ninahuynh's review
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
A cute book that illustrates family and forgiveness, to a certain extent. The illustrations are wonderful and is a nice representative book. A great book to add to your collections of diverse children's books.
alisa4books's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting although sometimes preachy story of a family struggling to find a successful business to run in their small shop. The ceramic cat comes to life and tries to help as well.
ljrinaldi's review against another edition
3.0
You all have seen the lucky cat in asian businesses, with the waving paw? In this story the cat comes to life, and tries to help a young immigrant family and their business.
But what is odd to me, is that none of the businesses they run are ones they are enthusiastic about. It is almost as though they are just doing what they think they should be doing. And the lucky cat is not so lucky, as it pushes them out of each business, causing it to fail.
It isn't until the daughter comes up with the idea of selling their baos, steamed dumplings, that are so good, that they succeed, without the lucky cats help.
Cute drawings, but the story just makes me cringe. Why go after businesses that you dont' like? Very heavy handled.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
But what is odd to me, is that none of the businesses they run are ones they are enthusiastic about. It is almost as though they are just doing what they think they should be doing. And the lucky cat is not so lucky, as it pushes them out of each business, causing it to fail.
It isn't until the daughter comes up with the idea of selling their baos, steamed dumplings, that are so good, that they succeed, without the lucky cats help.
Cute drawings, but the story just makes me cringe. Why go after businesses that you dont' like? Very heavy handled.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
salatanita's review against another edition
5.0
This book is dedicated to me. The first page reads "To all the families who left their motherlands in hopes of a better future for their children." Well, hello from a Hungarian family living in Germany.
I like children's books with real-life situations. In this picture book, an Asian family is moving to the USA, starting a new life from scratch. Little June is afraid but finds a friend in the form of a Lucky Cat, and by the end of the book we all learn what real luck is.
The cheerful illustrations make this uplifting story cute and appealing to children.
Thank you NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group / Frances Lincoln Children's Book for an Advance Review Copy.
I like children's books with real-life situations. In this picture book, an Asian family is moving to the USA, starting a new life from scratch. Little June is afraid but finds a friend in the form of a Lucky Cat, and by the end of the book we all learn what real luck is.
The cheerful illustrations make this uplifting story cute and appealing to children.
Thank you NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group / Frances Lincoln Children's Book for an Advance Review Copy.
sandre_the_book_gremlin's review against another edition
5.0
Thank you to Quarto Publishing Group – Frances Lincoln Children's Books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy to read.
Overall the book is adorable. June and her family moved into a new place and one night she discovers the Lucky cat and the secret magic it possesses. Both of them try to get everything ready to open but they soon realize that things did not always go according to plan. That plot is repeated several times because that family overcomes a lot on their journey to opening a family business. Eventaully, they do fine their way.
Overall the book is adorable. June and her family moved into a new place and one night she discovers the Lucky cat and the secret magic it possesses. Both of them try to get everything ready to open but they soon realize that things did not always go according to plan. That plot is repeated several times because that family overcomes a lot on their journey to opening a family business. Eventaully, they do fine their way.
panda_incognito's review against another edition
3.0
This picture book has lovely illustrations, and I enjoyed the way that the illustrator brought June, her parents, and Lucky Cat to life. The pictures show emotion in a vivid way, and there are lots of interesting details to notice on a repeated reads.
However, the story has some confusing gaps in logic. The one that bothered me the most has to do with the family's repeated failed businesses. Of course, a child who is reading this won't know about all of the bank loans and paperwork required to start a new business, but since this book is supposed to represent immigrant experience, the unrealistic idea of starting one new business after another in rapid order didn't work for me. The timeline is also sometimes rushed and confusing, like with the opening of the first business. It's unclear why June was cleaning up the building overnight for the next morning. Why were her parents planning on a grand opening the next day if nothing was ready?
Ultimately, I was glad to suspend disbelief about a lucky cat statue coming to life, but I wasn't able to suspend disbelief about the rest. Many parents and kids can overlook the flaws, but recent immigrants aren't likely to relate to the unrealistic real-world elements of the story, and kids of any background who tend to ask lots of questions may get frustrated by the parts of the story that aren't explained or don't make sense.
The ending of the book is lovely, and I appreciate the positive messages about immigrants finding their place in a new country and being able to share part of their culture with others. This will appeal to people who enjoy fantastical stories about family bonds and culture, but there are so many better books about Asian Americans and the immigrant experience in general that I wouldn't especially recommend this.
I received a free copy from the publisher through Amazon Vine in exchange for an honest review.
However, the story has some confusing gaps in logic. The one that bothered me the most has to do with the family's repeated failed businesses. Of course, a child who is reading this won't know about all of the bank loans and paperwork required to start a new business, but since this book is supposed to represent immigrant experience, the unrealistic idea of starting one new business after another in rapid order didn't work for me. The timeline is also sometimes rushed and confusing, like with the opening of the first business. It's unclear why June was cleaning up the building overnight for the next morning. Why were her parents planning on a grand opening the next day if nothing was ready?
Ultimately, I was glad to suspend disbelief about a lucky cat statue coming to life, but I wasn't able to suspend disbelief about the rest. Many parents and kids can overlook the flaws, but recent immigrants aren't likely to relate to the unrealistic real-world elements of the story, and kids of any background who tend to ask lots of questions may get frustrated by the parts of the story that aren't explained or don't make sense.
The ending of the book is lovely, and I appreciate the positive messages about immigrants finding their place in a new country and being able to share part of their culture with others. This will appeal to people who enjoy fantastical stories about family bonds and culture, but there are so many better books about Asian Americans and the immigrant experience in general that I wouldn't especially recommend this.
I received a free copy from the publisher through Amazon Vine in exchange for an honest review.
melniksuzuki's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0