story speaks to new generations of Chinese Canadians growing up, and learning to embrace their heritage as it is such a beautiful thing to connect with our history and people.

Thank you to Sennah Yee for bringing this book to us - and allowing me to spend a day with Gong Gong, an experience I never got to experience myself.

May is anxious about being with her grandfather because she didn’t speak Chinese and he doesn’t speak much English. For many children of immigrants, this is a reality. Many of my students would connect with this as they too have difficulties communicating with grandparents who speak another language. During the course of the day, May gets increasingly frustrated believing that her grandfather is not understanding her at all.

A fun aspect of the book is getting a tour of Chinatown. There is much to see and there is a wide variety of people. One woman is in a wheelchair and one is wearing a mask.

I wish the illustrations didn’t rely on slants or curved lines for eyes and hope that people will stop using that as a shortcut to indicate Asian heritage.

Such a sweet story! My grandparents were still learning English when I was small, too.Spending the day with them was always an experience! The little girl in this story spends the day with her Cantonese speaking grandfather and thinks it will be boring. Her mother assures her it won't be. The day is very full of visiting various stores and people with Grandpa. It's also full of pleasant surprises. A happy day for everyone!
This would be such a wonderful gift for a small child spending a day with a grandparent who doesn't speak their language.
The illustrations were lovely. I look forward to seeing them in color.

May’s grandfather (gong gong) babysits her one day. Gong gong speaks Chinese and she’s worried they won’t be able to communicate. She is frustrated that she has to do everything that gong gong wants to do. He likes to watch boring TV, play cards with his friends and talk to local vendors in their community. May would prefer to watch cartoons, eat something and not have to wait so long for her grandfather. Sometimes she feels like people are laughing at her because she doesn’t understand what they are saying.

After spending the day with gong gong, May changes her tune. She realizes he loves her and did do some special things for her throughout the day, even if she did have to wait awhile.

This book will resonate with younger elementary students, especially second and third generation Chinese immigrant children. It is also a heart warming story of love across a changing cultural heritage. There is one brief reference to Zodiak signs. This may bother some, but it is an understandable component of the Chinese culture..

The illustrations are noteworthy. They display the Chinese culture beautifully. They make the text come alive. Gong going’s character is endearing with his cute crinkles at the corners of his eyes.

I received an ARC copy of this book from Net Galley and the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a really cute book about a girl spending the day with her grandfather. At first May thinks that because they don't speak the same language, Gong Gong can't understand what she wants, but it turns out that language may not be the barrier she thinks it is.

Such a heartwarming and sweet story about a little girl spending a day with her grandfather. This made my heart feel so warm and made me reminisce spending days with my grandpa when I was younger. Even though there is a language barrier between them, you can feel the love and connection between grandpa and grandchild. The artwork in this book was absolutely beautiful and so charming. I think this is a wonderful book for anyone!

So heartwarming! May is nervous about staying with her grandfather, Gong Gong, because he only speaks Chinese and she only speaks English. As he takes her all over the neighborhood over the course of the day, May gets more and more frustrated and convinced that he can't understand her or doesn't care. But just when May reaches a breaking point (starving and pooped on by a bird!), Gong Gong demonstrates that he has been paying attention because there are more ways to communicate than through words alone.

This was very sweet and I really appreciated May showing an interesting in learning more Cantonese to talk to her grandfather. (The story ends with May telling Gong Gong I love you, "ngo oi nei".)