Ten Little Dumplings
Ten Little Dumplings | by Larissa Fan | illustrated by Cindy Wume
If one son is lucky, then ten must be great luck indeed! But where does that leave an only daughter? Based on a true family story, this inspiring picture book about a different perspective tells the tale of a girl determined to be seen, who finds her own voice and makes her own luck.
In the city of Fengfu, there lives a very special family–special because they have ten sons who do everything together. Their parents call them their ten little dumplings, as both sons and dumplings are auspicious. But if you look closely, you'll see that someone else is there, listening, studying, learning and discovering her own talent -- a sister. As this little girl grows up in the shadow of her brothers, her determination and persistence help her to create her own path in the world . . . and becomes the wisdom she passes on to her own daughter, her own little dumpling. Based on a short film made by the author, inspired by her father's family in Taiwan, Ten Little Dumplings looks at some unhappy truths about the place of girls in our world in an accessible, inspiring and hopeful way.
Ideal for:
International Day for Education January 24
Asian Heritage Month May
Canadian Multiculturalism Day June 27.
Ten Little Dumplings. Text © 2021 Larissa Fan Illustrations © 2021 Cindy Wume. Reproduced by permission of Tundra Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House Canada Young Readers, a Penguin Random House Company, Toronto.
Based partly on a traditional Chinese tale and partly on memories of the author’s Taiwanese father and his brothers, Ten Little Dumplings begins by introducing us to remarkable family who live in a village on the top of a hill. They are remarkable because they have ten talented sons, something the neighbours see as very lucky indeed! The brothers do everything together and succeed at everything they do, so when they grow into ten fine men their parents are proud but not surprised. The surprise comes when the narrator reveals that the ten brothers had a sister!
“Those dumplings were my brothers,” she explains, “You may not have seen me, but I was there too.” Sure enough, looking back on previous spreads reveals the presence of a little girl many readers will have overlooked.
Having stepped into the spotlight, the young narrator then goes on to describe how she listened, studied, learned, discovered her own talent, and found her way in the world. In a very satisfying ending, she then informs us that how she has her own child, “My own wonderful girl. My little dumpling. How lucky am I!”
This delightful story raises many questions about stories in general: From whose perspective are they told? Who is included and who is left out? Why? Whose voices do we hear? Whose voices are missing? Such questions are particularly important when applied to biblical stories, which arose from times and cultures very different from our own.
Biblical Themes: being seen or not seen, who is included and left out, paying attention, women in patriarchal societies, family, sibling relationships, cherishing all children regardless of gender
Making Connections:
Who is Missing? Choose a story from the bible and wonder about it: Who is telling the story? What is their perspective on the events and characters described? Whose voices are missing? How might the story sound different if someone else were telling it? For example, how might Sarah tell the story of when Abraham nearly sacrificed Isaac (Genesis 22)? How might Bathsheba tell the story of her encounters with King David (2 Samuel 11-12) How might the mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee, tell the story of Jesus calling them to leave their father behind and follow him? (Matthew 4:18-22) This is an exercise of imagination and empathy, helping us to practise paying attention to those who are often overlooked. Who are the people in your own world who are overlooked?
Overlooked: Have you ever felt overlooked, overshadowed, or not seen? By whom? What happened? Two stories from the bible about “invisible” people becoming visible are the story of the woman who touched the hem of Jesus’ clothing (Matthew 9, Mark 5, and Luke 8) and the Syrophoenician woman who begged Jesus to heal her daughter (Mark 7:24-30). In both stories, women come to Jesus for help: one comes very quietly and tries to keep hidden, the other one comes noisily and insistently. Read both stories. With which character do you most identity and why? Are there things you could do to become more visible and make sure your needs are met?
Sibling Rivalry: Although the siblings in Ten Little Dumplings are not actually rivals, neither are they treated or perceived the same way. Many siblings can relate to this experience. The bible is full of stories of siblings who didn’t always get along! Cain and Abel are an extreme example, but also think of Joseph and his brothers, Jacob and Esau, Rachel and Leah, Mary and Martha. Can you think of others? Choose one of their stories and think about the conflict. Does it end the way you think it should? Can you imagine a different ending?
Seek and Find: Hide a small figure (like a Lego person) somewhere outdoors or indoors, depending on the location and the weather. Give everyone a certain amount of time to look carefully and find the figure. What else did you see while you were searching? Did looking carefully for one thing make you notice other things?
