This is kind of a light tour of cultural foods via a little boy's family & his birthday celebration. He tells us about his Cantonese family's traditions, & that's how the blue bowls come into the story. His descriptions of the foods are 'mouth watering!' And the illustrations are wonderful.....& colorful & detailed......the pictures are really fun to look at! I think this would be a great conversation starter about different foods, it'd be fun to read & share with a kid! This would be great to have in every library!
I received an e-ARC of this book from publisher Owlkid Books via NetGalley, for review purposes...& these are my own fair & honest opinions.

Thank you Netgalley and OwlKids for the opportunity to read The Blue Bowl by Flo Leung. Max loves to eat all the dishes his family makes but he also loves American food. Food brings people together and there is always a way the two can come together and celebrate.

The Blue Bowl is a great book for kids of all ages. Max is excited about his birthday and wants all his favorite foods so his family comes together to mix their family Cantonese favorites with some of the Italian-American favorites Max also grew up with.

The Blue Bowl was a very cute picture book about food and family. Max is Cantonese, and knows that when his family pulls out their blue bowl, they are going to enjoy a traditional meal together. The book is colourful and cozy, though it lightly touches on how other children might not always appreciate his food. My only slight issue is when they refer to "soups that are hard to pronounce". As a librarian, I wouldn't want to read that as part of a read-aloud.

Thank you to NetGalley and OwlKids Books for providing me with an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Simple and sweet is the story of Max and his love of both Cantonese and Italian cuisines. Centering the iconic blue glassware of China, we illuminate the joys of his family’s tradition and history from his young perspective. Asian Fusion is definitely a part of Western culture now and this wholesome story shows us one way it can show up in our new generations!

The art is bright and charming and compliments the delicate designs of the blue bowls very well, and the story itself is rated for maybe 3-8 years old. Max’s story is sweet and pure and all around just adorable. I can feel his joy through the pages as he carries his roots forward!

**Thank you to NetGalley and Owlkids Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review**

Max's family is Cantonese, and the blue bowls they use remind him of his culture. His parents and other family members often make familiar, comforting dishes that take them back to their roots. While Max does like Cantonese food, he wishes to explore other kinds of food more, too. For his birthday, he wanted to go to an Italian restaurant, but this doesn't end up happening. However, his cousins do make some Italian food and bring it to dinner. This is a story about culture, love, and family.

A heartwarming and delicious book that celebrates and blends Chinese and North American cultures. Max loves his family’s Cantonese dishes but as his birthday approaches, he hopes for Italian food for his birthday dinner. Instead, his family comes over to his grandparents’ house, where they share traditional Cantonese dishes and unique dishes that combine both Cantonese and North American cultures like garlic cheesy scallion bread. The story is simple and the illustrations, especially those of the food, are delightful. This title is a great reminder for kids that they do not have to choose between culture and can have the best of both (or multiple) worlds. This title was so enjoyable and you will be a bit hungry after this read!

I think this is a book that a lot of kids could relate to. The main character likes cultural family foods as well as food from other cultures. Their family has a blue bowl that reminds them of their family and where they came from. It really is a story of heritage and I think would be a great conversation starter to get kids to find out where they came from.

This beautifully illustrated picture book celebrates cultural foods, showing how a young boy enjoys his family's traditional Chinese foods and typical American foods. There isn't much of a story here, but this has a sweet, warm family focus and highlights common experiences for kids with multicultural identities.

I’d love to use this book in my embracing heritage unit. It’s an excellent example of blending cultures, keeping traditions, and making new ones. It’s also about the importance of family and how food is such an important part of our culture.

Miigweetch to Owlkids and Netgalley for the DRC.
All opinions are my own.

This was a cozy illustrated children’s story about a child’s experience eating a variety of cultural cuisines in his family home. I enjoyed how gentle this story was, and felt the illustrations perfectly complemented the subject matter.

I would recommend this book for read-alouds and elementary libraries.

This is a beautifully illustrated book. I loved how our main character liked his culture and the foods they eat , but he also wants to have other cultures foods too. I liked that he knew if a certain bowl was coming out it would have certain foods.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.

A book that values learning one’s cultural cuisine and being aware of and open to other food as well. With inviting and beautifully drawn moments of family, togetherness, and Cantonese dishes that are bound to evoke hunger if you’re not too careful, it all works together to show how everything and everyone belongs and should be celebrated :)